Chelfitsch theater company founder Toshiki Okada is back with "Five Days in March," a play written in his hallmark style of youth slang.
Since its premiere in Tokyo in 2004 at the Guardian Garden Theater Festival for rising theater creators, this acclaimed piece has toured 13 countries. In the process, the play has become a sort of litmus test for contemporary Japanese theater overseas.
The play focuses on a couple's relationship amid the onset of the Iraq war, exposing the ennui haunting today's youth.
When the curtain goes up in Kumamoto on the first night of the upcoming tour, it will mark the 100th performance of the play. To celebrate that milestone the audience will be able to stay after the show for a party. Also for the Kumamoto performances, the play will be performed in a special way with live music and what's being called a no-lighting-effect stage.
Meanwhile, audiences at Kanagawa Arts Theatre will be treated to special performances for the centenary tour that feature subtitles in English and Korean.
"Five Days in March" runs Dec. 9-11 at Hayakawa Warehouse in Kumamoto, and from Dec. 16-23 at Kanagawa Arts Theatre in Yokohama. For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.kaat.jp.