<em>after the quake</em> | a play adapted from stories by Haruki Murakami | Nov 19-Dec 5

after the quake | a play adapted from stories by Haruki Murakami | Nov 19-Dec 5 | Vancouver

(Manami Hara, Leina Dueck, Tetsuro Shigematsu in after the quake)(Photo: Ken Bryant)

Okay, I admit it. I have tried to read novels by Haruki Murakami...and just didn't get them. Do people really understand them, or do people pretend to understand Murakami because you're supposed to like him since you're perceived as an intellectual or a cool savant of post-modern lit if you do - and quite snubbed if you admit you have no idea what's going on. Okay, I have heard Norwegian Wood is much more accessible but I haven't read that (or at the very least, attempted to read it). Not to worry, Norwegian Wood is going to be made into a film starring Babel's Rinko Kikuchi...but I digres.

I was relieved, wholeheartedly, when I was able to understand and enjoy watching the theatre production of after the quake, based on Murakami's collection of short stories of the same name, at Vancouver's Studio 16 (it's attached to Salade de Fruits if that helps you with the geographic bearings). After my experience watching the Canadian premiere of the play, I have the need to pick up a Murakami novel again. The story is compelling...and the set design is full-on fantastic; not to mention the cast (Manami Hara, Alessandro Juliani, Kevan Ohtsji, Tetsuro Shigematsu, Leina Dueck) and all the pieces that brought the play together. This, of course, is from my layman's point-of-view...I am no theatre critic nor a seasoned theatre-goer (*shameface*). Despite this, I urge you to see after the quake ... after all, honestly if a regular jane like me can be so enthusiastic about the play, then it's definitely accessible to your videogame-hollywoodblockbuster-realitytelevision mind.

For a better take on after the quake, please refer to our friend at Do Something Different BC for a proper theatre-loving review.

Now...for the synopsis of after the quake:

Rumble Productions and Pi Theatre present the Canadian premiere of after the quake, directed by Craig Hall and Richard Wolfe.
In 1995, a disastrous earthquake hit Kobe, Japan, and the Tokyo subway was hit by deadly poison gas attacks. after the quake is based on bestselling author Haruki Murakami's stories about life in the wake of disaster. It takes its audience on a journey where magic and realism collide, in an exploration of disrupted reality. Junpei is a timid writer who enchants Sayoko, the love of his life, by conjuring up stories to soothe the anguish of her young daughter Sala, a girl who is having nightmares of the Earthquake Man. A talking bear makes the very best honey pies, and Katagiri, a bank loans officer, struggles to distinguish between what is real and what is not when six-foot Frog asks for help to fight off giant Worm for the future of Tokyo. Together, these stories explore the emotional aftershocks of disaster, and offer a message of hope and healing.

after the quake | Nov 19 - Dec 5, 2009 (link) 8 pm Tue - Sat, Nov 19 - Dec 5 (opens Nov 20) 2 pm matinees on Nov 22, 29 and Dec 5 WHERE: Studio 16 (1555 W. 7th Ave)

TICKETS: $15 HERE or call 604-629-VTIX (8849)