A Japanese parable of greed, sloth, industrialisation, lust, deception, lies, and stupidity. Not bad for just over 60 minutes of exceptionally good theatre.
This company from Japan looks with a withering eye at the stupidity and futility of the human rat race. How with the slow but inevitable erosion of love and friendship in the face of materialism and avarice we are quickly reduced to something less than human.
Doesn't sound very funny does it? But it is, and the way they communicate and overcome the language barrier is both inventive and often humorous. It's a large cast with some iconic characters present. The set is a clever collection of props and items which set and amplify the tone and character of the work.
I would advise reading the theatre notes to understand where this production originates from and the setting for the entire play. The final ten minutes might be confusing, but understand that at the end we leave the normal world and merge into allegory and allusion.
A powerful production and typical of the quality which the Demarco Roxy Art House has a reputation for.
Times: Aug 3-25 at 17:20 (no show Aug 17)