What the Whingers (and others) thought
Don’t read further if you don’t like reading reviews.
Lyn Gardner liked it:
“Small but exquisitely formed, Benjamin Yeoh’s new version of a 14th-century Japanese Noh play is fusion theatre, borrowing from east as well as west. It is both strange and familiar, accessible and remote, restrained and yet somehow full-blown. The story, in which honour and love rub against each other and ignite, is surprisingly and effectively framed by the equivalent of a dumb show and set in a low-life strip joint, which offers a contemporary spin on an age-old story….the dilemma faced by Nakamitsu seems strikingly modern, and the struggle between what he should do and what he desires to do is beautifully realised. In Jonathan Munby and Michael Ashcroft’s production, movement and sound combine with Yeoh’s script to create something both rich and spare. Mike Britton’s effective design offers echoes of both a catwalk and a scroll. There are moments of great beauty – fluttering fingers represent weeping, and a book wrapped in a bloody cloth becomes a severed head.”
But did also think the show “a titbit”
Aleks Sierz also had good praise “…Benjamin Yeoh and directors Jonathan Munby and Michael Ashcroft have succeeded in making this archaic form both relevant and dynamic…. Yeoh’s translation [] retains a touch of the strangeness of the original, and yet is completely comprehensible and relevant… The cast – Richard Clews (Nakamitsu), Daniel Williams (Mitsunaka), Peter Bankole (Kochiyo) and Matthew Burgess (Bijiyo) – are both suitably dignified and thoroughly convincing. Percussion by Ansuman Biswas is superb throughout. All in all, this production successfully crosses continents and centuries.”
Philip Fisher put into his alternative top 5 with “Nakamitsu may last under an hour but this visually and aurally stunning event punches well above its weight and offers a very enjoyable and unusual evening with plenty of time for dinner at the end.”
But Lucy Powell while she thought “Benjamin Yeoh’s translation is an elegant achievement: powerfully suggestive of the antique traditions of Noh, but cleverly accessible to the uninitiated” and liked the design and music; the piece didn’t “lift off the scroll” for her.
And Kieron Quirke thought “Indisputably the best piece of Japanese Noh theatre in the capital at present, Nakamitsu boasts vivid visuals and enthralling music. If at times, the slow, ritualistic drama is too ponderous for western tastes, the cross-cultural riches on display more than compensate”
But who wants Kieron Quirke et al. when you have the West End Whingers? Surely a better barometer of whether the show was worth leaving your merlot for and like David Eldridge, it was most nerve racking waiting for their opinion.
And they enjoyed themselves and liked it! Ok, so they claim it was out of giri (and they know I know what they look like)… but really 45 minutes above a pub with live drumming and a dripping blood scene must have been the real draw…
“Yeoh told us that in modern Noh productions [in Japan ] half the audience falls asleep as they only go out of a sense of duty so the Whingers felt rather proud of the fact that not only did they not fall asleep (rare for Andrew) but that they enjoyed themselves and that they had correctly predicted that if you only see one piece of Noh theatre in west London this year, this is definitely the one you should choose.”
Andrew Field also has some erudite points to make on translation, Sara-Mae Tuson and Natasha Tripney liked it “the staging and the story are poetic in their simplicity and, this combined with the music, makes the piece into something that you can connect with on both an intellectual and emotional level. It’s also very visually striking…. It’s all over in under an hour, leaving you with ample time to migrate to the pub downstairs and talk about this unusual, yet strangely magical production.”
*
I think that’s more or less it for the reviews, with perhaps Variety to come. I’d have liked to known what John Peter and Susannah Clapp thought and it’s a shame the Sundays haven’t come as far as I know. But that’s the way…
comments
3 Responses to “What the Whingers (and others) thought”
-
About me
I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.
-
Recent Work
Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).
-
Nakamitsu
-
-
Yellow Gentlemen
-
Congratulations, Ben.
Ignore Lucy Powell; she probably spent days working on her “lift off the scroll” ‘gag’ and just couldn’t bear to leave it out.
That’s how we tend to work, anyway.
Any chance of touring this to the outer reaches of UK Ben? I’m based in Scotland most of the time and would love to see this show. Edinburgh festival perhaps?
Hi Ben,
I just wanted to add my voice to the deserved chorus of approval. My rather disorganised thoughts are here if you’re interested:
http://unknownpersonsunknown.blogspot.com/2007/06/nakamitsu.html
it was lovely to meet you after the show on Monday
Alex (Lucy’s friend)