Black lipstick, grommet belts and thrash metal music are an integral part of Rising Sun Theatre's debut production, William Shakespeare's "Macbeth." So are noh masks, hakama (trousers) and a huge Shinto torii.
This cultural mix is part of what the Nagoya-based company's founder, Dwayne Lawler, calls his "chameleon approach," which is aimed at adapting the production to the Japanese environment. Lawler has also pared down the play -- already Shakespeare's shortest -- stripping "Macbeth" to a two-act series of powerful, fast-paced scenes.
The action is punctuated by death-metal music from American band Shakespeare in Hell. "Our signature method of presenting Shakespeare with music aims to mainstream the Bard's work," says Lawler.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.