Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Amanda L. Andrei
PEACH POWER!
Scurry scurry scurry!
Banzai! Banzai! Banzai banzai BANZAI!
Such exclamations are only a handful of the delights in Anime Momotaro, a punchy, cartoon-and-kabuki, fantastically sensory adaptation of the traditional Japanese folktale of Momotaro (“Peach Boy”), showing at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD until March 10.
As the tale goes, an old woman found a giant peach floating down the river and brought it home to eat with her husband. When they split open the peach, a little boy jumped out, and they named him Momotaro. When ogres threaten the family’s well-being by stealing their food, Momotaro sets out for Ogre Island, aided with the help of a dog, a monkey, and a bird. In this version, conceptualized and adapted by Alvin Chan, Eric Johnson, and Honolulu Theatre for Youth, the story also serves as a gentle and timely fable addressing themes about bullying, the power of kindness, and finding inner strength.
In an entertainment landscape saturated with film and television, some may wonder what the theatre still has to offer—after all, what can be done on the stage that can’t be done on the screen or a page? Anime Momotaro answers that question in a dazzling blend of classical Japanese theatre and contemporary media such as anime and manga. Our peach boy has his own high-pitched cartoon theme song, and a burst of video game sounds explodes when he exclaims, “PEACH POWER!” and punches the ground. Koken, a black-clad stagehand in noh and kabuki theatre, rearranges the set, provides props when needed, and acts as a ballast during fight scenes. Koken also takes on a modern twist by popping umbrellas as explosions, wearing a hat that represents an entire island, and waving tears, hearts, and stars near characters in their bouts of sadness, love, and pain. And in a critical turning point of the play, the characters perform a stunning reverse choreography complete with backwards music, as Momotaro reverses his decision and rewinds time.
That is theatre magic.
The cast (Jacob Yeh, Rafael Untalan, Tia Shearer, Ryan Sellers, and Phillip Reid) performs fantastically, lighting up the stage with surges of energy and humor. At several points in the show, the ogres lead the audience in a clapping, head-shaking, chanting rendition of “Banzai! Banzai! Banzai banzai BANZAI!” – an “ogre” dance. Even the adults are genuinely shaking their heads and clapping along. Furthermore, the set (designed by recent Asian Fortune “A-List” notable Natsu Onodoa Power, and with lights by Zachary Gilbert) literally glows with color from paper lanterns overhead, giant “bubbles” surrounding the stage, and a large framed house with sliding doors and a giant pink peach motif in the center. Furthermore, the vibrant costumes (designed by Debra Kim Sivigny) look like they stepped straight out of an animated cartoon, while the sound (designed by Chris Baine) makes you feel as if, maybe, you were the one who stepped into the cartoon.
The show is recommended for kids age five to ten. But when leaving Imagination Stage, you may hear several audience members humming the Momotaro-san theme song. Turn around, and you may discover the bobbing heads do not belong to children—they’re the parents. Just further proof that the magic of Anime Momotaro finds its way into the hearts of all, providing us with a pinch of peach power long after we’ve left the theatre.
“Anime Momotaro” will be performed at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD through March 10. For tickets and information visit www.imaginationstage.org.
