Choukanzu

  • 2010/2011 Season
  • Choukanzu
    Performed in Japanese
  • THE PIT

This will be an encore production of Chokanzu. It was well-received upon its premiere in 2008, when it ran as one of three works staged consecutively in The Pit. The concept behind the series was to pair veteran directors with younger playwrights making their NNTT debuts. A national performance tour is also being planned.

SYNOPSIS

A town on Tokyo Bay. Three-fourths of the area consists of reclaimed land. At one time, most people in the area relied on the sea for their livelihood; but with the economic growth and pollution that accompanied industrialization, fewer and fewer heed the call of the sea. In time, this reclaimed land sprouted skyscrapers, apartment buildings and amusement parts, and affluence came to the once-poor town.
In the part of town built on original land lies Masumoto, an old sailors inn run by the same family for three generations. Today they serve a largely local crowd. Managed by proprietress Sawako and son Shigeo, Masumoto draws a colorful, loyal crowd of nearby residents, and the atmosphere is never dull. One summer day, a strange girl pays an unexpected visit. Introducing herself as Mio, she says she is the daughter of the proprietress's estranged eldest daughter. For the proprietress, it is the first meeting with a grandchild. Mio's visit leads to talk of a bygone era and the sea that once was.