THEATRE REVIEWS Jovial Usurper in the Traditional Kyogen Style: Kuninusubito (based on Richard III) at the Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo Reviewed by MANABU NODA Kuninusubito (The Usurper) is a free adaptation of Shakespeares Richard III in the manner of kyogen, a Japanese traditional theatre form which has developed alongside noh theatre. Mansai Nomura, the director-cum-title role actor, is a household name in Japan not only through his kyogen and other stage performances, including Oedipus (dir. Yukio Ninagawa) and Hamlet (dir. Jonathan Kent), but also through his film and TV appearances. The production was thoroughly enjoyable and full of inventive touches, but not without some blemishes. Kyogens primary goal is to draw laughs. Kyogen and noh are highly styl- ized traditions, but while noh is a solemn, austere, and tragic form of theatre, kyogen (literally meaning mad words) has always placed itself in a comic situation taken from everyday life. Though usually more subdued and obedient than the slave of Roman comedy or the zanni of commedia dellarte, kyogens comic servant Tarokaja provides a more realist view of life than any noh character. Consequently, kyogen as a theatrical style is quite amenable to Shakespeares comedies as has been proven in two kyogen makeovers of Shakespeare: Horazamurai (The Braggart Samurai, based on The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1991, written by Yasunari Takahashi and directed by Mansaku Nomura, Mansais mentor and father, who was designated a Living National Treasure this year) and Machigai-no Kyogen (Kyogen of Errors based on The Comedy of Errors, 2001, written by Takahashi and directed by Mansai). Both plays were performed by actors who were formally trained in kyogen, and the consistency of style contributed to the graceful fluency in staging. In view of this track record, it was a natural choice for Mansai to interpret Richard as a comic villain, though much larger in scale than Tarokaja. Mansais brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk