The beginning of a new interpretation of King Lear, presented by Sean Holmes and Yasunori Danda
King Lear synopsis:
The old King Lear, who wanted to test the love of his three daughters, did not believe in the sincerity of his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and was betrayed when he trusted the sweet talk of his unfaithful eldest daughter and second daughter. King Lear curses the world with his frenzy and wanders through the stormy wastes. Then, a beautiful reunion between a tired father and daughter and a tragic ending. The most epic and cruel tragedy of Shakespeare's works is based on a moment in the history of ancient Britain.
1)
"PARCO PRODUCE 2024 'King Lear'" opens on 8 March at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater Playhouse in Tokyo. A photo call and pre-opening press conference were held on the same day.
"King Lear is one of the four great tragedies by William Shakespeare. Sean Holmes, who directed Parco Produce 2022's "Death of a Salesman", and Yasunori Danda, who played the lead role, will reunite for this performance.
2)
The first 35 minutes of the film were shown at the photocall. The set, designed by Paul Wills, is straightforward, with a large white wall at the back of the stage, a photocopier and overhead projector upstage, a water cooler downstage and chairs in between.
Paul also designed the costumes. Danta plays King Lear in a blue striped suit, and Moka Kamishiraishi, Noriko Eguchi, and Tomoko Tabata, as King Lear's daughters, played by Katsumi Takahashi, wear bright pink dresses.
The male characters, including the Earl of Kent, wear smart suits. The actors powerfully weave Shakespeare's beautiful words, translated by Kazuko Matsuoka.
3)
Danda and other prominent cast members attended the press conference before the first day. Danda has confidence in Sean, saying, "Sean is a director whose sensitivity and sensibility match mine."
He adds, "But this mountain called "King Lear" is quite a high mountain... Sean showed me the route clearly. However, as a climber myself, there were times when I felt like I was going to fall because of my physical endurance."
4)
Kamishiraishi, who plays Cordelia, said of the set, "It looks modern, but the stripped-down space is so beautiful that you can't tell where it is." She added, "I've never seen King Lear before. I think it will be a new version of King Lear, so please come and see this new version of King Lear," she urged the audience.
5)
Eguchi, who plays Goneril, says, "I hope we can have fun," and Tabata, who plays Regan, says, "I hope we can all greet the end of the year with smiles."
Kazuyuki Asano, who plays the Earl of Gloucester, smiled and said, "The three elders (Danda, Takahashi, Asano) work hard every day while being inspired by the younger people."
Takahashi said, "The scene you saw today was on a pure white stage." "But things will change after this. I think you'll know how things will change when you see it," he said with a mischievous laugh.
6)
Atsuko Hirata, who plays the clown, said nervously, "There are many scenes where I exchange words with Mr Danda and Mr Katsumi, so I will do my best by borrowing from their hearts."
Teppei Koike, who plays Edgar, said, "I have a simple idea: I think you can feel the raw power of the actors because it's on a set. Please come and see us at the theatre."
Reo Tamaki, who plays the role of Edmund, said, "The dynamic play 'King Lear' has been transformed into an unprecedented work by Mr Sean's direction," and Akira Maehara, who plays the role of Oswald, said, "I have received Mr Sean's direction in the past. I've done it before, but it's the hardest thing ever."
7)
"I think it will be an even richer work from now on," he says confidently. In addition, Miyu Irino, who plays the Duke of Cornwall, revealed his reaction, saying, "I am happy to be able to create this magnificent play with such a fantastic cast and crew; this work is full of things that can only be experienced in the theatre."
Ryuji Mori, who plays Duke Bunny, said with a beaming expression, "All the cast and crew who are not on stage at the moment took on the challenge of making this great work called King Lear."
8)
In conclusion, Danda said, "I think this work is approached from a different perspective to the previous versions of 'King Lear' and I think it's a new 'King Lear' that I've never seen before. I want to do that," he said at the end of the press conference.
9)
The running time is approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes, including one intermission. The Tokyo performance will run until 31 March, followed by performances in Niigata, Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagano from April to May.
The beginning of a new interpretation of "King Lear" presented by Sean Holmes and Yasunori Danda
https://natalie.mu/stage/news/564232
Stage "King Lear" Teaser (ALL CAST version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgfD4K7SX0E
