Live and in person at the Theatre Centre, Toronto, Ont. Presented by CORPUS and the KIO Company. Playing until Sept. 29, 2024.
Conceived and directed by David Danzon
Created with the Ensemble: Kohey Nakadachi, Sakura Korin, Takako Segawa, Kaitlin Torrance
Lighting and Set Design by Yann Becker
Costume Design by Atsuko Kiyokawa
Music Composition and Sound Design by Anika Johnson
Additional Choreography by Matt O’Connor
Performed in Japanese and English with English and French Surtitles.
From the Programme information: “Conceived and directed by CORPUS’ artistic director David Danzon, Mukashi, Mukashiexplores two iconic characters of Western and Japanese folklore: The Wolf and the Crane. Both carry deep roots in the collective consciousness of each culture. Their unlikely meeting sets the stage for a conflictual then harmonious relationship that blossoms through a transformative journey. The work uses traditional and contemporary Japanese art forms (Origami, Kyōgen, Bunraku, Manga), mixed with old and newer Western practices such as pantomime and the comedy traditions of Looney Tunes and TV talk shows.
Like all of CORPUS’ work, Mukashi, Mukashi will speak to children and adults alike. It introduces the poetic and intriguing world of Japanese folk tales and blends it with the dark and comedic undertones of western fairytales, all with a CORPUS twist and cross-cultural sensibility.”
Mukashi, Mukashi in Japanese translates as “Once upon a time” in English. The show starts with the Wolf from the Brothers Grimm. We have come to consider the Wolf a sinister character, dangerous and deceptive Four actors dressed in stylish black (Kudos to costume designer, Atsuko Kiyokawa) stand still growling like a wolf. They kneel on the floor side by side and begin folding a square piece of paper in front of them, in the Japanese tradition of paper folding. Occasionally one would look to his/her neighbour to see what they were doing. The neighbour then turned around and faced up stage revealing that each was ‘wearing’ a bushy wolf’s tail. When they turned back to face us, they had finished their creations, a bird (a crane?) that was then affixed to each performer’s hair.
The presentation of the Wolf was goofy, overplayed and like a silly situation comedy. Kohey Nakadachi is the performer most associated with the Wolf. The Wolf came to a feisty grandmother’s house wanting to come in from the cold. The grandmother knew to mistrust the Wolf. She knew that he wanted to eat her. They banter. There is talk of Little Red Riding Hood.
There are twists and turns with the story, but for our purposes, the playing was loud, boisterous and quirky. The Wolf did not have it easy. That grandmother gave it a run for its money.
The story of the Crane from Japanese folklore is more poignant, elegantly presented and spare in its presentation. The Crane is representative of loyalty, longevity and good fortune. A young man saves a Crane from a trap and lets it go. He is rewarded for his kindness in an artful, balletic, symbolic way, which I won’t say so as not to spoil the meaning. Kaitlin Torrance plays the Crane and is grace personified.
I found the collaboration between the Canadian and Japanese companies an interesting mix. The realization of the Wolf story seemed over long, overplayed and laboured in its intent to be funny. Although at the beginning of the scene, the banter between the Wolf and the grandmother is hilarious.
Surtitles in English were somewhat helpful but hard to read because the light made the font fuzzy. When more light shone on the surtitle, it was clearer. I can’t comment on the French surtitles because I wasn’t reading them.
The Japanese story of the Crane is more successful in its intent because the presentation is spare, economical and achingly beautiful. We get to see the full origami creation of the Crane folded in front of us, which is then put into the hair of the character—seeing how it’s done is always fascinating.
During the show several Japanese songs are sung but not translated in surtitles so the audience has context. I thought that lapse odd and an opportunity missed.
The cast of four is agile, funny, nuanced and nimble.
The program says that the show is for both children and adults. Hmmmm. The Wolf story overplays to children and the Crane story seems too esoteric for them. I was grateful to see this collaboration but I could do with less of the boisterous, over-long Wolf story and more of the elegant Crane story.
A CORPUS and KIO co-production.
Plays to Sept. 29, 2024.
Running time: 1 hour (no intermission)
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