EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Busu and The Damask Drum

Tell us a bit about your show

It's been described as Manga meets Mishima. We have taken Mishima's adaptations of two short Japanese gems Busu (a Kyogen farce) and The Damask Drum (a Noh drama) and reworked them for a 21st century Western audience. It's fast, dramatic, stylish and a great way into another culture.

Busu (The Delicious Poison) is a comedy where the servants Tar?-kaja and Jir?-kaja are entrusted with sugar by their master, but told not to eat it, as it is poison; naturally, the temptation proves irresistible.

In the Damask Drum a gardener-cum-caretaker falls in love with a lawyer. Despite 101 love letters, the lawyer is unmoved. She cruelly sets him an impossible challenge with the promise of her love if he succeeds - the consequences are tragic and supernatural.

And Mishima's work is very widely admired - David Bowie was a fan and he was considered for the Nobel Prize for Literature. His death in 1970 by ritual suicide, following his failure to spark a military coup, gives some idea of what an unusual life he led.

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

This will be our European debut. The Busu team is working closely with StoneCrabs with intention to bring more contemporary Japanese work to the UK and Europe. We are all about discovering new work and making friends with International Artists, so the festival is the perfect place for us kick off this new adventure.

What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?

A young, all-female theatre company from Tokyo performing high-octane and up-to-date, accessible versions of classic Japanese comedy and drama - complete with music, drumming and dance. Hopefully that not only sets it apart, but makes it appealing.

Who would you recommend comes to see you?

Everyone interested in contemporary theatre that tries to break the mould using multi arts forms and multi-cultural practices. Audiences interested in Japanese culture, in particular Japanese theatre, Yukio Mishima, and Japanese comics. Anyone into discovering new work and up to celebrate life and have some fun

Are there any other shows you're hoping to catch at the festival?

We are big fans of Worklight's Labels and will definitely be catching their new show FIX at the Underbelly. We also want to see Adam at the Traverse, Mouthpiece by quote unquote collective at Summerhall (I think), Meet Up Yang Gui Fei at Greenside Venues. We will also be checking out Bernie C. Byrne's children plays Robin Hood and the Great Big Beautiful Sky at C Venues. And as many other shows as we can fit into our busy schedule, we want to discover as many new companies and plays as we can.

Timings and ticket information for Busu and the Damask Drum are available on the edfringe website.

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