KABUKI-WEST
“Dazzling” “Haiku-like” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
"Essence of passion" PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
Kabuki versions of classic stories in which –
...ghostly spinners of fate, with KABUKI MACBETH’s severed heads, hanging sword and resounding temple bell recount humans metamorphosing to demons
...while KABUKI RICHARD III presents him as Shiva, the god dancing creation and destruction, and exposes a hidden family drama to make the Borgias blush
...and ACHILLES’ war-prize concubine relates his rage, his sea goddess mother enchants, he dances his fight with a corpse-choked river, his race before mangling great Hector of Troy, to finally find peace in his enemy's embrace.
These plays were originally created for professional American actors working in a Japanese tradition, directed by SHOZO SATO, a master of Zen arts awarded the “Order of the Sacred Treasure” by the Emperor of Japan.
Since then, other college, high school, even grade school students have taken exuberant delight (with their audiences) in creating their own productions of Kabuki plays.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY...
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
“Dazzling” “Haiku-like”
OAKLAND TRIBUNE
“best of two worlds, fascinating”
L.A. DAILY NEWS
“resounds with Kabuki’s passion, fascination...in Sunde's adaptation, Zen philosophy is engrained into story, not imposed”
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
“Essence of passion. Sunde's play compresses Homeric epic, is lucid and direct, makes you see and hear with awakened eyes and ears."
PRODUCTION HISTORY
KABUKI MACBETH was commissioned by John Housman's The Actor's Company, New York, and toured the United States.
ACHILLES was commissioned by People's Light & Theatre, Malvern, PA, opened at an ancient Greek Amphitheater in Kourian, Cyprus, played Festival in Philadelphia, toured Cyprus, Hungary, and Japan.
KABUKI RICHARD III was commissioned by Actor's Theatre of Louisville.
KABUKI OTHELLO and KABUKI LADY MACBETH, not included here, are available from Dramatic Publishing Company.