In a small studio just a seagull's squawk from Tokyo Bay in the Higashi Gotanda district of Shinagawa Ward, a unique play titled "Understandable?" briefly delighted packed houses of baffled Japanese and others recently with its absurd-but-not, "abandoned- in-translation" dialogue devoid of subtitles.
Showcasing the combined talents of local theater company Gotandadan and a French one named Astrov, all the play's "action" consisted of two sets of three actors sitting in chairs facing the audience. One set, made up of two Japanese women and a Japanese man, collectively played a Japanese man; while the other set comprising two French men and a French woman played a French woman.
A challenge for audiences it surely was. However, in ways perhaps especially pertinent in Japan, "Understandable?" brought out universal issues surrounding culture clashes and the fertile ground for conflict they offer.