演劇人の幅広さと才能に脱帽
先日の宮崎駿のアニメの上映前に劇団関係者が舞台に出て関連作品として上演中の「オデッセイ」を宣伝していました。その時「もし貴方がトラウマ（苦痛や恐怖を体験した後の精神的に深刻な傷）を乗り越えたなら、その後元の自分に戻れるか」を映画を見ながら考えてほしいと話しました。それで「オデッセイ」も観たいと思い切符を購入し劇場に見に行ってきました。オデッセイとはホメロスの書いた古代ギリシャの叙事詩です。
ハーバード大学にあるART（American Repertory Theater) の劇場は開演前から熱気を帯びた空気に包まれ芝居好きの人たちが集まって来た感じです。上演時間３時間、途中２回の休息が入るこの芝居。事前に予備知識を入れて行ったにしても英語が母国語でない私が楽しめる保証はどこにもなく不安と好奇心だけでした。
さて、オデッセイはトロイア戦争の終結後に英雄のオデッセウスが１０年かけて様々な困難を乗り越えながら故郷のイタケーに戻るという話ですが、原作を元にしたとはいえ、芝居はかなり大胆に現代風に脚色してありました。登場人物は女性４人と男性６人で主役のオデッセイ(Odysseus)と妻のペネロペ(Penelope)以外は一人何役も兼ねて演じ、このうちの一人は戯曲を書いたケイト・ハミル(Kate Hamill)自身が出ていて、演劇人の幅広さと才能に脱帽しました。
劇中にパペット（操り人形）がシルエットとして何度か効果的に登場したり、３人の女性が羊になって「バアア、ベエエ」とテンポ良く台詞と絡みあったり、男性たちが豚になったり牛になったり、かと思えば、性的描写や暴力的な場面も多く見られました。衣装は至ってシンプルで小道具などで役柄を表し、装置も具体的なものではなく簡素で、布やロープなどが効果的に使われ、場面転換のテンポや音楽にも感心し、あっという間の３時間でした。俳優たちのレベルの高さは言うまでもありません。
芝居はオデッセイが無事妻のもとへ帰る幸福な結末でしたが、先のミヤザキの最新映画とこのオデッセイに「人はトラウマを乗り越えた時、元の自分に戻ることができるか」という本質的な問いが投げかけられています。戦争や災害をはじめ様々な困難に遭遇し、それを乗り切ろうとする私たちへの問いかけでもあります。うちへ帰って家族で話し合う大切な一日となりました。
When I went to watch Miyazaki’s animated movie, a man who was affiliated with ART (American Repertory Theater) did a short talk on the stage before the movie started. He promoted Odyssey which is currently being played by ART. At the end of his talk, he said to think while watching the movie about if you have gone through something traumatic, can you ever go back to who you were. I was curious about the play which has the same theme, so I went to the ART to see the Odyssey, too. Odyssey is an epic poem attributed to Homer.
ART is in Harvard Univ. and it was crowded with many people who love watching plays. It was said that the play runs three hours long including two intermissions. No matter how much I prepared to get some knowledge about the play beforehand, I, who is a foreigner, didn’t have any confidence about whether I would understand it. I just came to the theatre with curiosity and anxiety.
Odyssey is an adventure story of Odysseus who went through many difficulties after the Trojan War and went back to his home in Ithaca after ten years. The ART play was a powerful contemporary adaptation of The Odyssey, by Kate Hamill. The actors were four females and six males, and one of the female actors was Kate Hamill. I was impressed by the wide range of talents of these theatre people.
There were many interesting scenes which attracted me very much, for example they used puppets effectively, three female actors turned to sheep saying baa baa rhythmically, and male actors turned to pigs and cows in pantomime which were very funny. They showed some adult contents such as sexual and violent scenes. The stage setting was not realistic and simple. Many ropes and clothes were effectively used.
Their costumes were very simple and expressed their characters with props and pantomime. Their scene changes were fast-moving and the music was good. I felt that the three hours play including two intermissions went fast. Needless to say, the levels of all actors were so high.
The play ended happily for Odysseus, as he returned safely to his home Ithaca and met with his wife. I was reminded of the essential question: if you have gone through something traumatic, can you ever go back to who you were. It was also a question to us who are facing various difficult situations currently such as war and disasters and trying to overcome them. It became an important day for our family to discuss it at home after the play.
2025/02/22
