A
young woman with long hair hiding a ravaged face is the source of horror in
Hideo Nakata's 1998 cult flick, Ringu (The Ring).The spirit of Sadako, left for dead for 30 years at the bottom of a well, transforms into a virus that spreads through telephone lines and television screens to infect the living.
Vengeful Sadako--a ghost fashioned by modern technology--is derived from a traditional folk tale set in 15th century Japan about a servant girl Okiku.
Falsely accused of stealing one of the 10 bejewelled plates given to samurai Tessan Aoyama for safekeeping by the Tokugawa Shogunate, Okiku is forced to throw herself into the Aoyama family well.
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Every evening after that, she returns as a spirit that obsessively counts the treasured plates until she reaches the number nine, whereupon she bursts into a terrible wailing that terrifies her master. A newly-formed local theatre company, Tourniquet Productions, is staging Okiku: A Tragedy Retold at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre from January 19, 2007 . "There are many variations of Okiku in kabuki（歌舞伎）theatre, noh（能）theatre and even paintings and wood prints. It has a long performance history," says first-time director Fang Chyi, known for her work with Malaysia's only all-women a cappella group, the LiT Performers. |
" Okiku: A Tragedy Retold "as good as Ringu
Faced with the extensive performance history of the folk tale, Fang, together
with co-director Kimmy Kiew, decided to focus on the version that has Aoyama
desiring to possess Okiku as a mistress. But the beautiful servant girl
rebuffs her master's advances.
Desperate to have her in his clutches, Aoyama steals one of the plates and
tricks her into believing that she had lost it.
"He tells her the only way out is to become his mistress, but she chooses
to drown herself instead. When Okiku returns to haunt Aoyama, the audience can
understand her motivations," Fang adds.
"So, it's not a ghost story anymore. It becomes a story about a
ghost."
Fang and Kimmy hit upon the idea of re-telling this legend after watching a
traditional rakugo（落語）performance presented
by the Japan Foundation last year.
The solitary storyteller told the tale as a comic yarn, using fan, hand towel,
dramatic expressions and mime.
"It was really funny but it got us thinking about presenting Okiku's
story in different and unusual ways," says Kimmy, a part-time producer
with theatre company Gardner & Wife.
And so, Okiku will be told in English, with tight character spotlights around
four figures.
Okiku will be played by newcomer Janice Yap, last seen in Broken Bridges: A
Musical. Aoyama will be brought to life by veteran Ben Tan, while his wife
Rukiya will be played by Corinne Adrienne, who is a Malaysian actress known
for her leading roles in Singaporean TV serials (e.g. Heartlanders).
Yuki, the head servant, will be portrayed by TV actress Louisa Chong of 2
Campur 1 fame.
For Kimmy, the interaction between these characters drives the story and adds
a dimension to Okiku's eventual death and ghostly re-appearance.
"It's about fleshing out the characters," she explains.
Aoyama, Rukiya and Yuki want Okiku dead, for their own reasons. At the same
time, the women's relationships with Aoyama give insights into gender power
struggles and cooperation.
And, in keeping with current Japanese horror flicks, Okiku has a minimalist
set and a storyline that builds up slowly and gets under the viewer's skin
with provocative twists and turns.
"Horror is at its best when you leave it to the audience's
imagination," Fang notes.
"We just get things started and the rest gets played out in their
minds."
But the usual motifs associated with the genre, like cursed videotapes and
computers, long stringy hair, vicious contorted spirits and mournful ghost
children, have no place in this production.
"Yes, we are both fans of Japanese horror, but we don't want to rely on
scare tactics," Kimmy adds.
"The challenge here is to evoke horror through theatrical language,
movements and ideas."
Known for her work in contemporary and Chinese theatre and film, Kimmy had
directed a Chinese adaptation of Chekhov's play, The Bear, in 2003, to
critical acclaim.
Arts director Fang has directed a string of commercials, a short film and a
Siti Nurhaliza music video.
"I work to develop the characters and there is a filmic approach to my
directing. Kimmy is more driven by physical theatre and movement. Together, we
offer a spectrum of theatrical experiences which evoke a sense of unease and
horror," Fang says.
Usually, people set up a theatre company before deciding on their production.
With Tourniquet Productions, the concept of the play--staging a traditional
Japanese tale, with all its elements of horror--came before the formation of
the company.
But that has steered our direction, Kimmy adds.
"Horror and Asian folklore are intrinsic parts of our culture. I don't
know any Malaysian who isn't curious about a superstitious belief, a ghost
story or a legend." (By EN De Silva, The Star/ANN)
