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Craig Stephens as The Benshi in a Translation of
Shadows. Picture: Graeme Braidwood A Translation of Shadows
Birmingham Rep Door
***** STAN’S CAFÉ is a daring and experimental
theatre company based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Their work aims
to stimulate the mind and translate art in defying and new ways.
In A Translation of Shadows, the company use
their artistic mastery to connect the Japanese film culture with Western
theatre. Of course, with their pioneering style of performance, they
lead a thought provoking and enjoyable piece, testing boundaries and
creating memorable thought provoking inspiration. A Translation of Shadows is drenched in knowledge
and facts. It’s witty and word-heavy script makes the production a
stand-out piece elegantly written and performed by Craig Stephens. It tends to the audience’s imagination and
creates the perfect balance of education and entertainment. Their story
is certainly unique in that it marries the mediums of film and theatre,
transporting us to urban Japan. It is here that we learn about the
fascinating role of the Japanese Benshi. At first, the set almost feels as if we have
entered a university lecture hall, with a projector as the centre point
and an easel for which the narrator has pre-prepared notes to point the
facts out to us. With few if any knowing what a Benshi is, Stan’s Café
make the audience feel that the unknowing is OK. Perhaps this is why
they captivate the mind so well. The action begins when the Benshi, who is played
by Stephens, enters the space slowly and silently, dressed in a bright
orange traditional Japanese Kimono. Next, he elegantly explains to us
who he is and the purpose for being there, something that Stan’s Café
love to do and execute so well. Their hunger for knowledge and history
wonderfully transcend into the story of the role of the Benshi within
Japanese film and it is fuelled by their creative minds at every stage
of the production. We quickly learn that the Benshi was the integral
voice in Japanese silent films. With audiences being so new to a new
form of entertainment, it literally needed to be explained. This is
where the Benshi takes his role. Because of the audience’s helplessness
in analysing moving pictures, the Benshi was the conscience of the story
and gave the voice to the silent film. In this production, Director James Yarker along
with writer and performer Craig Stephens explore the way in which the
Benshi becomes the integral part of a story. In this particular story, the Benshi manipulates
the audience’s mind with his own analysis and thoughts in a
documentary-like manner, which automatically becomes the audience’s
thoughts too. Stephens’ witty script is funny as it is informative. He
is a captivating narrator, constantly fuelling the audience with facts
about Japanese film as well as his opinion. His soothing and alluring voice manipulates our
minds and creates an atmosphere at his own will. The tone of his voice
changes the theme of the constant film from a romance, to exciting
thriller and to any other theme that suits his mind. Yarker’s production
goes one step further when the Benshi lifts up his hands to pause the
film and play it back so that he can change the course of action too. While the film that is explained to us is
entitled ‘Shadows’ and plays on the screen, Stephens literally
translates what is seen on screen and becomes the voice of the silent
film. The film and his monologue work side by side to create a
fascinating concept that unifies two mediums of art. Stan’s Café celebrate the culture of Japan as
well as the art form of theatre and film. A comedic moment was seen when
actor Takako Akashi took over the role of Benshi and offered her own
interpretation of how the film ends. This was powerful as it was informative, filling
the audiences mind with imaginative wonder at the role of the Benshi.
Throughout this performance, Stan’s Café’s creative process of research
and play was clear to see and the end result was a product of
stimulating ideas, full of thought provoking creativity with a unique
and captivating performance led so interestingly and creatively by
Stephens on what it is to be a modern Benshi. Elizabeth Halpin
21-09-15
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