The King of La Mancha’s Clothes
Born 1961, director, playwright, representative of Theater company “Tobiraza”
Began working in theater at Atsugi High School in Kanagawa Pref. and received Excellence Award in a drama contest for his debut performance in Sanshouo Dazo!. Formed the company “Zennin Kaigi” in 1982 while a student at Waseda University and proceeded to present productions of plays characterized by strong narrative and unique characters. Changed the company name to “Tobiraza” with the specific aim of committing to the company system. Pursued career as a commercial playwright creating plays in a style described as “easy to watch, fun and easy to understand” and supplied works to groups like the Super Kabuki theater of Ennosuke Ichikawa and other commercial theaters. Also active as a television personality and instructor of theater workshops. Winner of the Kishida Kunio Drama Award for The King of La Mancha’s New Clothes. Became the youngest ever winner of the Otani Takejiro Award for the Super Kabuki play Shin Sangokushi.
The King of La Mancha’s Clothes
(2003)
© Masaru Miyauchi
Data
:
First Performance: 1991
Performance time: 2 hours
Acts / Scenes: 9 scenes
Cast: 10 (6 men, 4 women)
One night in what appears to be a hospital ward, the “King,” rises from his bed, draws the thick drapes covering the walls, and sets off into the darkness of the night together with a “Clown.”
The King is, in fact, the Emperor who once bought from swindlers a new suit made of special material invisible to the foolish, and marched naked in a procession through the town. Now, he is suffering from a mental illness.
A countryman strays onto the stage. He is, in fact, Sancho Panza, the good squire of Don Quixote. From this point on, the scene shifts to an inn from “Don Quixote.” Here stays a jongleur, struggling with massive debts. His pessimistic daughter does not wish to believe anything other than “what the eyes can see.” In front of the girl, the King wields the “sword of truth,” presented in the jongleur’s pantomime, but she simply screams at him.
Then, NAKAGAWA Kyoko, a woman in modern clothing, walks in. She is followed by other characters that take off their period costumes to return to who they are in present time as the stunned King gazes on. They are in fact, his students, and he is, in reality, a former junior high school teacher. Because of trouble with the students, he lashed out and injured Kyoko in the face. This incident triggered his mental illness. The students say they have come to apologize for what they did, and to save the former teacher from his “nightmare.”However, it turns out to be another malicious hoax. The King is dressed in invisible clothes and left to shiver in the cold, clutching his naked body.
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