UNITED KINGDOM: JAPANESE THEATRE COMPANY PERFORMS TRADITION VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAY "A COMEDY OF ERRORS"

Record ID: 391630

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: JAPANESE THEATRE COMPANY PERFORMS TRADITION VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAY "A COMEDY OF ERRORS"
  • Date: 27th July 2001
  • Summary: (REUTERS -ACCESS ALL) SCU MANSAI NOMURA TALKING
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVALIL3YCBF5OKAH370IBU8TLK
  • Story Text: A traditional Japanese theatre group have presented their interpretation of Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors at the Globe Theatre in London as part of the Japan 2001 festival An original take on Shakespeare's comedy of mistaken identity, The Kyogen of Errors transforms the classic text into a spectacle of traditional Japanese comedic theatre.
    Kyogen ("kyo" meaning crazy and "gen" meaning words) is a highly stylized form , dating back 600 years, it uses minimal sets and depends entirely on the voice and physicality if its actors.
    The Kyogen of Errors was written by Yasunari Takahashi, a revered Japanese Shakespearean academic and its visit to the Globe Theatre in London was enabled by the director of Japan's Setagaya Public Theatre, Cheiko Hosaka: "It is part of the programme of Japan 2001, it's a nationwide cultural exchange programme between Japan and the UK and the committee of Japan 2001 are interested in bringing cutting edge Japanese theatre and traditional theatre pieces to the UK, so that's why we decided to take part in the programme."
    Although Kyogen is a strictly traditional form of theatre, and the company usually performs Japanese plays that are often hundreds of years old, the company attracts a wide age-range of fans, this is in part due to the popularity of lead actor, Mansai Nomura, who is something of a heartthrob in Japan: Recently we have new theatregoers, especially for young girls because of Mansai's popularity, he has made several films and appearances in Japanese TV programmes, and he was very popular, not only among the young girls but also the older generations. So nowadays his performances are full of young and old, mixed generations, so it's very nice for us to have a mixed audience"
    Mansai is the eldest son of Kyogen actor Nomura Mansaku, and heir to a family tradition dating back to the early 18th century. As is the expected of children of Kyogen families, Mansai began his stage career at a very tender age: "I started acting on Kyogen stage when I was three, now I am thirty five, so I have been doing it for 32 years. When you are born to a Kyogen family, and when you are a member of a Kyogen family you will appear on stage in the role of a monkey when you are three years old."
    Considered one of the most powerful and versatile young Kyogen actors of today, Mansai excels at the skills that Kyogen, with its bare stage and lack of technical wizardry requires: "Kyogen, as well as Noh is played in an empty space, just like this Globe stage, so when the stage is empty the audience will naturally focus on your voice and your physical acting so Kyogen actors must train themselves so hard that they are able to create and inspire the audience's imagination who are focusing on the physical side"
    As well as being a part of Japan 2001, the production was also part of the Globe to Globe International theatre season, which is part of the Globe Theatre's mission to discover the impact of Shakespeare on other cultures.
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