Genre / City	Theatre / Shizuoka
Dates	2 May at 18:45, 3 May at 18:45, 4 May at 18:45, 5 May at 18:45
Venue	At Momijiyama Garden Square, Sumpujo Park
Duration	to be decided (less than 120 minutes)
Language	In Japanese with English subtitles
seat	Non-reserved seating
Conceived and directed by	MIYAGI Satoshi
Production	SPAC-Shizuoka Performing Arts Center

Introduction

One of history’s most famous femmes fatales is set to sparkle again in “Lucrezia Borgia,” a spectacular new open-air production in Shizuoka’s city-center Sumpujo (Castle) Park.

The play’s real-life heroine, Lucrezia BORGIA (1480–1519), was born into the powerful House of BORGIA, a Spanish-Italian noble family prominent in the wars and murderous politics of the Italian Renaissance. Later, the great French novelist and dramatist Victor HUGO wrote his 1833 play “Lucrezia Borgia” about that singular woman around whom passions, plots and jealousies swirled — but who could, herself, be as ruthless as any of the men dominating that world. In adapting HUGO’s work, SPAC’s artistic director, MIYAGI Satoshi, has shifted the setting to the Warring States Period spanning 1467–1568 in Japan. Back then, though Lucrezia can commit murder without a qualm, she also reveals the loving face of motherhood when remembering her son, Gennaro, who was parted from her years before. Staged in the evening in atmospheric Sumpujo (Castle) Park, “Lucrezia Borgia” features strong warriors in medieval armor amusing themselves and dancing, while behind the frivolity dark schemes are being hatched. Then flares as this thrilling production builds to its disastrous climax of love and hate set to wildly festive music.

Synopsis

One day on the terrace of a palace, Lucrezia unexpectedly encounters her son Gennaro who she has been separated from for years. Without revealing her identity, she listens to him as he talks about his dreams of being with his mother. Soon after that she is roughed up by Gennaro’s friends, who don’t like the Borgia family, and afterwards she faints in the palace. Later she invites those young men to a party at her home, where she poisons them in revenge. Then one day she finds that someone has defiled the crest of the House of Borgia, and she tells her husband, Alfonso d’ESTE, the Duke of Ferrara, to have the offender executed. But the culprit is found to be her darling son, Gennaro.

Director’s Profile

MIYAGI Satoshi
Born in Tokyo in 1959, after studying aesthetics at Tokyo University under ODASHIMA Yushi, WATANABE Moriaki and HIDAKA Hachiro, he founded the KU NA’ UKA theater company in 1990 and soon began staging plays overseas as well as in Japan. As a result, MIYAGI’s work — in which he often fuses contemporary textual interpretations with physical techniques and patterns of Asian theatre — has long been acclaimed both at home and far beyond. Indeed, in 2004 he received the 3rd Asahi Performing Arts Award, and the next year the 2nd Asahi Beer Art Award.
Since taking up his position with SPAC in April 2007, MIYAGI has staged many of his own works — including “Medea”, the Hindu epic “Mahabharata”, and “Peer Gynt” — and has invited artists from abroad to present pieces casting a keen eye on the modern world as they see it. In line with his aim to make theatre “a window to the world,” he has also started a new SPAC-based project aimed at the youth of Shizuoka.
In 2014, MIYAGI was invited to the Festival d’Avignon, where he received excellent reviews for his open-air version of the Hindu epic “Mahabharata” staged in La Carrière de Bourbon. Following that landmark achievement, the festival extended the honor of inviting MIYAGI to present a Buddhist interpretation he created of the ancient Greek mythological tragedy “Antigone” as its super-prestigious opening program for 2017. On that occasion, which was the first time an Asian play had ever been selected to launch the festival, MIYAGI’s exalted “stage” was the open-air Cour d’honneur du Palais des papes (the Honor Court of the Palace of Popes). By the play’s end, those towering medieval stone walls were ringing out with long and splendid standing ovations welcoming the work’s director and creator along with SPAC’s actors and staff — while more than 60 European media all gave great reviews.
In 2018, He received the 68th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize of Drama.

Talks

◎Pre-Performance Talk: Starting 35 minutes before each performance in front of the venue, “Festival garden”.

Cast / Staff

Script and directed by MIYAGI Satoshi
Written by Victor HUGO
Translated by YOSHINO Mai
Music: TANAKAWA Hiroko
Choreographed by OTAGAKI Yu
Lighting design: OSAKO Koji
Costume design: KOMAI Yumiko
Prop design：FUKASAWA Eri
Hair and makeup: KAJITA Kyoko
Performed by SPAC / Micari, ABE Kazunori, OUCHI Yoneji, OHTAKA Kouichi, KATAOKA Sachiko, KATO Yukio, KAWAMURA Wakana, KIJIMA Tsuyoshi, KUROSU Shin, KONAGAYA Katsuhiko, SUZUKI Mariko, SEKINE Junko, DAIDOMUMON Yuya, NAGAI Sayako, FUSE Asuka, MAKIYAMA Yudai, MIYAGISHIMA Haruka, MORIYAMA Fuyuko, YAMAMOTO Miyuki, YOSHIUE Soichiro

Produced by SPAC – Shizuoka Performing Arts Center
Organized by the Committee of the Open-air Performing Arts Festival under Mt. Fuji
Cosponsored by Shizuoka City

Notice

*Admission to auditorium is restricted to children of school age and over.
*Seats with no backrest
*Performances will be held even if it rains. As the use of umbrellas is not permitted during a performance, please ensure you have suitable rainwear. You are also advised to bring warm clothes for night performances at this time of year.