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London Stage Version of The Garden of Words in Summer 2020
posted on by Andrew Osmond
Booking is now open for a new stage version of Makoto Shinkai's 2013 film The Garden of Words. It will run at the Park Theatre at London's Finsbury Park in Summer 2020.
There will be previews on July 15 and 16, followed by a run of the play until August 15. It will be performed from Mondays to Saturdays at 7.30 p.m., with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 3 p.m.
The production is described as "using puppetry, movement and projection art." It is directed by Alexander Rutter and is mounted by the company Whole Hog Theatre. Rutter and Whole Hog Theatre were previously responsible for a stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, which ran in both London and Tokyo.
A Tokyo presentation of the Garden of Words play is also planned. The production involves the Tokyo company Nelke Planning, which was previously involved in a stage version of Sailor Moon.
The new play is described on the theatre website as follows:
Rainy season. Tokyo. Akizuki is skipping class; Yukino should be at work. When a student and an older woman seeking solace in a Japanese garden meet by chance, their mutual feelings of alienation draw them together. But a truth is about to be uncovered. The friendship that could save them might also ruin them…Based on the stereotype-defying anime by world-renowned director Makoto Shinkai (your name.), The Garden of Words is a modern Tokyo tale inspired by ancient Man'yōshū poetry. This subtle drama explores invisible disability, loss of human connection in a digital world and challenges us to consider the moral line between platonic and romantic longing.
In it's world theatrical premiere, this unique Anglo-Japanese project will be created and performed in both London and Tokyo by the UK's Whole Hog Theatre (Princess Mononoke stage adaptation), and Japanese Animation stage production specialists, Nelke Planning of Tokyo (Sailor Moon stage production). This female-led project brings Japanese and British creatives and performers together to encourage diverse new audiences to the theatre and challenge stereotypes about Anime and Japan.
This interdisciplinary adaptation delves into Shinkai's visually emotive story using puppetry, movement and projection art. Performed in English with occasional Japanese.
