THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY TO HOST RYUJI SAWA: THE RETURN
FEATURING THE BEST OF JAPANESE POPULAR THEATER
AN EXCITING BLEND OF KABUKI DANCE, TAIKO DRUMMING, SWORD FIGHTING AND
MARTIAL ARTS CREATED BY LEGENDARY JAPANESE ACTOR RYUJI SAWA
New York, NY – Producer Toshi Hirano of TKO Entertainment is pleased to
present a limited engagement of Ryuji Sawa: The Return, a Japanese show
incorporating dazzling elements of Japanese popular theater, including
Kabuki dance, Taiko drumming, sword fighting, martial arts and instant
costume changes. Ryuji Sawa: The Return, created and directed by Ryuji Sawa,
will run from November 6 to 11, 2007 at Theater for the New City (155 1st
Ave.) in NYC. There is no dialogue in the show, making it entertaining for
audiences of all backgrounds and ages.
The cast of eleven is lead by Ryuji Sawa, a renowned Japanese actor in
theater, television and film, who was born in a dressing room during a tour
and debuted at the age of four. At the age of only sixteen, Mr. Sawa became
the head of his own 40-member touring company, “Ryuji Sawa’s Theatrical
Group.” At the height of the rockabilly frenzy in the early 1960s, he
combined rockabilly with Japanese sword fighting to create Rockabilly Sword
Fight, an instant hit. In 1974 the musical Yume No Wataridori, a huge
success, was written specifically for Mr. Sawa by Japanese writer and
director Yoshiyuki Fukuda.
The show features Ozora Takami, a 12-year-old Japanese fan dance prodigy who
will play the role of a geisha in a Kabuki fan dance. Lighting design by Rie
Ono.
Olivier Award Winning Japanese theatre director Sir Yukio Ninagawa asserts,
“Mr. Sawa’s work is an important piece of contemporary Japanese theater that
will impress audiences in New York. His productions epitomize the hopes and
sorrows of ordinary Japanese people and I sincerely recommend his work.” Mr.
Ninagawa directed the critically acclaimed productions of Modern Noh Plays
at New York’s Lincoln Center and Macbeth at BAM.
TKO Entertainment, established in 1999, has produced Japanese musical and
cultural arts programs throughout the United States, and was founded with
the purpose of helping facilitate artistic and cultural exchanges between
the US and Japan. Toshi Hirano, the President of TKO, is a performer,
writer, radio personality and member of the New York Drama Desk Awards
Committee.
There will be Kabuki dance and sword fighting workshops by Mr. Sawa on Sat
11/3 and Sun 11/4 in NYC. For info on the workshops please contact TKO
Entertainment (212-206-1878 or info@tkonyc.com).
For more information on the show visit http://www.tkonyc.com
