Edward Albee Showcase | Nagoya Players

Nagoya Players presents Edward Albee’s *The Sandbox*

(日本語は英語に続く) There’s no better feeling than achieving a goal, and the response to the Edward Albee Showcase has us feeling pretty good.

The Showcase featured three of Edward Albee’s acclaimed one-act plays: The Sandbox (1959), The American Dream (1961), and Counting the Ways (1976).

The Sandbox was both thought-provoking and unsettling. The themes of aging, death, and familial dysfunction were played out on stage with strong performances by Atsumi Yamamoto as GRANDMA, Erica Hara as MOMMY, Michael Kruse as DADDY, Shinsuke Tsuda as YOUNG MAN, and Joe Sichi as MUSICIAN. The play is a powerful commentary on how society treats the elderly, and offers a stark reminder of the loneliness and isolation that many elderly experience. Through sharp and witty dialogue, Albee exposes the audience to the harsh realities of aging and dying. He wants us to acknowledge the ways in which we distance ourselves from these truths. The touching, albeit absurd, between GRANDMA and YOUNG MAN forces us to confront our own fears and anxieties about mortality, and we’re certain more than a few people in the audience were surprised by the twist-ending.

The American Dream was a fascinating and biting critique of contemporary American culture and the shaky foundation it is built upon. The cast of Ana Valdes Lim as GRANDMA, Atsumi Yamamoto as MOMMY, Joe Sichi as DADDY, Emily Bailey as MRS BARKER, and Shinsuke Tsuda as YOUNG MAN did an amazing job of bringing this dark comedy to life. Each character in the play represented a construct firmly attached to a manufactured identity. The back-and-forth between the characters showed the extreme lengths people will go to maintain appearances and to get what they want. These performances were a masterful satire of the excesses of consumer culture and explored how we misguidedly create identities based on materialistic pursuits.

Counting the Ways was a beautifully performed show, full of poetry and introspection. Emily Bailey as SHE and Michael Kruse as HE took the audience on a humorous exploration on the nature of love and relationships. The chemistry between Emily and Michael was infectious, and they did a great job creating a real sense of intimacy and emotional depth. I think everyone left the theater with one question on their minds, “Do you love me?”

The Edward Albee Showcase was a success in so many ways, and the response we’ve gotten from the audience has been glowing. Many of you have indicated that this style of show is something you’d like to see more of in the future, so Nagoya Players will definitely be bringing more Theater of the Absurd to the stage.

– Shawn Mahler, Show Director, Edward Albee Showcase

Nagoya Players presents Edward Albee’s *The American Dream*

この度のショーケースはエドワード　オールビーの短編作品「砂場」（１９５９年）アメリカンドリーム（１９６１年）花占い（１９７６年）を演じました。

そして、この舞台制作にあたり大きな達成感と良い評価が得られたことを大変嬉しく思います。

「砂場」は示唆に富んだ深いストーリーでした。人は老いて死にゆく事をテーマに家族の葛藤を描いています。GRANDMA（山本あつみ）の力強い演技とMOMMY（原エリカ）YOUNG MAN（津田しんすけ）ミュージシャン（ジョー　シチ）の４名が登場。この話では多くの老人が経験するであろう社会での立ち位置、孤立、孤独感について語っています。オールビーは鋭く機知に富んだ表現で老いと死の現実を描き、この現実からは程遠いであろう現役世代の私たちに警告を促しています。GRANDMAとYOUNGMANの会話は滑稽で心温まる一方、恐怖と心揺さぶる不条理であることを認めざるを得ません。ショッキングなエンディングに少なからず多くの方々が驚いたことでしょう。

「アメリカンドリーム」は不安定な社会にある魅惑的で痛烈な現代アメリカ文化を現しています。GRANDMA（アナ　ヴァルデス　リム）MOMMY（山本あつみ）MRS.BARKER（エミリー　ベイリー）YOUNG MAN（津田しんすけ）はこのダークコメディーを見事に演じました。表面的な体裁と対照的に本質が見え隠れし、体裁を保ちながら欲を満たそうとします。これらの行為は過剰な消費文化に対する見事な風刺であり、物欲主義の根源です。人はいかに惑わされながら自己を確立していくかを語っています。

「花占い」は数々の詩や自己観察を示したストーリーです。SHE（エミリー・ベイリー）とHE（マイケル・クルーズ）は相性抜群、夫婦間の愛情や感情をユーモラスに探ろうとします。私のパートナーは私のことを本当に愛してるのかしらと心に疑問を抱いて劇場を後にした方もいたのではないでしょうか。

エドワード　オールビー　ショーケースは多くの観客の皆様を魅了し、高い評価をいただきました。名古屋プレイヤーズはこの種の不条理な演劇をいつか再演できることを楽しみにしています。