WE NOW NOTICE THAT ALL PERFORMANCES FOR THIS SHOW HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT! PLEASE CHECK WITH BOX OFFICE FOR CANCELLATIONS.
Haruki Murakami’s stories are frequently weird but always inventive. The new Word For Word production of “The Strange Library” is all that, plus unique, fun and a feast for the eyes.
Acting must be mentioned first: Jed Parsario is fabulous as The Boy, confused but always hopeful as his woeful situation becomes more and more worrisome; and Julie Kuwabara is perfect as Sheep Man, who is probably The Boy’s friend, but with a Murakami story you never know for sure. There are also strong performances by a young girl who is clearly not real, being manipulated puppet-style by Ogie Zulueta and Vivienne Truong. Chuck Lacson is hilarious as a library girl with a mustache and beard, to say nothing about Hattam, the hulking and bejeweled Turkish Tax Collector. And in case you are not suffering from enough nightmares these days, the evil old man (Zulueta) will add to your load.
Poor Boy. All he wanted to do was go to the library, like the obedient child he is. He is at once frightened but also perfectly willing to enjoy Sheep Man’s doughnuts to say nothing about the little girl’s kiss on his cheek. Parsario has us on our toes worrying about what will happen to him. And Kuwabara gives Sheep Man a child-like sheen, though his situation is at least as precarious as The Boy's.
We wish there were a chance to applaud for the actors at the end. This production decision makes us feel incomplete. If there is one flaw in an excellent evening of theater, this is it.
Kudos to co-directors Lisa Hori-Garcia and Keiko Shimosato Carreiro for direction as well as choreography, and to the entire company for this adaptation.
RATINGS ★★★★ BANG
The San Francisco Theater Blog Awards Department, Nightmare Division, grants “The Strange Library” Four Stars with a BANGLE OF PRAISE. This is a high award for a first-rate production. We add the BANGLE for Mikiko Uesegi’s set design and the infinitely labyrinthine arrangements on stage.
"Word for Word: "Strange Library"
Z-Space Below
499 Florida St., San Francisco
Through Dec. 8
SORRY! SOLD OUT!
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