Re-imagining Shakespeare in Contemporary Japan : A Selection of Japanese Theatrical Adaptations of Shakespeare

An anthology of three exciting Japanese adaptations of Shakespeare that engage with issues such as changing family values, racial diversity, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and terrorism, together with a contextualizing introduction. The anthology makes contemporary Japanese adaptations of Shakespeare by three independent theatre companies available to a wider English language audience. The three texts are concerned with the social issues Japan faces today and Japan's perception of its cultural history. This unique collection is thus both a valuable resource for the fields of Shakespeare and adaptation studies as well as for a better understanding of contemporary Japanese theatre. -- From publisher's website "An anthology of three exciting Japanese adaptations of Shakespeare that engage with issues such as changing family values, racial diversity, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and terrorism, together with a contextualizing introduction. The anthology makes contemporary Japanese adaptations of Shakespeare by three independent theatre companies available to a wider English language audience. The three texts are concerned with the social issues Japan faces today and Japan's perception of its cultural history. This unique collection is thus both a valuable resource for the fields of Shakespeare and adaptation studies as well as for a better understanding of contemporary Japanese theatre."-- Provided by publisher The Editors 6 Contents 8 List of illustrations 10 Preface 11 General introduction 14 Introduction to The Three Daughters of Lear 50 Interview: Edo Kaoru 62 THE THREE DAUGHTERS OF LEAR 72 Introduction to Hamlet X Shibuya ~ Light, Was Our Revenge Tarnished? 160 Interview: Kimura Ry ū nosuke 174 HAMLET X SHIBUYA ~ LIGHT, WAS OUR REVENGE TARNISHED? 180 Introduction to The New Romeo and Juliet 236 Interview: Shimodate Kazumi 246 THE NEW ROMEO AND JULIET 248 Appendix 1: A list of stage productions by the three theatre companies 284 Appendix 2: A list of Shakespeare productions in the Tokyo area in 2019 292 Bibliography 314 Index 324