English playwright David Hare's acclaimed 2002 West End hit "The Breath of Life" this week launches a new series titled "Drama for Two: the power of dialogue" at the New National Theatre Tokyo.

Featuring the talents of Mayumi Wakamura and Seika Kuze, the Japanese premiere of this drama with a cast of just two promises to be an intimate portrayal of life, love and — most importantly in the view of its director, Ryuta Horai — communication.

"It's a play where two women are able to express their beliefs, to argue, contradict each other and engage in debate just using words, something the Japanese are not good at," 38-year-old Horai told The Japan Times recently. "Yet we must use words to get to know a person, and we must learn to listen to another person. Through this give-and-take dialogue, we can build a slightly closer relationship, and it's something important for Japanese people — especially in this day and age — to learn to do."