The Elephant

  • 2012/2013 Season
  • Performed in Japanese
  • THE PIT

The Elephant (Zou) is an early effort by playwright Betsuyaku Minoru that has become one of his signature works. This will be a revival of the production mounted here in 2010, which drew strong reactions with its innovative production and unusual perspective.
A man has a keloid on his back that he got from the blast of the atomic bomb. He goes about showing it to people on the street, soliciting cheers and applause. His nephew wants him to stop, telling him that no one feels love or hate or revulsion for the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) any longer - hibakusha will always be kindly tolerated. Thus, he argues, we have an obligation to suffer our pain in silence.
The play is muted in tone, yet penetrating in its insights. In its depiction of the contrasting views of two men, the marginalization of hibakusha in society, and the anguish they experience, The Elephant (Zou) speaks to the existential anxiety that underlies the entire human condition. The Elephant (Zou) sent shockwaves through the Japanese theatre scene upon its premiere in 1962. Fukatsu Shigefumi is again directing the production, which will include some subtle tweaks made since it premiered in 2010.
After the close of its Tokyo run, The Elephant (Zou) is slated to be performed at a number of theatres across Japan.

SYNOPSIS

A man comes to visit his uncle in the hospital. The patient is a hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. People on the street would cheer when he stripped to the waist and showed the keloid on his back. But it seems his condition has deteriorated and he is now in the hospital. As the two talk, it becomes clear that the younger man is also a hibakusha.
Man : Don't you think it's better just to die quietly?
Patient : Not me. I want to be killed before I die.
Man : Why?
Patient : I don't know. I want to live with passion!
The patient hopes to recover and go back to showing off his keloid in the streets, but his nephew says he should bide his time without drawing attention. At the center of this work are two people and their different approaches to life. They and the various people around them, including the patient's wife, the doctor and nurse; give us a glimpse at the issues facing the hibakusha and the wider issues of the world around them.
Eventually, the nephew too falls ill and enters the hospital in the bed next to his uncle. Contrary to the uncle, who is determined to stay active, the nephew's wish is to wait quietly for death to come. One rainy day, the uncle makes up his mind to head out into the streets.

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