[Theatre] Trojan Women

9 September 2017

“Trojan Women”---Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

Country: Singapore, South Korea

Produced by: National Changgeuk Company of Korea, National Theater of Korea and SIFA

Directed by: Ong Keng Sen

Written for Changgeuk by: Bae Sam Sik

Pansori Composed by: Ahn Sook Sun

Composed by: Wen Hui

Cast: Kim Kum-mi, Yi So-yeon, Kim Ji-sook

Location I watched: Victoria Theatre

For SIFA Founding Festival Director, Ong Keng Sen, 2017 was his final year. “Trojan Women”, his new work based on Euripides’ play, was co-produced with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea belonging to the National Theater of Korea. This company performs changgeuk, traditional Korean opera in the Korean folk song style called pansori.

“Trojan Women” is a simple story. It is set in the Kingdom of Troy just after 10 years’ Trojan War ended with Greece’s victory. Trojan women from the royal family were captured and now, they are waiting to be taken to Greece as slaves. The women realize their fate and grieve deeply.

“Trojan Women” opens with Soul of Souls singing the prologue with an orchestra. After that, the queen of Troy, Hecuba, and the other Trojan women sing their lines like they are shouting almost for the next 2 hours. The performers have put on microphones, but I did not think that they needed it. Their voice was very loud. As already mentioned, the story is just that horrible fate is awaiting them. There is no solution or surprise at the end. The women erupt with their anger, grudge and grief.

The white stage set is simple. In the centre of the stage, there is a square arcade shaped like an entrance of a tent for captives. The roof of the arcade is connected to a platform with two staircases on either side of the stage. The back of the stage is cut into a semicircle shape. Various images---fire, stars and clouds---are sometimes projected in that arcade and the semicircle part. Trojan women wear white while Helen and the Greek solders wear gray. “Trojan Women” focuses on each woman one by one---Hecuba’s lament, Cassandra, her daughter’s grudge and madness, Andromache, the wife of Hecuba’s son’s grief and sorrow, and then the queen of Sparta who was the main cause of the Trojan War, Helen... In one scene, Andromache’s baby son was taken by the Greeks. When he was returned to his mother, the cloth that wrapped him turned from blue to red. Even this tragic incident is not the climax of this story. The play climaxes when Hecuba’s fury and grief explode. She says that even if they die, their brave figures will be talked about long into the future. She climbs up to the roof of the arcade and stands firm. Then she declares that she will never leave Troy. Finally Soul of Souls appears again and sings for the end of the play.

Before the show starts

For me, Ong Keng Sen’s work from last year, “Sandaime Richard” was not a successful one. “Sandaime Richard” is based on a Japanese theatre director/play writer, Noda Hideki’s play. “Sandaime Richard” was written for Noda’s former company, “Yume no Yumin-sha” in 1990. In this play, Shakespeare meets Shylock and the world of “Richard Ⅲ” is replaced by a family feud in a school for Japanese flower arrangement. While the narrative is deconstructed using vast wordplay, actors “play” using up their bodies. Chaos on the stage suddenly drives the audience to a moving catastrophe. That is the unique feature of Noda’s play, I think. Ong Keng Sen’s concepts were ambitious --- mixing Southeast Asian culture with Japanese culture, making the characters’ gender vague and showing traditional arts with contemporary style. However, perhaps one of the most important things to make that play fascinating was where Ong Keng Sen as a theatre director is not his strongest. There is not enough “play” on Ong’s stage. This “play” does not mean performing arts and literary means “playing”. Maybe it is better to describe as being a “fool”. Ong’s “Sandaime Richard” was beautifully unified and the intellectual theme was clear. However, its beauty or intellect did not have enough enthusiasm to move the audience. Performing arts are done by the human body, and the audience directly experiences that. The human body is not always beautiful. Enthusiasm given by the human body is not so logical. On stage, vulgar passion or nonsensical energy is often important to give enjoyment to the audience, I think.

On the contrary, this year’s “Trojan Women” is Ong’s more successful work. Trojan women’s grudge or grief becomes passionate and powerful by Korean pansori. This simple concept worked well. The rough and strong impression of the performance prevented the stage from falling into unexciting beauty.

However, one scene was unacceptable for me. That was Helen’s scene. After the Trojan women brought out their grief, Helen appears on stage. Suddenly a grand piano with an accompanist appears as well. She starts singing along with the piano accompaniment. She is the root cause of the Trojan War. Nevertheless, Helen is singing for forgiveness to Menelaus, her former husband. Menelaus is moved by her song, entreaty and eventually forgives her. She never meets the tragic fate of the Trojan women. That unfair and injustice makes Hecuba furious. Helen is wearing grey, the colour used by the Greeks. More importantly, a male actor is playing this role. The male actor is disguised as “the most beautiful woman all over the world” and sings with the piano accompaniment. He is not just wearing a grey costume, but his song also does not sound like pansori, used by the Trojan women. This completely different and sudden scene should have created modulation on the stage because the Trojan women’s passionate grief by pansori constantly keeps high tension and it makes the audience tired. However, I do not think that this modulation worked well. It should have become a partly comical scene, but it is likely to have caused a snigger. Maybe the reason is that until reaching this moment, the serious scenes were too long and there was no space for a playful tone. This sudden comical or sarcastic scene feels like a not funny joke and it is lacking in balance. Besides I do not like the idea that the only one woman who never share the sorrows with the Trojan women is played by a male actor. Grey and white, Greece and Troy, men and women and a “traitor” among the women acted by a man...the contrast is beautiful as formation. However it is unexciting on stage because we see the concept too clearly.

The general impression of this “Trojan Women” is that everyone is constantly shouting for grief or grudge. It is like listening to sirens that never stops. This makes the audience a little bit exhausted. However, this unrefined passion and tension eventually makes that climax powerful. When Hecuba climbs up to the roof and declares that she will not leave Troy there, she raises the audience’s spirit, as well. In the tragedy of war, the Trojan women cannot do anything. They are violated and there is only despair and ruin in front of them. However, even though they know there will be no happiness in their future, they strongly show how they are surviving through this terror. Among the sorrow of women, war casualties, on the contrary, women’ vitality wells up.

However, the most moving moment is when the characters just speak in ordinary and calm tomes---no shouting and no singing. There are only a few scenes in this play, so they feel more impressive. For example, Cassandra --- she has the power to predict the future --- told Hecuba, “Mother, your suffering will end soon because you can live only for a few days.” Or, one of the Greek soldiers offered the Trojan women for Andromache’s killed baby, the heir to Troy, “I will help to bury him.” On the one hand, the intense passion from anger and sorrow show the audience the last glow of the Trojan women’s life. On the other hand, the words in natural and ordinary tones touches us with humanity to sympathize with others. And “The 10 years’ war ended, and the next 10 years’ war will begin.” When Hecuba quietly says, that sounds as if she talks about our era, our anxiety and tension in the contemporary world. There is no requiem. There is just a shout and fury. (3 January 2018)

Curtain call by the cast

Victoria Theatre

[Theatre] Kanjincho（勧進帳）

4 November 2016

“Kanjincho（勧進帳）”---from Kyoto Experiment 2016 Autumn, Part 2

Country: Japan

Company: Kinoshita-Kabuki（木ノ下歌舞伎）

Supervision & Revisions: KINOSHITA Yuichi（木ノ下裕一）

Direction & Stage Design: SUGIHARA Kunio（杉原邦生）

Cast: Lee The 5^th（リー五世）, SAKAGUCHI Ryotaro（坂口涼太郎）, TAKAYAMA Noemi（高山のえみ）

Location I watched: Kyoto Art Theater Shunjuza (Kyoto University of Art and Design)（京都芸術劇場春秋座（京都造形芸術大学）

Kinoshita-Kabuki, which recreates old Kabuki works with a contemporary perspective, celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year. Its founder, KINOSHITA Yuichi has been revising Kabuki classics and working with contemporary theatre directors. You might say that it is like restaging Shakespeare works to a contemporary adaptation. Nowadays it is quite common for Shakespeare, but I think that trying it on Kabuki classics continuously and aggressively is quite rare. For this festival, Kinoshita Kabuki showcased a reworking of “Kanjincho”, one of their main works. Their “Kanjincho” can be understood easily. The contemporizing of the original work is quite exciting. Here, the characters even sing and dance an original rap song!

The entrance of the theater decorated with the flags of Kinoshita-Kabuki

The summary of “Kanjincho”:

“Kanjincho” is set in the late 12^th century on the eve of Kamakura Shogunate era. Minamoto no Yoshitsune from the Minamoto clan had great achievements during the war between the Minamoto and Taira clans. However, his older brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo---going to be the first shogun of Kamakura Shogunate---became distrustful of Yoshitsune’s loyalty. Yoritomo finally declared Yoshitsune as a rebel and ordered to hunt him down. “Kanjincho” tells about Yoshitsune and his retainers including Benkei, Yoshitsune’s right-hand man at the Ataka checkpoint in Kaga (currently Ishikawa prefecture). They try to flee to the North, disguising themselves as Yamabushi (a mountain priest). However, Togashi, the keeper of the Ataka checkpoint and his guards have been already waiting to stop a group of “Yamabushi”. Can Yoshitsune and his retainers pass through the checkpoint safely? “Kanjincho”, the title of the play, is a letter soliciting donations to a shrine subscription. Yoshitsune and his retainers disguised as a group of Yamabushi pretend to solicit funds for the rebuilding of the Todaiji temple in Nara. Togashi questions Benkei about the subscriptions, and Benkei reads the details of contributions from a blank scroll. This scene is one of the highlights of the play.

(details partly taken from a website “The Virtual Museum of Traditional Japanese Arts”).

“Kanjincho” is a famous classic. (KUROSAWA Akira’s “The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail” is also based on it.) However, this “Kanjincho” is completely different from the usual Kabuki classics performance. The stage is long, narrow and surrounded by the audience from the both sides like a runway. There are minimum props. Yoshitsune and his retainers are dressed in black like a “contemporary Ninja” or secret agent while Togashi, the checkpoint keeper wears a black long coat and pants. The time is not set in the middle ages, rather it looks like the present. The dialogue is mainly in the style of contemporary spoken Japanese.

"Kanjincho" by Kinoshita-Kabuki

Approaching contemporary theatre is not only about set design, props, costume or language. In the opening scene, Togashi and his guards are waiting at the checkpoint for a group of “Yamabushi”. There are many human heads (the heads do not look real, they are like black rocks) on the stage. Togashi has received information that Yoshitsune and his followers have disguised themselves as Yamabushi. As a result, all Yamabushi who try to pass their border checkpoint have been killed. Rebels are disguised as Yamabushi, thus all Yamabushi are deemed suspicious and killed just in case. Even nowadays, we can see this warped logic being used.

Interestingly, the actors playing Togashi’s guards also play Yoshitsune’s retainers. Except for the actors playing the lead roles of Yoshitsune, Benkei and Togashi, the other actors hold the roles of the two opposite sides, a supporter and an enemy. This fact is not hidden from the audience. When a scene switches from Togashi side to Yoshitsune side, the actors immediately change from a guard to a retainer and vice versa. We all are the same humans, but when the position and situation changes, the personality changes.

Benkei, Yoshitsune’s right-hand man, is played by Lee the 5^th, an American comedian. He is not a great actor, but being a big guy, he fits the legendary Herculean Benkei. Yoshitsune, the male role, is played by a male-to-female transsexual actor, TAKAYAMA Noemi. She is a lady and at the same time, like a beautiful young man. Her mysterious attraction makes Yoshitsune outstanding as a noble person. In this production, all characters speak casual contemporary Japanese, except for Yoshitsune, whose style of speaking is different from the others.

After clearing Togashi’s doubt by the wits of Benkei, Yoshitsune and his retainers are about to successfully pass the checkpoint. However, one of Togashi’s guards recognizes Yoshitsune, who has disguised himself as a Goriki, a servant porter for the Yamabushi. Then, to prove that Yoshitsune is just a servant and not his master, Benkei beats him up. Togashi actually notices the truth. But he is so impressed by Benkei’s desperate actions to save his master, Yoshitsune that he allows them to pass through. Once they have cleared through the checkpoint, Benkei deeply apologizes to Yoshitsune for beating him earlier and breaking the relationship of master to retainer. However, Yoshitsune does not get angry with Benkei. Instead he thanked Benkei for saving them with his quick judgment. At that moment their relationship is just about to cross the border between master and retainer to become friendship between two persons. Yoshitsune holds out his hand to Benkei. In the original Kabuki presentation, this scene is performed with a Nagauta (song played by shamisen (three-stringed Japanese guitar), flute and drums etc.). Instead in this production, the scene has a rap song with the other retainers singing lyrics like “I want to hold your hand.” This scene is stylishly beautiful and at the same time, quite touching. Yoshitsune and Benkei are very close now, but they would not be able to become friends beyond the relationship of master to retainer.

In the meantime, Togashi catches up with Yoshitsune’s company. He offers them Sake (Japanese rice wine) to make up for their rough attitude at the checkpoint. Togashi does not reveal Yoshitsune’s true identity. He is still treating them as a group of Yamabushi. Everyone is enjoying themselves. This moment looks like it is crossing the border between supporter (rebel) and enemy (authority), but the moment passes. After Yoshitsune’s company left, Togashi receives news that Yoshitsune’s company is still continuing running away to the north. The play ends with Togashi looking tired and lonely.

“Kanjincho” is a story about managing to cross the border at the checkpoint and it has been successfully done. However, the border between two persons or two sides has not been crossed after all. Kinoshita-Kabuki’s production expressed not only the physical border, but also the inner border in a system or society. That is what makes their “Kanjincho” contemporary. Borders that has been already formed and divided seem impossible to overcome. But even then, there is still some tiny hope, it is possible. (14 January 2017)

The venue, Kyoto University of Art and Design

[Theatre] Working on a Special Day

17 January 2014

“Working on a Special Day”---Passing and glorious, just one day

Country: Mexico/USA

Company: Por Piedad Teatro/The Play Company

Director: Ana Graham, Antonio Vega

Cast: Ana Graham, Antonio Vega

Location I watched: Esplanade Theatre Studio

This was the last show I watched during the Fringe Festival this year. This play was originally produced by a Mexican theatre company, Por Piedad. They performed it in U.S. in collaboration with The Play Company. For New York in U.S., “Working on a Special Day ” was performed in Spanish, but here in Singapore, they performed an English version. The original is an Italian film, “Una Giornata Particolare (A Special Day)” directed by Ettore Scola and starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. In 1938, in Italy, on “a special day” celebrating the meeting between Hitler and Mussolini, a housewife exhausted with daily life meets a mysterious man. The story is about their one-day intimate encounter. Unlike the film, this play was performed with only 2 actors – an actress, Ana Graham playing the housewife, Antonietta and an actor, Antonio Vega playing the mysterious man, Gabriele.

Actually, watching an English play is tough for me. It is even tougher when their spoken English comes with a Spanish accent. According to the two actors, English was used because they did not want the audience to read the subtitles: during reading, they would not be able to watch the stage itself. For me, the subtitles would be appreciated. Anyway, the play was performed in English, and they had some Italian words inserted as an interjection to create a little Italian atmosphere (according to the actors in the post performance Q&A session).

Watching the performance with me that day was a group of school girls led by their teacher. The actors were happy to see a different younger audience, but the girls, like Chipmunks, were talkative and noisy before the play started. Even when it started, with the opening scene of the actors in their underwear, the Chipmunks were astir. Luckily, someone　shushed them, and the Chipmunks settled down quietly soon.

Yes, right after the play began, the two actors changed to their costumes on stage. Before that, they were at the entrance of the theatre to welcome the audience. After the audience took their seats, the actors changed to costumes in front of us. Then on three blank black walls forming the stage space, they started drawing with white chalk: windows and a portrait of Mussolini etc. And the play began with this line “Today is a special day for us.”

Antonietta, the housewife, her busy day begins. In this play, stage props like a table, chair, coffee cups and laundry are physically there. Other things needed during the play are drawn additionally on the walls by the actors before they are used, like the windows or portrait. Since there are only two actors, other characters like Antonietta’s children do not appear and are played only by the voices of the two actors. Behind the black wall forming the stage space, they act and react as if the other character is there. And, the two actors voice out sound effects, like the sound of a door bell, telephone ringing or a parrot’s squawking. The parrot is an important character, which does not physically exist on stage. There is a scene when the parrot escapes from her cage and flies away. This scene is expressed only by the actors’ performance, and the audience follows this invisible bird flying on stage together with the actors.

In the stage space, there are two open entrances. When the actors are walking in the space behind the rear black wall, the audience can see them through the entrances. Some scenes are set in Antonietta’s flat and some in Gabriele’s flat. For example, when the audience sees Antonietta running up and down in the space behind the wall, we can guess that she is hurrying down stairs to go to Gabriele’s flat. And the scene switches from Antonietta’s to Gabriele’s flat.

According to the two actors/directors, this interactive stage space was inspired from child’s play. For example, when off-stage Antionetta (but the audience can see her behind the black wall) is mimicking the sound of a telephone ringing, Gabriele in his room starts to draw a picture of a telephone on the wall and pretends to pick it up. It was fun and funny to watch, since this acting style stimulates the audience’s imagination. It was the pure pleasure of watching performing arts to us. At the same time, it allowed the audience to bring out something universal in the classical setting of 1938 Rome under the political power of fascism. I do not think that the same actors who welcome the audience at the start of the play wanted to build the illusion of realty on stage. The direction revealed that this was not something beyond a play. While it is just a play, or probably since it is just a play, there is a certain moment when I can feel that the emotion is a truth.

I do not think that this play indented to warn against fascism’s terror or to appeal that we should not repeat such terrible history again. Maybe there was an intention of melodrama, between a man and a woman who may actually be enemies, a heartbreaking love for only one day out of their daily life. What I felt instead is hatred against machismo, one of the ideologies supporting fascism. Actually hatred will be too strong since both characters never spouted such impassioned emotion. Objection will be more appropriate.

Antionetta, the housewife was ignored by her domineering husband, and everyday chased by housework and looking after her children. She supports the National Fascist Party, just like other citizens. Gabriele, the mysterious man was fired from a radio station and about to be banished to Sardinia because he was a homosexual. They had nothing in common with each other, politically or sexually. On this “special day”, however, they met by chance and shared their feelings and thoughts. But still it does not mean that they could not understand each other. Probably Antonietta could not understand Gabriele’s situation clearly till the end. Probably Gabriele did not expect her to understand him completely. But when Antonietta meets a sensitive and charming man and strongly moved by him, she realizes how tired she has been of her life till now. While Gabriele is in despair about the world and his future to the point of thinking of suicide, he then finds grace and goodness in a housewife among his neighbors. They grew something warm in their hearts, clashed and finally are united physically.

It is not something aggressive like sexual liberation, nor will it bring any changes in their lives after this. It is a small happening. But on that day, Antonietta could forget her ordinary life and get back to old her, full of life. Gabriele could forget his death and feel the joy of living. It was a passing happening under the world dominated by machismo. That is why the day was “a Special Day”.

And then, the day is over. Gabriele sets off to Sardinia. He probably will not come back again. Antonietta looks at him through her house’s window. The day like today will not come back again. Antonietta erases the opened window drawn by chalk. She re-draws it as a closed window. (10 February 2014)

Click here to read the Japanese review

[Theatre] A Beautiful Chance Encounter of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella on an Operating Table

28 Mrach 2014

“A Beautiful Chance Encounter of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella on an Operating Table”---Beauty from Inelegance

Country: Singapore

Company: Teater Ekamatra

Director: Irfan Kasban

Cast: Farah Ong, Hanz Medina, Lynn Yang, Nabilah Said, Nur Khairina, Rohana Akhbar, Ruby Jayaseelan, Tan Jia Yee, Vignesh Singh, Zul Mahmod

Location I watched: an open field on Victoria St. near Bugis MRT station

  

I went to a performance by Teater Ekamatra at an open field in Bugis. The performance was presented for 3 days and it started at 8 pm every night. It was free. During this period, a two-story building with steel framework suddenly appeared at the part of a field in the centre of Bugis town. It was the performance site. Around the building, vinyl sheets for the audience were laid down, and around the sheets, fences were set up, surrounding them. At the building, about 10 performers were using sets or prepared properties and showing each movement freely. The sets and properties were clothes, stones, a chair or a mirror, made by ordinary things. The audience around the building could watch them freely from anywhere. There did not seem to be any story or a performance with a flow on the whole. So, the audience could come or leave anytime. The running time was for about 90 minutes in total. I came there 10 minutes late and stayed until the end of the performance.

I was bitten by mosquitoes, so it was quite tough to stay there. But I did not give up. Because the performance was something that made me happy even at a glance. Such a raw unrefined performance I can see in Singapore! (I am praising, of course.)

Each of the actors played a character and seemed to be performing freely as they wanted to. They were performing on their own, regardless of other characters, but sometimes interacting with the others. A man is putting clothes on the back of a chair and holding it like a child or a lover. A woman is ringing little bells tied up on her feet and parading like a queen, making an old cloth flutter like a gown. A character is playing on a swing, using cloth tied to the steel framework like a hammock. There is someone splashing water from a pail. A character who arrives from the opposite end of the building with a travel bag, starts cleaning up the mess on the ground to a shopping trolley. A character is walking around thrusting a mirror in the faces of the audience. A character ties her hands with a string held by another character. And they both started walking around the building, etc.

Is this a moving tableau vivant for 90 minutes? Or a metaphor of a mental hospital? Or a parody of our daily life, human history from ancient times to the present, or theatre arts?

This performance’s title is taken from a phrase of poetry by Comte de Lautréamont, who had an influence on Surrealism. I felt that the main purpose of this performance was to find unexpected beauty and stimulation from a vulgar and unreasonably messy surface. Especially in theatre arts, beauty that moves the audience does not always arise from something stylish, fine or clean. When someone is expressing something, exposing his/her body in front of another, the unrefined touch and energy fresh from the body can strike him/her watching it, and beauty is also created from there, I think. That is why I was pleased that the performance ambience was unrefined and cheap. For that, or precisely for that reason, a moment is quite impressive and outstandingly beautiful without any logical thinking.

In the audience, there were a few people bringing a bottle of wine and drinking merrily. Since we did not have to concentrate on the performance storyline or meaning, it was possible to relax and watch it casually. I thought, we should not think too hard about this performance. Although I could have left halfway through the performance, I stayed as I was curious how it would end. It did end when the director, Irfan Kasban appeared and tapped each actor on the shoulder, signaling to stop their performance. The actors put on a hat similar to a bamboo strainer with a screen covering their face, and walked out of the venue one by one. Maybe they walked back to their company office near Arab Street. By the way, the publicity flier of this performance had a design using only letters. It is quite beautiful, like the Russian Avant-Garde design. (7 April 2014)

Click here to read the Japanese review

 

[Theatre] The House of Bernarda Alba / 『演劇』ベルナルダ・アルバの家

15 March 2014

“The House of Bernarda Alba”--- I expected more intensity and more drama in the dark house

Country: Singapore

Company: Wild Rice

Director: Glen Goei

Cast: Claire Wong, Jo Kukathas, Glory Ngim

Location I watched: Drama Centre Theatre

It was Wild Rice’s performance of The House of Bernarda Alba, the notable play by Garcia Lorca (a Spanish poet) whom I always confused with Garcia Marquez (a Columbian novelist). It has been a long time since I last watched a Wild Rice performance.

When the Master of a rich house died, his wife, Bernarda, declares that her five daughters will mourn his death for eight years. Although the daughters are in the flower of womanhood, they are forbidden contact with the outside. And the household starts to rift with desire, jealousy and hatred coming up among them. Its black feelings and tensions, together with Bernarda’s tyrannical attitude for protecting her family’s honor, finally cause a tragedy. 

While the characters’ practicing religion is Christianity, the play is set in a Peranakan mansion. The traditional colourful Kebaya dresses are beautifully designed in black. The stage set; the interior of the house of Bernarda Alba is also brilliant. There are huge double doors at the back of the stage, rising from the floor to the ceiling, and vertical oriented windows like ones of Peranakan buildings. But the house is different from a usual Peranakan style mansion with light colors, and designed in gloomy black. We might say that the real protagonist of this story is the house, and this set design is suitable for that.

After the Master’s funeral, when Bernarda Alba made her first appearance through the huge double doors, she looked imposing, like a deputy of God. It was very impressive. And following her, her daughters and a female chorus came into the house. The play, not only featured female actors playing all the characters, but it also had an all female chorus. The female chorus came to the stage as funeral attendants, at first. They prayed together, and then moved to one of the stage wings. The chorus stayed there and sometimes took part in the play. For instance, when a girl was punished for murdering her baby born out of wedlock in their village, the chorus sang out “Kill (her), Kill”. (By the way, since the play is set in the interior of the house, the audience does not get to see the village directly.) In that scene, Adela, the youngest daughter, was the only character to show a negative attitude against the punishment. When the girl was killed, Adela shouted in despair. It was another impactful scene. Both the scenes with the chorus were striking and such exaggerated directions were appreciated.

In this play, Bernarda Alba’s strong will is moving the story toward one direction. That is the point of the play, I think. Bernarda does not change her decision through the play. For instance, her servant, Poncia’s admonition was just unavailing (even if Barnarda became uneasy). This rigidity dooms the story straight to the catastrophe. Even in her daughters’ scene where Barnarda was not involved, the audience could see her staying silently at the back of the stage. It seems to express how strongly her presence is dominating the entire of the story. I think it was a well-considered direction.

What I first associated with house imprisonment is Kura (a traditional Japanese storehouse) or Zashiki-Ro (a traditional Japanese room for confinement). But since this play is not a Japanese detective novel set in the pre-World War 2^nd period, I had to dismiss that idea of such a horrible room. Bernarda’s declaration does not mean that her daughters cannot leave the house. They can still take a walk around the house. They can still receive visitors. In fact, even a marriage arrangement is brought for the oldest daughter, Angustias. Her daughters can still enjoy limited freedom under the permission of their Mother, Bernarda. According to the brochure, Glen Goei, the play’s director, seems to have revolved around the question about the play’s theme: “What happens when the Old Man dies?” That is “What happens to the family when the Patriarch (the Old Man) dies?” His family has been inured to repression and depending on him for such a long time, so they hope continuous domination. And they make their desire or hatred repressed till now spout out slowly. This is interpreted not just for a family, but it also can be for a system of politics or a nation, and maybe even for Singapore itself.

If this production were created with this idea, it would be a quite sharp comment on Singapore politics. But as long as I watched it, I could not see any of its execution. What I felt more as something notable was the situation where there was a physical lack of men among women. For instance, in an early scene, a maid missing her late Master, was writhing with masturbation. That scene was expressing the situation straightforwardly. This play describes a tragedy caused by the Mother’s domination of her daughters’ freedom when she is haunted by the family honor, respectability and convention. With the emphasis of the lack of eligible men, this idea seemed antiquated; it does not reach me so much as an actual problem. I never think that it is an old-fashioned theme for a mother to repress her children, especially on their sexuality. But this production makes it feel a little old-fashioned.

If this production had carried through its exaggerated directions throughout the play, it would have been stronger and convincing since the audience would not have time to wonder about the situation as old-fashioned one. What should have been needed was more intensity throughout the play. I earlier praised the beautiful stage design and costumes, but it is also a weak point. For the darkness of repression with sexual crisis, this production was partly too stylish and sophisticated, I think. 

Since a local bakery, Bengawan Solo, was cooperating with this production, the audience was treated to free cakes like Kueh Lapis in the theatre foyer before the performance. The brochure had the Bengawan Solo advertisement of dignified Bernarda Alba with the tagline “Only Bengawan Solo will do! –BERNARDA ALBA”. It was funny. After the performance, I checked a Bengawan Solo outlet on the way home. It was still effective what Mother said. (20 March 2014)

At a Bengawan Solo outlet

2014 年 3 月15 日
「ベルナルダ・アルバの家」---期待したのは、暗い家での、より激烈で劇的なものだったけれど

国：シンガポール

カンパニー：Wild Rice（ワイルド・ライス）

演出：Glen Goei（グレン・ゴエイ）

出演：Claire Wong, Jo Kukathas, Glory Ngim

見た場所：Drama Centre Theatre 

　私がよくコロンビアのガルシア・マルケスと混同してわからなくなる、スペインの詩人、ガルシア・ロルカの代表的戯曲の上演。久しぶりにWild Riceの公演を見に行った。

　富裕な主の死後、その妻であるベルナルダは、5人の娘達に8年間喪に服するように宣告する。娘達は女盛りで外界との接触を禁じられ、家は彼女達の間に生まれる欲望や嫉妬、憎悪によって揺さぶられる。そうした黒い感情と緊張、体面を重んじる専横的な母の姿勢が、ついには悲劇を招くという筋立ての作品である。

　今回の舞台設定は、プラナカンのお屋敷ということになっている。ただし、ベルナルダ達の信仰する宗教はキリスト教である。伝統的にはカラフルなケバヤを、黒にデザインした衣装が素敵。また、装置も素晴らしく、まさにベルナルダ・アルバの家の内部が舞台装置なのだが、正面奥に舞台の天井まである巨大な正面扉、そしてプラナカン建築に見られるような縦長の窓。しかし衣装同様、本来は明るい色彩のプラナカンの屋敷とは異なり、薄暗く、黒い。ある意味、家が主役とも言える作品には、ふさわしい舞台装置だった。

　主の葬式の後、ベルナルダ・アルバは初めて舞台に姿を表す。その正面の大扉を入って来る姿には、神の代理人のごとき威厳があり、非常に印象的である。そして彼女に続き、娘達とともに女声合唱団も一緒に入って来る。この作品では、全ての登場人物が女性によって演じられるだけではなく、女声合唱団も登場するのだ。合唱団は、最初葬儀の参列者として舞台に登場し、家族と一緒にお祈りを唱えるのだが、その後も舞台袖に控えていて、時おり芝居に参加する。例えば、村で私生児を生んで殺した娘を処刑するというシーン（なお、舞台設定はあくまで家の中なので、観客がそのシーン自体を見ることはない）で、「（娘を）殺せ、殺せ」と合唱する。このシーンでは、末娘のアデラだけが処刑に否定的態度を示すのだが、結局娘は殺されてしまい、彼女は絶望の叫びをあげる。ここも迫力があった。合唱団も参加するこれら二つのシーンは印象的で、この辺の演出の大仰さは評価されて良いと思う。

　この作品は、ベルナルダ・アルバの強い意志によって、物語が一つの方向へと進んで行くところに特徴があると思う。ベルナルダは最初から最後まで判断を変えず、その峻厳さが一直線に破局を押し進めていく。例えば召使いポンシアの諫言など、（それによってベルナルダが動揺したとしても）虚しい限りだ。そうした作品全体を圧するベルナルダの存在を強調するためか、娘達だけのシーンであっても、舞台の奥の方にひっそりとベルナルダがいるのが見受けられた。そういう点も、良く考えて演出していると思う。

　家に閉じ込められるというと、なんとなく蔵とか座敷牢とかイメージしたくなるが、戦前の日本の探偵小説でもあるまいし、そういう恐ろしげなものはない。娘達は家から一歩も外に出られないわけではなく、庭を散歩したりはしている。また、訪問客に会ったりもする。それどころか、一番上の娘、アングスティアスに縁談が持ち上がりもする。要は、彼女達は母親であるベルナルダの許す、限られた範囲での自由を享受できるわけだ。プログラムによると、演出家Glen Goeiは、この作品のテーマについて、「（家長である）老いた男が死んだ時、（その家に）何が起こるか？」という問いを中心にすえて考えたらしい。これまでの抑圧にあまりにも慣れ依存した人々が、引き続きの支配を望むとともに、その抑圧の元で押し殺して来た欲望や憎悪をじわじわと噴出させていく。これは、単なる一つの家の問題ではなく、国家や政治システムについても言えることなのではないか。と考えると、これはシンガポールという国そのものについても言えることかもしれない。

　もし制作者側がそれも考えてこの作品を上演したとすれば、シンガポールの政治システムにも言及した、かなり鋭い芝居になるのだが、見た限りでは、そのような含みは感じられない。それよりも心に残るのは、女性達の間に起こっている男ひでりの状態である。それは例えば、メイドが亡くなった主を恋しがり、身悶えしてマスターベーションするという最初の方のシーンに、端的に表現されている。家名や体裁、因習にとらわれた母親が、娘達の自由を支配することから来る悲劇を描いているわけだが、男ひでりを強調されると、なんとなく大時代的な気がして、アクチュアルに響くものがあまりない。いや、母親が子供達をとりわけ性的に抑圧するというのは今にあっても古くないテーマだと思うが、この上演においては、いささか古めかしく見える。

　もし、前述したような大仰な演出による勢いで最初から最後まで押し切ったら、見ている方に古めかしいなどと考える余裕もなくなり、かえって胸に響くような説得力が出たように思う。この上演に必要だったのは、一貫した激烈さだったのではないか。衣装も舞台装置も美しいと誉めておいた後でこんなことを言うのもなんだが、それはまた作品の持つ弱さでもあった。総じて、性的危機とともにもたらされる、抑圧されたドロドロとした心理を扱うには、この上演は若干上品で洗練され過ぎたのではないかと思う。

　今回の公演は、お菓子屋のブンガワン・ソロと提携している。そのため、開演前にロビーで、無料のKueh Lapisなどのケーキを振る舞ってくれていたのだが、プログラムにもブンガワン・ソロの広告が載っていた。厳めしいベルナルダ・アルバが、吹き出しで「Only Bengawan Solo will do! –BERNARDA ALBA」と言っている。面白いから。そこで帰りに、ブンガワン・ソロの店舗に寄ってみた。やはりお母さんの言う事は有効である。（2014年3月20日）

[Theatre] Shun-kin /『演劇』春琴

31 August 2013

“Shun-kin”---Martyrdom for a woman’s beauty in the dimness

Country: UK/Japan

Company: Complicite/Setagaya Public Theatre

Director: Simon Mcburney

Cast: Yoshi Oida, Eri Fukatsu, Keitoku Takata

Location I watched: Esplanade Theatre

It has been a long while since I last went to watch a play. After checking my diary just now, I realized that the last play I watched was “Sho-shun O’kabuki (January Kabuki)” at Osaka Shochiku-za Theatre back in January 2013. I was surprised; for 7 months, I had not watched any plays.

Anyway, this play, “Shun-kin” was co-produced by Setagaya Public Theatre (Japan) and Complicite (UK). Two famous works by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, “Shun-kin Sho (A Portrait of Shun-kin)” and “In’ei Raisan (In Praise of Shadows)” was reconstructed as a new work on stage.

Here in Singapore as part of their world tour, the performance at Esplanade Theatre was well received. On the day that I went to watch, many people in the audience gave it a standing ovation. I also thought that it was quite a good play which gave the audience a very rich experience on theatrical arts.

The play opens with one of the actors, Yoshi Oida greeting the audience in English and sharing the memories of ‘his’ father’s death anniversary. As the day came every year, his relatives attending it became less and less, till finally he was the only person standing in front of Sotoba (a wooden grave tablet). On the gloomy stage behind him, the other actors were standing in a row. Light slowly glowed from their back and flowed over there gradually.

In this opening scene, there was the pleasure to watch theatrical arts or the expectation to the pleasure to watch theatrical arts. The pleasure is with reality belonging to the stage and the physicality of the actors, but from watching something different which transcended reality of our daily life. I was excited about this scene.

“Shun-kin” works on three interconnected layers. On the surface, it is a present day story about a middle-aged actress, played by Ryoko Tateishi, who is doing a narration for a radio play, “A Portrait of Shun-kin” by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki in an old studio in Kyoto. It is also about Tanizaki himself, the protagonist of “A Portrait of Shun-kin”, visiting “Shun-kin’s grave” and writing his story in about the year 1933. Lastly, it is the story of Shun-kin, a shamisen (a Japanese three stringed instrument) master, and her faithful servant, Sasuke from the end of Edo to the Meiji era (around the second half of the 19^th century). We see that the bizarre love affair between Shun-kin and Sasuke is developing into ultimately aesthetic love on stage. On the other hand, Tanizaki---a writer was living during Showa Modern (the period of modernism around 1930s in Japan)---gives their love story some criticism and comments by words from the modernism. In addition, we also see the voice actress and her (somewhat) immoral love affair with a younger man, while narrating Shun-kin’s story for the radio play. Although the voice actress’s love story may be immoral, it seems to be ordinary. For that reason, it is a secular shadowgraph against the love affair between Shun-kin and Sasuke. This present part is also a kind of interlude and the middle-aged voice actress also has a role as comedy relief.

We, however, have another story layer with the older Sasuke, played by Yoshi Oida, who is passing his remaining years after Shun-kin’s death. He sometimes appears on the stage and repeatedly talks how beautiful Shun-kin’s body (feet, most of all) was. The story of Shun-kin and Sasuke repeats itself again and again into a world of itself, a fake biography by “me”, a literary work by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki and Sasuke’s memory.

In response to this complex dramatic composition, the play uses various theatrical techniques. On the dim stage, we could hear a live shamisen performance or an announcement on the platform of a train station. And we could see quotes from Tanizaki’s original text and a photograph of Shun-kin---it is introduced as only one copy of her portrait---projected on the back of the stage. The role of Sasuke was played by three actors in relay from youth to old age. On the other hand, the role of Shun-kin in her girlhood and as a young Shamisen master was acted by a puppet. Then in a scene when Shun-kin was physically beating Sasuke out of jealousy for a geisha girl, one of her pupils, the role of Shun-kin was taken over naturally by Eri Fukatsu, who had been speaking her lines and working the puppet.

Although various theatrical techniques were introduced, the stage set and properties were limited. Rather than it, the play concentrated on the actors’ physical expression and made good use of their bodies with high standards. For instance, a line shaped by actors’ arms became the branch of a pine tree stretching from Shun-kin’s grave to Sasuke’s one. And, the scene when Sasuke is beaten by Shun-kin day after day is the most impressive in all of the physical expressions. Sasuke was beaten by Shun-kin and he fell down. From the same position as he was, another Sasuke got up, and knocked down again, and…that movement was repeated endlessly. While the meaning of that movement was quite cruel in common sense, the repeated cycle of movement became like a dance; smooth and beautiful. The “abnormal” relation between Shun-kin and Sasuke, its connection with pain and pleasure both physically and mentally was expressed in a quite sophisticated way.

When the voice actress tried to explain the story of Shun-kin to her lover on the phone, she said it was a story about a sadistic lady. Her explanation might have one from a female’s point of view. But since this play was narrated more from the perspective of Sasuke, it is more accurate to say that this was a story about a masochistic man. Although Sasuke was played by three actors, Songha, Keitoku Takada and Yoshi Oida, Shun-kin was acted by a puppet until Eri Fukatsu took over. This may mean that Sasuke’s vision of Shun-kin’s face was that of Fukatsu, which he saw last before he became blind and the image was fixed indelibly in his mind. Or rather than it, this may mean that Shun-kin was the girl of Sasuke’s dreams eternally. His dream was completed by Shun-kin with the face of Fukatsu.

Sasuke hoped that he was dominated by Shun-kin’s beauty. He became her servant throughout his entire life (even after she had his children). When Sun-kin was burned and disfigured, Sasuke pierced his eyes with a needle to blind himself. That was the result of his consideration for her mind in which she would never want him to see her face. In another weird and beautiful scene, the now blind Sasuke, who was always waiting apart slightly from her, sits down next to the bandaged Shun-kin for the first time, like a married couple. Even if they could not, or would not like to become a couple, for that moment, Shun-kin accepted Sasuke, an ardent devotee for the tyrant of beauty, as an equal, perhaps out of consideration of his passion. Now they could both live forever as the beautiful Shun-kin and the faithful Sasuke. It is a kind of a dream world. And such a dream world must be different from this bright present world under the sun or electric lights. It might be like phantasm floating in the darkness.

If the staging of the play had been performed straight without the crisscrossing time periods or with the elaborate stage set and properties, the play would still have been interesting. But it could have been just an interest for a story about sadomasochism relationship, abnormal intercourse or romantic sacrifice of love. This performance, however, was more than that. That pathetic and weird atmosphere contrasting sharply with the common and comical scenes of the present, combined with the actors’ stylish movement in the simple and rather abstract stage set increased the universality of the theme. In short, the complex narrative style, the various theatrical techniques and the acting with high physicality pushed this Edo-Meiji era story up to a different dimension.

It is a story about passion to make ordinary people great. Sasuke was an unknown servant. He passed away as an ordinary shamisen master with nobody’s attention. He, however, had been getting masochistic pleasure by serving beautiful Shun-kin, and finally obtained passion to dedicate all of his life to her beauty. He was able to keep the sublime passion throughout the entire of his life. It can be called a religious passion. And, the passion changed him and the object of his admiration, Shun-kin, from common townspeople in the 19^th century. That turned them into something great. I think the audience was moved not only by Sasuke’s devoted love, but also their greatness itself.

Back in Japan a long time ago, I have watched “The Street of Crocodiles” by Complicite. I remember that I felt a headache and was exhausted by the hysterical atmosphere; that might have been one of their intentions, I think. Probably my physical condition was not well at that time. Now looking back, I have forgotten everything else about the play except that headache and exhaustion. This time, I think I could watch their “Shun-kin” relaxed. By the way, as the show ended, after the curtain call, I spotted a young Caucasian lady who was still crying for being so moved---:) (11 Sep. 2013)

2013年8月31日
「春琴」---仄暗い女性美への殉教 

国：イギリス、日本 
カンパニー：コンプリシテ、世田谷パブリックシアター 
演出：サイモン・マクバーニー 
出演：笈田ヨシ、深津絵里、高田恵篤 
見た場所：Esplanade Theatre 

　久しぶりに芝居を見た。確認したら、2013年一月に大阪松竹座に見に行った初春大歌舞伎以来だった。こんなに長いこと（7ヶ月間）芝居を見に行っていなかったことに、自分で驚いた。 

　それはともかく、この「春琴」は、日本の世田谷パブリックシアターとイギリスのシアター・カンパニー、コンプリシテの共同制作になる作品で、谷崎潤一郎の「春琴抄」と「陰翳禮讚」をもとに、舞台作品として再構築したもの。 

　海外ツアーの一環としてシンガポールに来たわけだが、Esplanade Theatreでの上演は非常に好意的に迎えられ、私が見に行った日も、カーテン・コールでスタンディング・オベーションをする多くの観客がいた。一言で言ってしまうのなら、非常に豊かな演劇体験をさせてくれる作品で、とてもよかったと思う。 

　作品の冒頭、笈田ヨシが英語で観客に挨拶をした後、父の法事の思い出を語る。法事も回を重ね、自分以外の親類縁者はいなくなり、ついに彼だけが卒塔婆の前に立つ。彼の後ろの薄暗い舞台に、横並びに立つ他の出演者達。しだいに彼らの背後が明るくなり、舞台の奥から光が溢れ出て来る。 

　この最初の場面からしてすでに、演劇的快楽---舞台も俳優も現実に存在するものであるのに、日常の世ならぬものを見ているという快楽---あるいは、今からそういうものが見られるという期待で胸が踊らされた。 

　この作品には三つの階層がある。一つが、古い京都のスタジオで、谷崎潤一郎作「春琴抄」のラジオ朗読でナレーションを務める、現代の中年女優（立石凉子）の層。もう一つが、春琴の「墓」を訪ねる「私」こと、この作品を書いた1933年頃の谷崎の層。そして最後が、江戸末期から明治にかけての三味線の師匠春琴とその忠実な奉公人佐助の層である。19世紀の文化の中における、一種異様な、あるいは究極的に純化された耽美的な愛を、春琴と佐助が演じる一方で、昭和モダンの谷崎が、近代以降の用語を用いながらそれを批評するとともに感慨を表す。そしてさらに、現代の中年女優の、道ならぬ（らしい）がありきたりな、自分よりずっと若い男性との恋模様が、ナレーションの仕事の合間に差し挟まれる。この中年女優の恋は、春琴と佐助の恋愛関係の世俗的な影絵となっている。また、この現代パートは、一種の幕間狂言でもあり、中年女優はナレーターとしてだけではなく、コメディ・リリーフとしての役割も担っている。 

　しかしさらに、これら三層とは別の層がもう一つある。それは、春琴の死後、余生を送る老いた佐助（笈田ヨシ）によるもので、度々登場する彼は、春琴の身体（特に足）の美しかったことを繰り返し述べる。春琴と佐助の物語は、それ自体が独自の物語世界を持つとともに、谷崎による偽伝記でもあり、谷崎潤一郎作の文学作品でもあり、佐助の思い出でもあるのだ。 

　この作劇上の複雑さに呼応するように、その表現手段も多彩である。薄闇を主体とした舞台では、三味線の生演奏と駅のプラットホームのアナウンス、背後のスクリーンには、春琴の唯一枚の写真が映され、また時に日本語で原作の一部が表示される。佐助の役は、青年、壮年、老年と三人の俳優が演じ継いで行くが、春琴の少女時代と娘時代は人形によって演じられる。そこから、弟子の芸者に嫉妬して佐助を折檻する過程で、春琴役は、それまで声を当てて人形を操作していた深津絵里自身へとごく自然に交替して行く。 

　様々な表現手段が取り入れられる一方で、舞台装置や小道具は限られている。そういうものよりも身体表現を優先させる、非常に身体性の高い作品でもあり、例えば、春琴と佐助の墓をつなぐ松の枝は、俳優達の腕の組み合わせであったりする。そして、そうした身体表現の中でも最も印象的なシーンが、来る日も来る日も春琴に折檻される佐助を表現するくだりである。春琴に殴り倒されて転がる佐助、その同じ位置からもう一人の佐助役が起き直り、また殴り倒されて転がり、という運動を無限に繰り返していく。それが意味しているものは、通常からすると極めて残酷なのだけれども、それと同時に、その動きはダンスのようで、滑らかで美しい。ここに、通常の苦痛が快楽になっている、一般的には異常といえる二人の関係が、かくも洗練された形で表現されている。 

　ナレーターを務める女優は、電話の向こうの恋人に「春琴抄」を説明して、サディスティックな女性の物語だと言っている。彼女は女性の視点からこのように説明したのだろうが、しかし実際は、この作品はどちらかと言えば佐助寄りに物語が進められており、マゾヒスティックな男性の物語だと言った方が正しいのかもしれない。佐助は三人の男優（成河、高田恵篤、笈田ヨシ）によって演じられるが、春琴は深津絵里が引き継ぐまでは、人形によって演じられる。これは、自分が眼を潰す直前に見た春琴（深津絵里）の姿が、佐助の心には焼き付いているであろうという解釈による気もするし、またはそれ以上に、佐助にとって春琴が、永遠の夢の女だったことによる気もする。彼の夢は、最後に見た春琴の顔、深津の顔によって完成されたのだ。 

　春琴の美に支配されることを望んだ佐助は、（彼女との間に子供をもうけてもなお）終生彼女の召使いであったわけだが、火傷した顔を見られることを恐れた春琴の心を思いはかって、自らの眼をつぶす。それまで常に春琴から一歩退いた所に控えていた佐助は、その時初めて、顔を包帯でまかれた春琴の隣に、夫婦のようにそば近く座る。このシーンもまた、異様であるとともに美しい。もちろん彼らは、夫婦になれるわけでも、なりたいわけでもないのであろうが、この瞬間、美の暴君の熱烈な信者である佐助を、春琴がその情熱に免じて受け入れたのだと思われる。今や春琴は、佐助の心の中で永遠に美しく生きることができ、佐助もまた、永遠に美しい春琴の下で生きることができる。その夢のような世界は、太陽や電灯の下の明るい現在とは異なっているだろう。暗闇の中にぼうっと幻のように浮かんだ世界であるに違いない。 

　「春琴抄」の物語を、このような複数の時代を交錯させた中で語らなかったら、または、当時を再現するような凝った装置や小道具とともに上演したら、それは興味深いストーリーを持つ作品にはなったであろうが、しかし、ただのロマンチックな愛の犠牲の話になってしまっただろう。あるいは、単なるサド・マゾ的な人間関係、異常性愛について描かれている、という評価を下されるかもしれない。しかし、この作品はそれ以上のものとなった。悲愴で一種異様な雰囲気は、現代のシーンの俗っぽさやコミカルさと対照的に際立ち、比較的シンプルで抽象的な舞台装置での俳優の様式的な動きは、物語の時代性を減じて普遍性を増さしめる。要は、この作品の語り方の複雑さ、表現方法の多様さ、と同時にシンプルに身体に頼るという手法が、江戸末期に舞台設定された物語を、違う次元に押し上げたと思う。 

　それは、ごく平凡な人間を偉大に変える情熱についての物語である。美しい春琴に仕えて一種マゾヒスティックな快楽を得ていた佐助は、遂にはその美に全てを捧げるような情熱を得るに至る。名もなき奉公人であった佐助は、世俗的には三味線の師匠としてなんということもなく世を去るのであるが、一方では人として、宗教的ともよべるような崇高な情熱を、生涯持ち得た人物となった。そしてそのことが、彼の崇拝の対象であった春琴とともに、彼らを江戸末期の一町民ではなく、偉大さを備えた人物にした。見ている者は、単に佐助の献身的な愛にだけではなく、この偉大さそのものにも心を打たれるのだと思う。 

　私ははるか以前に日本で、コンプリシテの「The Street of Crocodiles」を見たのだが、その時はそのヒステリックな雰囲気（それは作り手の意図したところと思われるが）に、頭がキーンとして、正直ぐったりした覚えがある。体調があまりよくなかったのだろう。昔のことなので、それ以外のことは忘れてしまった。今回は、その時よりもくつろいだ気持ちで見ていたと思う。カーテン・コール後も、感動して泣いている白人のお姉さんとかいたなー:)（2013年9月11日）