"Bent" is one of the outstanding theatrical creations of the 20th century. Ostensibly about the persecution of homosexuals and Jews under Hitler's dictatorship, what the play really addresses is the power -- in even the most disempowered circumstances -- of the individual and of love.

Written by London-based American Martin Sherman, "Bent" has been staged in more than 45 countries since the London premiere in 1979. Just 12 months ago, with Bush and Blair beating their war drums, the new-year production of "Bent" by Theatre Project Tokyo (tpt) at its small, atmospheric Benisan Pit home made an unforgettable impression (see The Japan Times, Jan. 1, 2003). Having developed from a tpt workshop for young actors under renowned American director Robert Allan Ackerman, that production achieved an extraordinary level of tenderness and tension.

And so here we are now; the invasion of Iraq is over and done, if not won; and "Bent" is back. This time it's a major new "West End" production by Parco Theater, directed by Katsuhide Suzuki at the company's big Shibuya home. The play opens in a Berlin apartment in 1934, where the hero, Max (Kippei Shiina), and his gay lover, Rudi (Sosuke Takaoka) lead a cozy existence even though in the world outside the Nazis have seized power. That harsh reality breaks in, however, when their apartment is raided -- and though they escape, a couple of years later they are rounded up and sent to Dachau concentration camp.