A total of 10 hours! A three-part performance that immerses you in the world of Greek tragedy

(TOP image) Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

Go, see, and feel the world of art
File.22 KUNIO15 "Greeks"
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

Sublime and majestic. When you think of a Greek tragedy, the image that comes to mind is generally that kind of world. I think I can hear some voices saying that I'm a little sleepy.
But where is it!
KUNIO15's "Greeks", co-produced by KAAT and KUNIO, has a different flavor.

Although ten Greek tragedies have been reconstructed into a single story using modern theater techniques, it is a blockbuster film composed of three parts and running for 10 hours. I stepped into the theater thinking that I had to be prepared for this, but there was a landscape that was connected to the daily life of Japanese people. Audiences are easily drawn into the distant world of ancient Greek stories from the "entrance to the story" prepared by director Kunio Sugihara.

* Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

The stage, which incorporates the image of Matsubame in the background of the Noh stage, gives a sense of purity suitable for spinning the story of the gods. By bringing in vinyl and plastic, which can be said to be symbols of modern consumption civilization, the world of ancient Greece will be linked to modern Japan. Mr. Sugihara, who is also involved in the stage design, has a dynamic development that keeps the audience from getting bored. If this is the case, 10 hours will go by in the blink of an eye... It's a traction force that makes you think.

* Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

Greek tragedy is said to be the origin of today's plays and stories, and it may be a wall that directors must challenge. Last year, Mr. Sugihara, who directed "Oedipus REXXX (Oedipus King)" at KAAT and felt the response to the Greek tragedy, chose "Greeks" as the next step.

“I am fully aware that this work goes against the times when simple and easy things are popular (laughs). I thought"
"I want to convey to the audience the 'interesting' and 'coolness' of the classics. 'Greeks' was first performed in England in 1980, and since it has been reconstructed and rewritten, it is a 'classic' in the purest sense of the word. Even so, facing this play requires the stamina and muscle strength of a director. It's extremely rare to find a theater that allows us to do this, and it's not an experience that can be repeated many times in a lifetime, not only for the actors and staff working together, but also for the audience (laughs)."

* Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

The moody, selfish, and unique gods of Greek mythology have something in common with the gods of Japanese mythology. Greek tragedy is a story depicting humans being tossed about by such gods, but it was human imagination that created the "gods" in the first place.
Among the Greek gods, there are many names that are familiar to Japanese people. When you realize that, it's strange that even though it's a story that was born a long time ago, it feels like it's not someone else's problem.

Such "Greeks" will finally open at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater after a preview in Morishita (Tokyo) and a performance in Kyoto, which can be said to be Mr. Sugihara's second hometown.

“Kanagawa Prefecture is my hometown, and ‘Greeks’ is a work that I practiced at KAAT, so I feel like I’ve come back to my home ground. I think it will be a turning point for the movie, so I hope many people will see it.”

This event has ended.
Co-produced by KAAT and KUNIO
KUNIO15 " Greeks "
[Date and time] November 21 (Thursday) to 30 (Saturday)
*22nd (Fri), 25th (Mon), 28th (Thu) are non-performance days
each day
Part 1 11:30~
Part 2 15:00~
Part 3 18:30~
[Venue] KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater Large Studio
Edited and translated into English by John Burton, Kenneth Cavander
[Translation] Hidemi Ozawa
[Direction/Art] Kunio Sugihara
[Performers] Ryo Amamiya, Tamae Ando, Maki Honda (SPAC-Shizuoka Performing Arts Center), Satoru Takeda (Gyoto), Mika Ishimura (Tegamiza), Akifumi Hakoda (Tegamiza), Yuya Tanaka (Shigeki Nakano) + Frankens), Ryo Watanabe, Yuri Fujii, Kan Fukuhara (Hanchu Yuei), Masakazu Morita, Sadamu Ikeura (Danniku du Soleil) / Reiko Matsunaga (Nylon 100°C), Seiji Toyama (Bungakuza) / Yutaka Oda and others
[Fee] (All seats reserved) One-day ticket ¥10,000, <Each section ticket> General ¥5,000, Under 24 ¥2,500, High school student under ¥1,000, Silver (over 65) ¥4,500