The Jewish Chronicle
Will Self's Great Apes on stage
Self's 1997 novel is being adapted for the stage
February 13, 2018 15:48
Self's 1997 novel is being adapted for the stage
February 13, 2018 15:48
Great Apes, by Patrick Marmion at the Arcola Theatre from March 14 is based on the novel by Will Self, and features one of his recurring characters, the North London psychiatrist Dr Zack Busner.
Billed as Planet of the Apes meets Gulliver’s Travels, Great Apes tells the story of an artist who wakes up to find that all of humanity has turned into chimpanzees.
The male character Busner will be played by female, Jewish actress Ruth Lass.
Asked about the similarities between himself and Busner, Self said: “We both grew up in North London; we're both of Jewish heritage (although him more than me), we're both philosophically inclined, we're both highly sexual, we're both rebellious, we're both obsessed by mental illness (although him as a practitioner, me as a writer), we've both been married more than once and have numerous children, we both affect a certain dishabille, we both like Jimi Hendrix. The main difference between us is that he's 27 years older than me and a lot realer.