Last year, to mark the bicentennial of the birth of author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75), Denmark held a yearlong celebration titled "Andersen Project 2005." Part of the project was a special commission to French-Canadian dramatist Robert Lepage to create a play commemorating the author's life and work. For fans of Andersen's fairy tales, the one-man play the 48-year-old Lepage came up with, "The Andersen Project: A Modern Fairy Tale," struck few familiar chords. Instead "A Modern Fairy Tale," which has already been staged more than 150 times worldwide, showed Andersen to be a social misfit who didn't like children and was overwhelmed by fame.
This week at Setagaya Public Theatre, Lepage presents the English-language version of the play, and the following week 49-year-old director/actor Akira Shirai will perform in a Japanese version. Shirai shared with The Japan Times his thoughts on Andersen and the play.
How are preparations going for "The Andersen Project"?