Japan Society's upcoming 2014-2015 performing arts season at its New York City headquarters will include a series of theatrical and other works looking back at World War II.
"Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through a Contemporary Lens" features three theatrical programs as well as films, lectures and family events. The series is meant to provoke a present-day reconsideration and reflection on the immediate and continuing impact of the war on Americans and Japanese.
The North American premiere of Miwa Yanagi's Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape tells the tale of "Tokyo Rose," the young Japanese-American woman forced to broadcast propaganda for the Japanese Imperial Army, then tried for treason in the U.S. Visual artist Miwa Yanagi wrote and directed this "visually stunning theatrical whodunit." Zero Hour runs January 29-31, 2015, performed in English and Japanese with English subtitles.
Yokohama Rosa, also a North American premiere, is an original one-woman tragicomedy created and performed by Japanese actress Michiko Godai. Taking inspiration from a mysterious old woman who frequented the streets of Yokohama, Godai personalizes the impact of the war through a character who transforms on stage from an innocent young woman to a street prostitute to a lovesick middle-aged woman and finally a frail, homeless old lady. The piece is presented every year in Yokohama on the anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan. It is performed at Japan Society April 25-26, 2015 in Japanese with English subtitles.
A double bill of modern and traditional Noh plays closes out the theatrical series. Holy Mother in Nagasaki recounts the legend of a mysterious woman, thought by some to have been the Virgin Mary, who consoled the victims of the atomic bomb. To show that war's tragedies know no boundaries of time or place, Holy Mother is paired with Kiyotsune, a centuries-old Noh drama by Zeami, about a grieving widow who learns of her warrior husband's final battle when she meets him in a dream. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles, it is presented May 14-16, 2015.
In addition, the Japan Society's annual play reading series "Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation" continues March 9, 2015 with Dancing with the Bird by Seiji Nozoe, translated and directed by James Yaegashi. This "Hitchcock-esque cliffhanger...describes a young woman whose hair is stuck in a fan nearly eight feet in the air, and the conversation that ensues with a man appearing to come to her rescue."
Japan Society, founded in 1907, presents over 100 events each year highlighting Japanese art and culture as well as dialogue and relations between the peoples of the U.S. and Japan. It's located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues. Reach the box office at 212-715-1258 or visit the website.
