THE ROOM NOBODY KNOWS to Play FringeArts, 1/30-2/1

Introducing local audiences to one of Japan's most original artistic voices, FringeArts presents the Philadelphia premiere of the dreamlike, psychologically twisted The Room Nobody Knows, created by Tokyo-based avant-garde theater company Niwa Gekidan Penino. The Room Nobody Knows is on stage Jan. 30 - Feb. 1; tickets are available now by calling 215-413-1318 or visiting fringearts.ticketleap.com.

A surreal, semi-autobiographical fever dream from the mind of Japanese psychiatrist-turned-playwright Kuro Tanino, The Room Nobody Knows centers on two brothers who inhabit a mysterious, otherworldly apartment. On the day of the elder brother's birthday, the younger, who is supposed to be studying for college entrance exams, is preoccupied with creating unusual objects for the celebration. Meanwhile, in the upper room, the younger brother's alter-egos take the form of creatures that help with the party preparations.

The brothers' enigmatic, erotic world - replete with pig faces, phalluses, demented plastic heads and secret compartments - plays out on a comically claustrophobic set placed atop the FringeArts stage.

The Room Nobody Knows, touted as "a one-man psychological trip into the underbelly of our desires" (Tokyo Stages), premiered in February 2012 in the director's small Tokyo apartment, and has since been restaged elsewhere in Japan and around the world. This is the company's first U.S. tour. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles, The Room Nobody Knows runs 60 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets: 215-413-1318 or fringearts.ticketleap.com.