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Lindsay Nelson
For Lindsay Nelson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 3, 2014
For 'Once,' Broadway spurns glitz
Written and directed by John Carney, the award-winning 2006 musical film "Once" — a simple, bittersweet love story set in his hometown of Dublin and featuring wonderful music by co-stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova — was perfect on its own. Wouldn't a Broadway stage treatment ruin the quiet, refreshingly unsentimental tone that made the low-budget indie based on a book of the same name by Edna Walsh so beloved?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2014
New 'Dick Whittington' pantomime spells fun for all the family
Now a language-school teacher in Tokyo, Gareth Hinchley worked for Britain's chief forestry agency before coming to Japan in 2005. Originally from Manchester, he'd done a bit of writing as a child but hadn't pursued it seriously before he wrote "Dick Whittington," the upcoming production by Tokyo Theatre for Children.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2014
'Forget Me Not' leaves an abiding impression
Compagnie Philippe Genty's "Forget Me Not" ("Ne m'oublie pas") takes human beings and transforms them into puppets. And it takes puppets and makes them seem human. Occasionally, it combines puppets and humans until it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 1, 2014
'Yama' brings ancient folk tales to life on stage
At one point in "Yama," two actors become foxes just by pulling their conical straw hats down over their faces to give them pointy snouts. It's an idea the play's director, Andrew Wakatsuki-Robinson, got from headgear he saw at the ancient Yama-dera Temple in northern Honshu's Yamagata Prefecture — a region whose folk tales form the basis of this work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 13, 2014
Clowning gets serious in Slava's show
"Slava's Snowshow" feels like a dream — and occasionally a nightmare. Its surreal scenarios play out one after another on a stage set with seemingly oversized, fluffy blankets that give the audience a sense of being tucked inside a child's bed. There's no real narrative — but as in dreams, there doesn't need to be. It's enough to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 30, 2014
Mitani brings new life to a love-suicide
If there's one thing I never expected to see in a bunraku play, it was a disco ball. Similarly, a scene in which the leading lady has her nails done by a bevy of kimono-clad attendants.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 25, 2014
Outsider's 'Jacob' is a sensory feast
It's hard to choose the most powerful visual moment in the New National Theater's production of "19-Year-Old Jacob." My vote would be for the opening scene when, after the audience has been in total darkness for more than a minute, a single sharp triangle of white light suddenly shines down to reveal the main character lying on a bed as water drips precisely onto him from an impossibly high point above. We can vaguely make out other bodies draped over tall pillars, long hair and limbs hanging limp. A bright-red phone rings. The actor picks it up. "Hello? Hello?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 28, 2014
Outdoor kabuki marks Skytree anniversary
To commemorate the second anniversary of the May 22, 2012 opening of Tokyo Skytree, the leading kabuki actors Nakamura Shichinosuke and Onoe Matsuya last Saturday performed the popular dance-based piece "Dango-Uri" ("The Dumpling Sellers") on an outdoor stage in the Sky Arena at the tower's base.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 23, 2014
PUK's children's puppet shows suspend disbelief for all ages
Parents around the capital seeking entertainment options for young children over the next several weeks could do a lot worse than check out Puppet Theater PUK, where old and new stories will come to life in the hands of seasoned puppeteers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 9, 2014
'In the Heights' sizzles across distant cultures
I had a few reservations about the first Japanese production of "In the Heights," the Broadway sensation nominated for 13 Tony awards in 2008.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 26, 2014
A chance to shine at an early age
It's 9:15 on a cold and rainy Saturday morning, and Wendell Harrison is running late. "The one day I send an email telling them not to be late, and I'm the one having problems," he laments.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 26, 2014
Flying high, but not quite buzzing
I have vivid childhood memories of two circuses: Ringling Brothers and Shrine. The latter was a delightfully shabby affair held in an old auditorium where audiences sat on concrete bleachers that were occasionally adorned with tacky plastic chairs. There were lots of animals, and the holding areas outside had a strong smell. Inside, rough-looking men hawked huge rubber balls, finger puppets and technicolor cotton candy. I was usually allowed one purchase, and for some reason I always chose the finger puppets.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 11, 2013
'Swift!' brings theater for all sizes
Parents and lovers of visually creative theater: French company Skappa! has just the play for you.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 20, 2013
'Jack the Ripper' strikes again
"I'm a huge Beumrae fan," the woman seated next to me gushed during the intermission, pointing to a glossy photo in my program. "His voice gives me chills."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 30, 2013
'The Suit' squares a love triangle
In his seminal 1968 work "The Empty Space," Peter Brook wrote: "Certainly, we still wish to capture in our arts the invisible currents that rule our lives, but our vision is now locked to the dark end of the spectrum. Today the theatre of doubting, of unease, of trouble, of alarm, seems truer than the theatre with a noble aim."

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world