On the night of June 6th, the master of theatre Tadashi Suzuki delivered an amazing appearance at the NCPA International Theatre Festival 2019 with the SCOT and performed his masterpiece King Lear, lighting up the midsummer evening of theatre in Beijing.
On stage that night, artists from five countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, the USA and Russia, leaped through the fence of different languages and cultures and performed the wonderful work adapted from a classic tragedy by Shakespeare in the acting and stage style peculiar to “Tadashi Suzuki”.
The drama The Trojan Women performed at the NCPA International Theatre Festival 2017 is adapted from an ancient Greek tragedy of the same title with its historical background transplanted to post-war Japan by adopting a narrative structure known as “nesting”. Similarly, King Lear transfers “Lear” from the British Throne of 400 years ago into a quiet, lonely man in the new plot in the story, turning Lear from a king into an “empty nester elder”.
That night, Lear stepped onto the stage slowly in a wheelchair in dim light. Old and infirm, he lived alone in the hospital, and while the nurse read the story of King Lear beside him, he remembered his whole life.
On stage, the artists kept their upper bodies up straight for most of the time, and glided almost noiselessly, moving like clockwork and speaking in a steady voice.
In early versions, King Lear’s three daughters were all played by actors, and this stands in keeping with the performance tradition of the Japanese noh theatre and the performance tradition of Shakespeare’s time. However in the current revival, King Lear’s three daughters were played by actresses from the USA, Russia and China. Of different cultural backgrounds, the three actresses worked together under the unified rules of the “Suzuki Method” and gave a performance in a unique style, deeply attracting every member of the audience.
The wheelchair is a common prop in Suzuki’s works, whivh confirms his interpretation of the world as a hospital. In his view, “Both China and Japan are faced with the issue of ‘population aging’, and many old people in small cities may be taken to nursing homes, where they feel very lonely in spirit. Today’s family structure is completely different from the past. An old man in his eighties, like me, may face this issue, sooner or later.”
Suzuki’s Lear King premiered at Toga Sanbo, Japan, a “gassho-zukuri theatre” renovated from a traditional Japanese homestead by Suzuki. The interior space of such as a theatre is partitioned with columns, passages and windows, looking special.
In this version, the artists from five countries act in their own mother tongues. Moreover, the background music and costumes are full of cross-cultural internationalities.
The drama will be staged until June 8th to provide audiences with three stunning feasts of theatre. In addition, from July 19th to 20th, the Komissarzhevskaya Academic Theatre of St. Petersburg Don Giovanni will be put on stage. The drama is directed by director Alexander Morfov, winner of the Russian Golden Mask Award.
On the night of June 6th, the master of theatre Tadashi Suzuki delivered an amazing appearance at the NCPA International Theatre Festival 2019 with the SCOT and performed his masterpiece King Lear, lighting up the midsummer evening of theatre in Beijing.
On stage that night, artists from five countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, the USA and Russia, leaped through the fence of different languages and cultures and performed the wonderful work adapted from a classic tragedy by Shakespeare in the acting and stage style peculiar to “Tadashi Suzuki”.
The drama The Trojan Women performed at the NCPA International Theatre Festival 2017 is adapted from an ancient Greek tragedy of the same title with its historical background transplanted to post-war Japan by adopting a narrative structure known as “nesting”. Similarly, King Lear transfers “Lear” from the British Throne of 400 years ago into a quiet, lonely man in the new plot in the story, turning Lear from a king into an “empty nester elder”.
That night, Lear stepped onto the stage slowly in a wheelchair in dim light. Old and infirm, he lived alone in the hospital, and while the nurse read the story of King Lear beside him, he remembered his whole life.
On stage, the artists kept their upper bodies up straight for most of the time, and glided almost noiselessly, moving like clockwork and speaking in a steady voice.
In early versions, King Lear’s three daughters were all played by actors, and this stands in keeping with the performance tradition of the Japanese noh theatre and the performance tradition of Shakespeare’s time. However in the current revival, King Lear’s three daughters were played by actresses from the USA, Russia and China. Of different cultural backgrounds, the three actresses worked together under the unified rules of the “Suzuki Method” and gave a performance in a unique style, deeply attracting every member of the audience.
The wheelchair is a common prop in Suzuki’s works, whivh confirms his interpretation of the world as a hospital. In his view, “Both China and Japan are faced with the issue of ‘population aging’, and many old people in small cities may be taken to nursing homes, where they feel very lonely in spirit. Today’s family structure is completely different from the past. An old man in his eighties, like me, may face this issue, sooner or later.”
Suzuki’s Lear King premiered at Toga Sanbo, Japan, a “gassho-zukuri theatre” renovated from a traditional Japanese homestead by Suzuki. The interior space of such as a theatre is partitioned with columns, passages and windows, looking special.
In this version, the artists from five countries act in their own mother tongues. Moreover, the background music and costumes are full of cross-cultural internationalities.
The drama will be staged until June 8th to provide audiences with three stunning feasts of theatre. In addition, from July 19th to 20th, the Komissarzhevskaya Academic Theatre of St. Petersburg Don Giovanni will be put on stage. The drama is directed by director Alexander Morfov, winner of the Russian Golden Mask Award.
Repertoire
Films
Videos
Podcast
China NCPA Orchestra
China NCPA Chorus
NCPA Resident Singers
NCPA Drama Ensemble
Buildings
Exhibitions
Opening Hours
Guided Tours
Services
Getting Here
Western Cuisine
NCPA Café
Arts Gifts
