Imago Theatre Opens THE BLACK LIZARD Friday

It's 1968 and a dazzling jewel thief has left Tiffany's behind for Tokyo. In order to possess the perfect diamond, The Black Lizard and her underground amphibian gang pursue the Star of Egypt, through the jeweler's perfectly beautiful daughter. Her kidnapping leads to a pursuit all over Japan and into a museum of terror.

Entering the Black Lizard's world is like entering a manga dream, where we are asked what is truly beautiful and what is grotesque. The Black Lizard's dark obsessions are carried out by blue tortoises, yellow crocodiles and the abandoned outcasts of the underworld-- all pursued by a film noir detective drawn under the Lizard's spell.

In Imago Theatre's rendition of this celebrated Japanese play a racial, age and bodily diverse cast unravel the work like a live-action anime, packed with visually rich scenic elements, glittering characters changing identities all within a stylistic interplay of lights and sound. A dense soundscape accompanies Jerry Mouawad's staging in an experience so detailed you will want to see this production a second time to gather every layer. Don't wait to purchase your seat for this English-language premiere of Yukio Mishima's beloved jewel of a play, The Black Lizard.

Anne Sorce (recently in Zugzwang) will  perform the lead role of Black Lizard.  Matt DiBiasio will play her nemesis detective Kogorô Akechi.  Scenic Design is by Daniel Meeker.   Sound design is by John Berendzen and Kyle Delamarter; Costume Design is by Sumi Wu. Light Design by Owen Walz; Multimedia  by Catherine Egan and Kyle Delamarter. Dramaturgy by Laurence Kominz.  With cast members -  Samantha Joy Luhn,   Robert Gaynor,  Otniel Henig, Vu Pham,  Jai Lavette, Grant Miller Rebecca Lowe, Megan Skye Hale, Thien-Kim Bui, Lauren Mitchell, Jeff Schwab, Alan Hakim, Mick Mangold and Mona Huneidi.

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