Stage

The #MeToo movement has been gaining momentum in Japan over the past year, though its impact on public life hasn't been anywhere near as strong as in other countries. Still, the efforts of journalists such as Shiori Ito and BuzzFeed's Keiko Kojima have helped ...

There has always been a considerable amount of cultural exchange between China and Japan, but we've recently been seeing it take place in new areas like underground music, blockbuster films and contemporary theater. On Oct. 6 and 7, Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo will present ...

Renowned theater director Yukio Ninagawa broke new ground when he launched Saitama Gold Theater in 2006. Instead of seasoned actors, he filled his troupe with amateurs who were all older than 55. Now, nearly 100 groups of senior-citizen actors can be seen across the country, ...

Nothing sounds quite like the early 1960s more than the vocals of Frankie Valli. As lead singer of The Four Seasons, his falsetto remains an unmistakable part of classic tunes such as "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry," though it's also his remarkable voice, ...

The lobby of the Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo teemed with women on Sept. 1, each eager to see Kei Tanaka in action. The 34-year-old actor — and judging by the buzz in the lobby, bona fide dreamboat — recently captured hearts in "Ossan's ...

When he was 16, Hideto Iwai was perplexed as to why everyone around him unquestioningly jumped onto society's student-to-salaryman conveyor belt. So, he broke free, dropping out of high school and picking up casual jobs where he could find them. "But then I had problems ...

Here's a sight you may not expect at a kabuki performance: A blue-haired boy bolts toward a massive snake that writhes menacingly on stage. He brings his sword down on the beast, slicing it into sections that fall apart dramatically. I thought a kabuki ...

When the circus comes to town in most parts of the world these days, you won't see elephants, tigers or clowns with big red noses. Since Canada's animal-less Cirque du Soleil took to the road in 1984 with its character-driven shows and nonstop live music, ...

With only a chair, a lamp and a book to assist him, Tatsushi Amano, 54, has been providing dynamic glimpses into the hardships of postwar Hiroshima since 2009. His performance consists of a one-man adaptation of Hisashi Inoue's play "Chichi to Kuraseba" ("Living With Father," ...

Summer is a time for dancing. Across the country there are countless local matsuri (festivals) in which a regionally specific odori (dance) is the main attraction and, of course, there are the many outdoor music festivals that allow people to let loose and move. The ...

Based in mountainous Oita Prefecture in northeastern Kyushu, the privately owned and run Drum Tao company has barely paused from pounding away at the international entertainment market since it launched its overseas ambitions with a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004. Since then, ...

After eight years as artistic director for drama at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Keiko Miyata, 60, is now tackling her final program there before passing the baton to 39-year-old Eriko Ogawa, who is set to become the theater's youngest-ever director in September. Rather than ...