Triple treat

Mention Simon McBurney, Yukio Ninagawa and Peter Brook to any theatre lover and the reaction is inevitably one of sheer delight. Thus theatre fans in Southeast Asia will be thrilled to learn works by all three of the directors, namely “Shun-kin”, “Musashi” and “The Suit”, are being staged in Singapore over the course of the next few months.
Based on the writings of Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, “Shun-kin”, seen at the Lincoln Centre Festival two weeks ago, is a tale of devotion, passion and power told through shamisen player Shun-kin and her dutiful servant Sasuke. London’s Complicite company collaborated with Tokyo’s Setagaya Public Theatre for this production, which also uses specially designed bunraku puppets.
The opening production of the Lincoln Centre Festival back in 2010, “Musashi” takes the audience back to the early 17th century, six years after the Duel of Ganryu between legendary swordsmen, Kojiro Sasaki and Musashi Miyamoto. Ninagawa uses the contemporary comedic elements of Noh and Kyogen as well as the spirit of the Samurai.
Paris-based Theatre des Bouffes du Nord’s “The Suit”, seen at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) earlier this year, is a tale of resentment and tragedy set in the post-apartheid South Africa in which Brook’s signature minimalist yet innovative set design and integration of live music remain intact.
Gaurav Kripalani, artistic director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre says he selected the works because watching the productions of two of the three directors inspired him to pursue his career in the arts.
“I didn’t understand Shakespeare when I was growing up. And my exposure to different forms of theatre was limited,” he says. “Then I saw Ninagawa’s ‘Macbeth’. Birnam Wood became a Cherry Blossom forest, the soldiers were Samurai riding real horses on stage – it was visual feast that had me mesmerised. It made me fall in love with the Bard and opened my eyes to the fact that anything can be created on stage with enough imagination. I tried to see as many of Ninagawa’s plays as I could after that. He is a true visionary and a master storyteller.
“Brook’s books, especially ‘An Empty Space’, were on the syllabus when I was in drama school. It all made sense intellectually. But when I saw ‘Mahabharata’, I began to really understand what he was trying to say. I then saw Brook’s ‘Hamlet’ at Bouffes du Nord – the bare theatre, hard benches, eight actors playing all the parts – and it was the complete antithesis of my Ninagawa experience. I was mesmerised without the visual feast – the storytelling and the powerful emotions the actors were able to convey were all I needed.”
Ninagawa and Brook have shaped the types of theatre Kripalani is producing now at the SRT and he says that even audiences not so familiar with the directors, “Musashi” and “The Suit” will still be “a very special experience.”
As for “Shun-kin”, he says, “Besides Japan, Singapore will be the only place in Asia where this masterpiece can be seen, so it’s definitely worth making the trip down. I love going to Thailand and have witnessed the huge growth of the theatre scene in Bangkok. My sense is that Thai audiences enjoy watching aesthetically beautiful shows on stage, especially ones that tell a powerful story – “Shun-kin” fits the bill perfectly.”
It’s noteworthy that this triple theatrical treat is possible through the Esplanade’s long-time collaboration with the Singapore Repertory Theatre, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. That same bond recently brought to the region the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “King Lear”, starring Ian McKellen, as well as Sam Mendes’s trilogy of Shakespearean productions “The Bridge Project”.
Benson Puah, the Esplanade’s chief executive officer says, “It takes an alignment of the stars to be able to present their works in such close succession and we hope that local audiences and artists will seize this rare opportunity to witness firsthand the power and artistry of these visionary creators.”
Kripalani adds, “What’s wonderful about our partnership is that even though budgets are important, we both look at the art and the impact it will have first. Ten years ago, most major productions would go to Tokyo and Sydney if they were touring in this region. Because we are fortunate enough to have a state-of-the-art 2000-seat venue like the Esplanade Theatre in an English-speaking cosmopolitan city, the Esplanade-SRT collaborations have been able to play a part in raising the awareness of Singapore as an arts destination.”

THREE FLIGHTS TO SINGAPORE
 “Shun-kin” is on August 30 and 31 and “Musashi” on November 8 and 9 at the Esplanade Theatre, both in Japanese with English surtitles.
“The Suit” is from November 22 to 25 at the DBS Arts Centre, performed in English.
Tickets are S$27 (Bt650) to S$108 at www.Sistic.com.sg.
For more information, visit www.3TitansofTheatre.com.