Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra’s (CATS) well-done play “Rashomon” is a timely production that illustrates how each person can interpret an event from their own biases, desires for honor or fame, and self-interests. A single event can be cast in many lights, depending upon the teller of the tale.
The 1959 Broadway adaptation of “Rashomon,” presented here by CATS, was written by Fay and Michael Kanin and nominated for three Tony awards. The script was based on stories written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in 1915 as well as the groundbreaking, eponymous 1950 film by famous Japanese film director, Akira Kurosawa, which won the Best Foreign Film award at the 24th Academy Awards.
Akutagawa’s tales, set in 11th-century Japan, highlight moral ambiguity and the vagaries of human nature, emphasizing themes of truth, self-deception, and justice, revealing biases driven by self-preservation, honor, and evasion. The primary story about the murder of a samurai and the assault of his wife by a bandit leaves the truth unresolved.
The bandit is captured and brought to trial, but the truth is elusive because each witness relates to the magistrate a varying version about what happened. The play shows flashbacks to each character’s vastly different interpretation of events. This has become known as the “Rashomon effect,” the phenomenon of contradictory interpretations of the same event—and has been applied to fields such as law, psychology, and journalism.
The acting ensemble worked very well together; the blend was smooth and natural. Josh Laquian as the bandit was a marvel to watch, laughing, gnashing his teeth, leaping around the stage. Eileen Hoang as the wife and Howard Liu as the samurai/husband were both very believable and nuanced in their fears and strengths. The three men discussing the disparate recountings of the murder—the Woodcutter (Robert Rossman), the Priest (Catz Forsman) and the Wigmaker (Jeffrey Mason)—each added depth and unique personality to their characters. Jean Forsman, as both the Deputy and Medium, and Tina Marks as the Mother nicely portrayed their respective parts.
In CATS’s visually stunning production, the set, costumes and props themselves greatly contribute to the divergent stories. Class, custom and gender roles are specifically and accurately delineated through Teresa Shea’s fabulous costumes, Karl (Hank) Meyer’s amazing swords and other props, Les Solomon’s evocative lighting, Peter A. Mason’s quality sound, Michele Fitzhugh Nesbit’s accurate period makeup and hair design, and Pamala Hodges’ minimalist but haunting, lovely and functional set design (with fabulous trees). Tom Taylor’s rain setup adds effectively to the temporal ambiance.
As well, the fight scenes were very credible, thanks to the contributions of fight choreographers Jason Henriksen and Cecilia Ramos. The addition of on-stage taiko drumming by Mike Oitzman and David Yonenaka added depth, definition and drama to the story. Plus, the use of a bell to represent the magistrate’s voice was an excellent and creative option.
Director Sonny Alforque’s choices highlighted the classism, sexism and harshness of feudal Japan, along with the preconceived notions of gender roles, evil and societal expectations. Alforque’s use of video and projections effectively integrated parts of the story that would have been otherwise difficult to portray on the stage.
“Rashomon” is a parable about truth, self-deceit and human frailty, but it also highlights the mistreatment and disparagement of women, poverty and the individual’s need to display himself in whatever way he feels is most favorable, whether valid or not. And, unfortunately, through the ages, some attitudes, beliefs and behaviors never change.
Hindi Greenberg advises that violence and mistreatment of women are in this play.
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