Photos: Turning Japanese with Woman in Black

For five performances only this autumn, two of Japan’s leading performers – Takaya Kamikaya and Haruhito Saito – will present the Japanese-language version of long-running thriller The Woman in Black at the West End’s Fortune Theatre. The performances, from 9 to 13 September 2008, celebrate the 150th anniversary of the commencement of diplomatic relations between the UK and Japan.

Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from the book by Susan Hill, the ghostly two-hander tells the tale of a mysterious woman in black, who brings death and misery to anyone who crosses her path. It marks its 19th West End birthday next month. It has now been seen by more than three million people.

Robin Herford, the play’s original director, first mounted a Japanese production of The Woman in Black in 1992 in Tokyo, where it became a cult hit and has been performed regularly ever since. Japanese theatre producers PARCO are bringing the thriller back to its London home as part of an international tour. It will be performed here in Japanese with English surtitles.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF THE JAPANESE WOMAN IN BLACK LAUNCH PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Ahead of the autumn trip, actor Takaya Kamikaya and producers from PARCO visited the Fortune Theatre on Friday (25 January 2008) to meet local journalists as well as our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller.

Kamikaya is one of the most highly acclaimed actors in Japan for his performances across stage and screen. He made his debut in 1995 in the drama Daichi-no-Ko and went on to appear in numerous television and film roles for which he has won many awards. Haruhito Saito’s career has similarly spanned film, television and theatre. He has been involved with Woman in Black since it first appeared in Japan in 1992.

– by Terri Paddock