Review: THE GARDEN OF WORDS at Park Theatre

In the last decade, Alexander Rutter has carved-out a niche for herself as a specialist director of Anglo-Japanese collaborative theatre and here demonstrates why she remains a talent to watch. The small scale production is being trialled before it’s Japanese opening.

Takao (Hiroki Berrecloth) a 15 year old boy whose erratic home life causes him to repeatedly skip school and sit designing footwear at a local park during the rainy season, meets an older woman who has been the victim of cruel allegations and has struggled to return to her old role. Instead, she reads and drinks beer in the same park. It later transpires, that she is a local schoolteacher Yukari (Ali Nakagawa) who recognised the boy’s uniform at their first meeting but chose not to reveal herself, which subsequently causes him distress when he confesses to having developed romantic feelings for her.

Symbolism is everything in such work and translated poetry texts are periodically projected above the playing area while a puppet crow swoops and knowingly observes the players. The production infrequently hits the dizzying heights of artistry to which it clearly aspires, but there exists a gentle pace into which are woven the emotional threads and anyone familiar with the animated feature will recognise the many key scenes which are faithfully recreated by the technical team and actors. So, although it may appear slightly introspective (or even self-conscious) to the uninitiated, those who love Japanese anime will undoubtedly enjoy this crossover stage work.