Online.WSJ.com – By Paul Sharma
Shakespeare productions in London by Japanese classical director Yukio Ninagawa are scarce enough. This time, the rarity is compounded, as the new work is a one-off collaboration between the director and one of Japan’s leading Kabuki theater groups.
Until now, Mr. Ninagawa’s productions mixed Western conventions with Kabuki styles and imagery, but in this production he has worked directly with Kabuki actors for the first time. While maintaining the genre’s strict conventions, he has added new features such as Western-style perspective staging and new sound effects.