HAMLET | TOILET Makes its New York Premiere in January

Japan Society presents the New York premiere of Hamlet | Toilet, written and directed by Yu Murai and performed by the acclaimed theater company Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR).  As part of Under the Radar 2024, Hamlet | Toilet will have four performances only, Wednesday, January 10 – Saturday, January 13 at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street).  This production is presented by Japan Society in partnership with Under the Radar (Mark Russell, Festival Director & ArKtype, Festival Producer). 

Number two or not number two? That is the question in Hamlet | Toilet, a hilariously nonsensical reimagining of William Shakespeare’s classic from Yu Murai, one of Japan’s “most innovative contemporary playwright-directors” (Asian Theatre Journal), and performed by his Kaimaku Pennant Race theater company cast, fearlessly clad in their signature full-body white unisuits. 

Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR) has become known for its antic movement style mixed with profound interpretations of Western masterpieces, weaving scenes from Elizabethan era tragedy with bursts of Japanese pop culture references in sensational and surprising ways. Following the company’s groundbreaking Romeo and Toilet and 2019’s unpredictable manga-meets-Macbeth Ashita no Ma-Joe, which turned Japan Society’s stage into a boxing ring, audiences won’t want to miss the New York premiere of Murai’s latest madcap Shakespearean innovation.  

Hamlet | Toilet is performed by KPR members: Masayuki Gouke (professionally known as G.K. Masayuki), Yuki Matsuo and Takuro Takasaki. 

Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR), founded by Yu Murai in 2006, is a Tokyo-based theater company known for off-the-wall theater work presenting a uniquely contemporary Japanese view, often inspired by Western masterpieces.  They have achieved worldwide recognition through their in-demand repertoire pieces such as 1969: A Space Odyssey? Oddity!; Romeo and Toilet and Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth, performed in France, Romania, Thailand, South Korea, the United States and their home country, Japan.  In 2009, the company performed Romeo and Toilet in the New York International Fringe Festival, earning “Four Stars” from Time Out New York for its “fantastic combination of ingenious movement, surreal story lines and dynamic, startlingly disciplined performers."  The company’s remarkable sets have also caused quite a stir, with one of their most notable set designs being a large toilet created from 10,000 toilet paper rolls for Romeo and Toilet. 1969: A Space Odyssey? Oddity! had its successful world tour, visiting popular international theater festivals and venues such as Festival d’Avignon (France), BABAL F.A.S.T. (Romania), Carthage Theatre Festival (Tunisia), ST-BOMB festival (South Korea) and Thong Lor Art Space (Thailand) from 2015 through 2018.  Audiences around the world have embraced the company’s original approach to physical comedy and Western adaptations, describing their work as “a real artistic experience” (La Provence, France).  The company’s Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth premiered at the Theater Rakuen in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, in February 2017, and was presented by Japan Society in New York in May 2019, garnering rave reviews. Their most recent work Hamlet | Toilet premiered at Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo in September 2023. 

Founder and Director Yu Murai reinterprets a wide variety of classical plays using extreme physicality and over-the-top humor.  Known for his bold stage designs and sharp, witty dramas, he is able to convey his original and singular point of view through his meticulous and highly choreographed directing style.  Most recently, he has started conducting workshop, lectures and readings to expose young actors to his quirky and rich methodologies.  Of his plays, Theatrorama (France) wrote, “If you see [his] shocking work, you cannot return to earth ever again.” His company’s performances invite audiences to enter surreal, high-octane worlds, through aesthetics and tropes borrowed from Japanese pop culture.  Today, the troupe is one of the most promising theater companies in Japan blending high-art and entertainment. 

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