Imago Stages the English World Premiere of Yukio Mishima's THE BLACK LIZARD, Now thru 6/2

Since 2009, Jerry Mouawad has staged five silent productions Apis, Cuban Missile Tango, Tick Tack Type, Stage Left Lost and Zugzwang. Now he is breaking his silence with the English Language World Premiere of one of Japan's most popular plays, Yukio Mishima's THE BLACK LIZARD, opening tonight, May 11 and playing through June 2 at Imago Theatre located at 17 SE 8th Avenue.

Ticket prices are $15 to $30 (pay what you can) and can be purchased by calling Imago at 503.231.9581 or online TicketsWest.com or TicketsWest at 503.224.8499. The production plays Thursdays at 7:30 and Friday and Saturday at 8:00. The production contains nudity and is recommended for adults.

From 1950, until his suicide in 1970, while attempting to foment a right-wing coup d’etat, Yukio Mishima dominated Japanese letters—as novelist and playwright. Mishima was equally adept at writing psychological parlor-room drama and bombastic kabuki—filled with music, dance, and stage magic. THE BLACK LIZARD (1961) is a hybrid of these two styles. Black Lizard is the pseudonym of Japan’s most notorious woman gang leader, and she specializes in jewelry theft and murder. These disparate crimes have one object—to fuel her obsession with obtaining and possessing the impossible—beauty that will never be lost or fade away. The play takes the form of a battle of wits between Black Lizard and brilliant private detective, Kogorô Akechi, Japan’s Sherlock Holmes. Black Lizard attempts to steal the biggest diamond in Japan, Akechi strives to protect the jewel and capture the criminal. Until the end we don’t know who will prevail. The play has been a perennial favorite in Japan—many leading actresses and female impersonators have taken a turn at playing Black Lizard including Mizutani Yaeko, Miwa Akihiro (also in the film version), Bandô Tamasaburô, and Matsuzaka Keiko.

The Black Lizard delves deeply into the psyche of the heroine, who embodies many of Mishima's own pathologies, but at the same time the play is a campy, sexy, and hilarious romp through Japan in the 1960s. Characters take on multiple identities and don disguises with a frequency seen only in kabuki, and settings range from posh hotel suites, to Tokyo Tower, to a ship at sea. As in kabuki, leading characters are given long monologues to reveal their innermost feelings, and in Jerry Mouawad's direction these are presented in "chamber" style with influences from Richard Forman. Imago's THE BLACK LIZARD will be a verbally sophisticated, physically energetic, and visually sumptuous play—attempting to bring a contemporary fusion of kabuki and melodrama to Portland audiences.

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. Music Composition is by John Berendzen; Costume Design is by Sumi Wu. Multimedia is by Catherine Egan and Kyle Delamarter.

Laurence Kominz professor of Japanese at Portland State University serves as dramaturg. The inspiration to stage The Black Lizard came when Mouawad read Kominz’s anthology of Mishima’s work. However the beginning of the project came after a five hour meeting between Kominz and Mouawad. “I went to chat with Larry about some Kabuki effects for an Imago show. I thought we would chat for about an hour. That chat turned into five hours as I was swept away into the world of Japanese performance. Larry and I are planning to collaborate in 2013 to bring to Portland audiences a contemporary Kabuki fusion. I think The Black Lizard will be a bit of testing ground for that future production,” says Mouawad.

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