Kyodo World Service, May 10th, 2007
British playwright and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is
still popular in Japan not only on the stage but in TV dramas and
animated cartoons.
Two pieces were broadcast on the network of Nippon Television
Network Corp. last month -- ''Osama no Shinzo'' (King's Heart), a
modern-day version of the tragedy ''King Lear,'' and ''Romeo to
Juliet,'' a contemporary version of the tragic love tale.
NTV producer Shinichiro Maeda said, ''(Shakespeare's works) are
the 'origin' of all dramas. Works depicting human truth never fade
even if the social background changes.'' Both productions were set as
familiar human dramas.
The productions featured famous actors such as Toshiyuki Nishida
and Hideaki Takizawa, and actresses such as Masami Nagasawa and Mao
Inoue, attracting an audience across the generations, regardless of
gender.
Stage productions are also planned. The Saitama Arts Foundation,
which plans to perform all of Shakespeare's works under the
supervision of stage director Yukio Ninagawa, has performed
''Coriolanus'' and ''Love's Labour's Lost.''
The New National Theater in Tokyo will perform ''A Midsummer
Night's Dream'' from May 31 to June 17 and is inviting a stage
director from Britain.
The 22-year-old theatrical company Studio Life offers a unique
program. Although all of its members are men, the company will
perform ''Romeo and Juliet'' at Tokyo's Kinokuniya Hall from Thursday
to June 5.
Kiichiro Kawauchi, the theatrical company's representative,
said, ''We expect that audiences different from regular theatergoers
will come to see it. As our members are all men, we're regarded as a
cult-like theatrical company, but we'd like to let people know that
we're staging ordinary plays.''
An animated cartoon also started last month. ''Romeo x Juliet,''
produced by GONZO K.K., which is being broadcast by Tokyo
Broadcasting System Inc. and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., is a
radical departure from the original.
In the cartoon, Juliet, a beautiful woman dressed as a man,
fights as a symbol of revolution. It is more of a fantasy tale than a
love story.
Kazuko Matsuoka, a translator of Shakespeare's works, said,
''Whether the work is a tragedy or a comedy, human stupidity and
beauty are incorporated without fail. The words are felt to be
difficult nowadays, but they were part of popular entertainment when
they were written. Their scope is wide and this is a strength.''
