This stage inspired by Nobel prize-winning writer Yasunari Kawabata's book "The House of the Sleeping Beauties" stares straight into the darkest depths of human desire and obsession. Acclaimed directors Wang Chia-ming of Taiwan and Kuro Tanino of Japan set their play in a decrepit, traditional bathhouse by the sea patronized by lonely elderly men. Drawing inspiration from classic fairy tale narratives, Wang and Tanino infuse the play with surrealistic, fantastical elements as the characters explore the blurred lines between morality and consciousness, and navigate an abyss of lust.
This marks the first collaboration between Wang and Tanino, who lead the Shakespeare's Wild Sisters' Group and Niwa Gekidan Penino, respectively. The cast includes eight actors from Taiwan and Japan, who engaged in an intimate, close-knit process to create this "adult fairy tale of sensuality."