Noh No Noh

Startling in its intensity, ‘Noh No Noh’ is a quietly surreal fairy tale, very Japanese in character. Three distinct stories are told, based on traditional Japanese Noh theatre, each of which addresses the universal themes of love, death and beauty. A young girl is driven mad by waiting for her lover to return to her, an old woman is courted again and again for her beauty, a modern teenager sees no meaning in the love stories of the past. The third, used as a frame narrative, is perhaps the least successful but the other two are simultaneously enchanting and chilling.
A number of different elements combine to make this performance so enthralling. The lighting and uses of different media create the feeling of a distinct reality outside the everyday world. There is a very interesting twist on the traditional Noh masks, raising questions of where reality may be found – in the face or in the mask?
The intent of Noh No Noh is clearly to pose some big questions. Is the joy of love truly to be found in consummating it, or is there more pleasure in the pain of waiting? Can reality ever live up to a dream? And how are these stories relevant to how we lead our lives? Deeply felt and poetic, before it reaches its conclusion this play has imparted some lovely imagery and some profoundly unsettling thoughts.

4/5

Keira Farrell