Review: GOOD-BYE, The Coronet Theatre

Even our theatre scene has felt the recent rise in popularity of Asian culture. While anime and manga have always had their superfans in the West, the genesis of the current wave of entertainment perhaps started when K-Pop became a prominent topic among the younger generations a few years back. Most recently, a few musical adaptations of beloved comic book series have hit the West End, with the next one planned for April.

Now it’s time to see the real thing: Japanese experimentalists Chiten Theatre Company have brought the Japanese avant-garde to London. Based on Osamu Dazai’s works and accompanied by Japanese rock band Kukangendai, GOOD-BYE follows a man who’s planning to kill himself. 

It’s a piece of existential gig-theatre moulded with a cynical celebration of one of Japan’s most renowned authors. Presented in Japanese with surtitles, the experience is unlike anything that’s being staged at the moment (and probably won't ideal for the average commercial theatregoer). The script is characterised by linguistic and dialogic fragmentation, shaping the show into a one-sided conversation between Dazai and the audience. It transcends narrative, gender, and language, challenging the typical dramatic structure and establishing a system that thrives in its crafted agitation. The text is full of surprises and once the coping mechanisms to survive life are in place, Dazai’s sociopolitical critique emerges with bold confidence.

The actors immediately become vehicles for the writer’s musings, straying away from the classic notion of characters and roles. It’s a fascinating method that allows the company to explore a number of philosophical strains while mourning the consequences of a loss of faith and investigating the very meaning of life. The nihilists, the absurdists, and the relativists will find plenty to chew on here. Directed by Motoi Miura, the project keeps twisting and turning, even dipping its toes into the politics of suicide and the accusations that come with it. Miura connects the direct invective against war with the constant depiction of addiction, creating a riveting juxtaposition between survival and self-destruction.

Scenically, the production is relatively still in visuals, but bubbles with energy. The performers (Satoko Abe, Dai Ishida, Masaya Kishimoto, Shie Kubota, Asuka Kurosawa, Yohei Kobayashi, Kazuki Masuda) sit at or stand or crouch at a long bar lined with empty bottles covered by a white chalky paint that gives an ethereal feel to the set (Itaru Sugiyama) in contrast with Yasuhiro Fujiwara’s vibrant lighting design. Above them, slightly removed towards the back on a different level, the band controls the action: when they cyclically stop playing, the chorus below deflate and restart their rhythmic litany. These changes in pace and flow not only match the variations in subject and delivery, but also make the facilitated stream of consciousness very human.

As everyone gets progressively more drunk, Dazai’s collection of thoughts explores his reasons to abandon the world with sardonic observations. After a dark joke, an opinionated tangent, and an emotional recollection of a memory or two, you’ll leave the theatre with a newfound cynicism peculiarly followed by a unique appreciation for life itself.

GOOD-BYE runs at The Coronet Theatre until 9 March.

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