Macbeth Ninagawa

[Deleted]

Simply spectacular

Evocative
Sad
Thrilling

A truly sensory feast

A full 3 mins standing ovation

Fond memories for the genius director

His Shakespeare stagings surpass all others

Divine

[jek]

I expected this to be a visual delight - which is was (as someone with an interest in textiles it was very special). But I was unprepared for just how moving it would be. I really felt that I had to hold back tears at various points. Loved the curtain call - especially at the very end when Masachika Ichimura broke in to an enormous grin and started punching the air. Also loved the profiles of the actors in the programme - I assume there is no equivalent to appearing in The Bill in Japan but love that one actor has won the Photogenic Award at the Junon Superboy Contest and another earns a living dubbing the likes of Iron Man. As we entered the Barbican we saw one of the Warriors having a quick cigarette before the performance began.

Obviously lots of Japanese people in the audience and - unless I am very much mistaken - Joan Plowright looking terrific in red.

[NeilVHughes]

One of the few times in life you get to experience something truly special.


The imagery and staging throughout was awe inspiring along with a score that added to the experience.

Similarly emotional at the curtain call.


The bar has been set very high for the National and RSC productions next year, personally cannot see how the Ninagawa staging could br improved upon.

[Deleted]

Perhaps it is unfair

To compare or expect

English language versions

To be able to match this staging

The acting in Ninagawa productions

Is very stylised and melodramatic

For example everyone tends to shout their lines

I am unsure if this is due to the nature of Japanese

I am not denying there were some very moving moments

But there can be a lack of emotional subtlety or certainly a narrower range of emotions

Often this actually suits Shakespeare who was often hardly the most subtle of playwrights and often felt the need to hammer home points with excessive dialogue

In any case

I don’t think the RSC or NT

Versions will be anything to compete
With the Goold version- which is my definitive English language Macbeth

Rufus Norris

Can’t direct a sh*t into the toilet properly

So don’t hold your breath

I think the RSC version may be better

Only because Niamh Cusack and Eccleston

Are good watchable actors and will bring much to their roles

For me Rory Kinnear has never impressed other than that thing at the YV directed by Richard Jones- he lacks any sort of persona or stage presence and seems like someone’s old uncle

[caa]

I left wondering if that was the last time I'll get to see the Ninagawa Theatre Company? I hope not.

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2017 19:39:10 GMT caa said:

I left wondering if that was the last time I'll get to see the Ninagawa Theatre Company? I hope not.

NO

NO

It won’t be

But I will post more soon

Waiting to hear back from some people

[jadnoop]

Wow. My expectations for this were sky high, and so I'm so pleased to say that it just blew me away.

It was beautiful and exciting, and filled with so many memorable & striking moments; a cello, a blue moon, a cherry blossom tree, and on and on.

I also really loved the framing with the shutters, and the old ladies eating onigiri & bento at the sides. The sword fighting also felt surprisingly visceral and exciting, especially when there were large groups of people.

Despite being 30 years old it felt so fresh. The one thing that possibly didn't work so well for me was the use of Adagio For Strings; beautiful, but a piece of music tgat has been used so often over the past few decades in film and tv. Given the melodrama of the performances though, even that seemed to fit wonderfully.

I wasn't sure about the translation. My Japanese isn't bad, and between that and knowing Macbeths rough storyline, I mostly just glanced occasionally at the surtitles, but there seemed to be some points where no translation was given but people were talking, so I'm not sure quite what was happening.

My one regret is that I didn't go for slightly more expensive seats. We went for central, but slightly higher level seats, and so some of the framing of the layers of action was probably lost. Fingers crossed they return to the uk soon. I'll definitely be getting better tickets next time.

[Jan]

Oct 8, 2017 21:50:55 GMT jadnoop said:

Despite being 30 years old it felt so fresh. The one thing that possibly didn't work so well for me was the use of Adagio For Strings; beautiful, but a piece of music tgat has been used so often over the past few decades in film and tv. 

To be honest when I saw the original production 30 years ago I thought the music was a little bit clichéd and incongruous, but it doesn't detract from the spectacle. 

[jadnoop]

A French-Japanese website is reporting that Ninagawa's Kafka On The Shore will be performed in France in early 2019. Hopefully this means it'll come back to the Barbican around then too.