Wonderful cast unlocks riches of Arigato, Tokyo
“Sometimes there’s God so quickly,” once wrote Tennessee Williams, an author that Daniel MacIvor has often been in spiritual sync with. And although the deity, per se, isn’t really on the table in MacIvor’s latest play,
Arigato, Tokyo, which opened Thursday night at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, there was some sort of higher power present in the air that marked this as one of those unexpectedly unique evenings of theatre that we all hope for.
It’s rare that MacIvor steps outside of his creative comfort zone, either staging his plays himself, or letting longtime colleague Daniel Brooks do the honours. And if there’s a leading male role, rest assured that MacIvor himself will probably play it.
But none of that happens in Arigato, Tokyo and the novelty of the production itself is a major part of the evening’s success, with superb staging by Brendan Healy, stark but beautiful scenery and costumes by Julie Fox, Kimberly Purtell’s bento-box lighting and Richard Feren’s pitch-perfect sound design.
Very loosely inspired by a pair of journeys MacIvor took to Japan several years ago, the script tells the story of a Canadian author named Carl who travels to Tokyo to give a series of readings from his works.
Wired on cocaine and sake, looking for love in all the wrong places, Carl begins having an affair with his female interpreter, shifts gears
Arigato, Tokyo to a young transvestite entertainer and finally winds up with his interpreter’s brother, an actor in the Noh theatre.
The piece is a puzzle as artful as anything MacIvor has ever written and its subject, as it often is with this ever-searching author, is the topography of the human heart.
Arigato, Tokyo charts the often painful voyage that an individual can go on while trying to mix love with desire and loneliness with self-knowledge. Whether or not you find its conclusion happy or sad, I guarantee you will be moved by the progression toward it.
A wonderful cast helps unlock the script’s riches. David Storch is triumphant as Carl, the best performance I’ve ever seen him give. Storch isn’t afraid to show his character’s wilful self-indulgence or childlike petulance as he tries to melt the block of ice that his heart has become over the years. He is totally real and incredibly moving throughout.
Cara Gee and Michael Dufays are equally impressive as the brother and sister who fight for Carl’s soul, she all iron butterfly and he a soulful samurai. Rounding out the evening is the memorable young Tyson James as Etta Waki, our guide through this strange world and a creation as fragile and wonderful as one of those translucent tropical fish.
If you’re the kind of theatregoer who likes every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed, this isn’t the show for you. Arigato, Tokyocries out to be seen with an openness of spirit and a generosity of soul that matches that of its creators.
I began with a Tennessee Williams quote that captured the feeling of the evening and I’ll end with another that encapsulates its theme: “Make voyages, attempt them. There’s nothing else.”