Abstract
Representing Japan’s indelible scenes in the Meiji period stage designed by Setsu Asakura, director Yukio Ninagawa (1935–2016)’s Hamlet was performed at the National Theater of Taiwan (premiere March 26, 2015, Taipei). I explore this Japanese flavor and argue both authentic Japanese cultural roots and Western–Asian intercultural impact. In the play-within-the-play-within-the-play, Ninagawa represents the Mouse Trap scene by performing the simulation murder twice—once through mime, and second with kabuki. Claudius’ confession scene is filled with Japanese sadist torture style. The actress playing Ophelia sings Japanese songs to express her insanity. “Who are you?” is asked in Ninagawa’s Hamlet. Filtered with Western influence in the last fighting scene, and Japanese target culture as the representation of Fortinbras, this is a fusion of intercultural performance.
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Notes
- 1.
Ninagawa Yukio’s biography and his directing productions touring abroad in Europe, the US and Asia can be checked in Wikipedia and the official website of Ninagawa Troupe, such as Yukio Ninagawa at the Internet Movie Database and NINAGAWA STUDIO WEBSITE.
- 2.
Some examples of glowing internationalization of Asian Shakespeare since the 1980s are, referring to the initial production; many of those productions have been revived subsequently: “Ninagawa Yukio’s productions (Ninagawa Macbeth, 1980; The Tempest , 1987; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1994; Hamlet, 1995; King Lear, 1999; Pericles, 2003); Suzuki Tadashi’s versions (The Tale of Lear, 1984; The Chronicle of Macbeth, 1992); Wu HsingKuo’s Beijing Opera adaptations (The Kingdom of Desire ( Macbeth ), 1986; Li ErZai Ci (King Lear), 2002); the Kunqu Opera Troupe’s Macbeth (1987); the Kathakali King Lear (1989); the Nomura School’s kyogen adaptations (Hora Zamurai—A KyogenFalstaff, 1991; Kyogen of Errors, 2001); and the multicultural productions of Ong Keng Sen (Lear, 1997; Desdemona, 2000; Search: Hamlet, 2002).” (See Lan 2005, p. 530; Tuan’s retold by chronological rearrangement.).
- 3.
This is the eighth time that Ninagawa has directed Hamlet.
- 4.
In the second footnote , shingeki is: “a Japanese theatrical movement of encouraging the European modern theatre during the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century” (the performance program of Ninagawa’sHamlet). In Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia: “Shingeki: “(新劇, literally ‘new drama’) was the leading form of modern theater in Japan in the twentieth century. It was the effort to introduce Western-style realist theatre to Japan, first by presenting the works of Western writers such as Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, and Eugene O’Neill, but then by producing Japanese works. Performances reflected the styles of Russian proscenium theatre, and some of the elements included realistic/foreign costumes, the use of actresses over onnagata, self-contained plots, and, when transferred to film, close-ups.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingeki. Retrieved on June 14, 2015).
- 5.
In “Interview with Ninagawa Yukio,” Ninagawa said: “It was in 1974.… I started thinking about directing Shakespeare after my work with Shimizu had failed.” (July 4, 2001. Performing Shakespeare in Japan. Eds. Minami Ryuta, Ian Carruthers, John Gillies.).
- 6.
This audience reception is collected from the blog where the audience member expressed that he didn’t feel tired after work when he watched Ninagawa’s production.
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Websites
Audience reception in Taiwan. Milanhime. http://milanhime.pixnet.net/blog/post/30785914-2015%E8%A7%80%E5%8A%87--%E8%9C%B7%E5%B7%9D%E5%B9%B8%E9%9B%84%E3%80%8A%E5%93%88%E5%A7%86%E9%9B%B7%E7%89%B9%E3%80%8B-hamlet-by-yukio-n. Posted on March 26, 2015. Retrieved on June 16, 2015.
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Tuan, I.H. (2018). Yukio Ninagawa’s Hamlet in Taiwan: Intercultural Representation. In: Translocal Performance in Asian Theatre and Film. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8609-0_4
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