Noh-ing King Lear
Friday, May 16th by scott malia
When making comparisons between Eastern and Western theatre, Shakespeare as Noh might not be the first combination that comes to mind. In many ways, the more energetic and crowd-pleasing Kabuki seems like a better parallel to Shakespeare than the more sedate and cerebral Noh. Still, one artist disagrees and has spent the past two and a half decades translating Shakespeare plays into Noh drama.
The latest play getting his attention is King Lear, and in order to make it fit the Japanese genre, the author has had to make some serious cuts. How serious? Well, remember Act One? Buh-bye. Acts Two through Four? Yeah, there’s not so much of them either. In fact, a considerable percentage of the text itself has been removed. This may sound blasphemous, but it is ultimately necessary to make the play work as Noh Drama.
Traditionally, Noh texts aren’t terribly long; in translation, some are only five to seven pages. In performance, however, the plays take quite a long time. Almost all of the dialogue is sung and accompanied by highly stylized movement. Though the words are few, the gestures communicate a considerable amount of information to the audience. In Noh, the physicalization of the actors are part of the “script” of the play. Symbolism is heavily employed throughout, and many of the actors wear masks. Emotion is communicated through poetic reflection rather than onstage torment. To appreciate this King Lear is to completely surrender all notions of what Shakespeare and theatre mean.
