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BLAC TENT COMPANY'S JAPANESE WOYZECK The well known drama Woyzeck, written by Georg Buchner and modelled on events which occurred in Liepzig 150 years ago, is the first German tragedy to feature a plain, uncultured and impulsive characters as its “hero." The "hero” is one, however, who is prepared to resist a German society contemptuous of its poorer class. Wozzeck, the main protagonist, is a thirty year old soldier who finally throws off his uniform in order to feel at peace with himself. However, injuredand increasingly ill at ease, he begins, to hallucinate, seeing a red moon reflected over a marsh. Wozzeck's love Marie? like him, simple andinstinctive? is seduced by another's offering of cheap jewellery. Out of jealousy, Wozzeck kills her... All in all, Wozzeck is a classic drama with a familiar story which concerns itself with the lives of ordinary people. The predicament of Wozzeck and Marie is one that can be appreciated by all across generations and countries, including Japan. Tokyo's Black Tent Company, which performed the drama last year with great success, restage the production this year at Avignon. Having seenlast year's performance I can guarantee that it's wonderful. And that applies to the whole production. Under the direction of Makoto Sato bothdance and music are included, with Kiyoko Ogino composing and performing an accompanying piano score. Custom, manner and ritual discoverablein the performance, reflective of both the corrupt and marginalised people of the period, as well as aspects of our modern selves, also adds to theenticement. Whilst both the dialogue and the music are delivered in Japanese, subtitles are provided. The imagination is stimulated not only by the familiar outline of the story, but also due to the symbolism variously employed through out the performance. (Water, for example, is constantly used in a variety of forms.) So as to further provide the drama with a Japanese flavour, its usual Christian sombreness is diluted, replaced with boisterousness and polytheism. In respect to the actors, the entire cast is superb. For those who appreciate the various faces world theatre can assume, this is a production worthseeing, or seeing again.

Gazette Provençale