After four hours rejoicing in my seat as I watched "Tempo 12-nen no Shakespeare (Shakespeare in the 12th year of Tempo)" at the Theatre Cocoon, had I been wearing one I would have taken off my hat to the team who delivered the marvelous, grand-scale production -- director Yukio Ninagawa, writer Hisashi Inoue, music director Ryudo Uzaki and the entire, accomplished cast.
Beforehand, this production had always been one to look forward to, though I had worried whether such a deluxe lineup of talents would be able to combine successfully to realize their potential. But from the very start, it was obvious that the world-renowned 69-year-old Ninagawa had worked his magic on 70-year-old Inoue's epic -- a single play that combines all 37 of Shakespeare's plays into one story.
Set in 1841, the 12th year of the Tempo Era in the late Edo Period, "Tempo 12-nen no Shakespeare" was first staged in 1974, but as it was then five hours long, its success was marred by many audience members having to leave before the end to catch last trains. Then in 2002, director Hidenori Inoue's rock music staging overwhelmed the heady theatrical cocktail's sublime flavor.