In Japanese with English subtitles, Love in Action is very loosely based on The Brothers Karamazov, with many twists and turns and a new, surprising emotional ending. The key events of the original, mainly the love triangle between the oldest son and his father have been kept but moved to 1945 Nagasaki.

The play follows the Karamatsu clan of firework makers and the family’s three brothers; Tomitaro, a fireworks marker, Iwan, a physicist and Ariyoshi a priest who are torn apart when their father is murdered, seemingly by the oldest son Tomitaro over their shared love interest Grushenka.

The stage is set for the trial with the shadow of war as planes fly overhead and actors dive for cover. As each witness is brought to the stand their story is told and reenacted in flashbacks, which cover many genres, at the front of the stage. The clever use of sticky tape by the Ensemble provides a boxing ring, telephone line and various barriers between locations.

The music used during the flashbacks and dance scenes is an amalgamation of Japanese music which has been influenced by Western songs and feels very recognisable.

The characters are well drawn; Jun Matsumoto gives a strong performance as the angry, young Tomitaro who has been unable to pursue his career since gunpowder is unavailable as it is needed for the war effort. Masami Nagasawa gives a sensitive performance of the gentle Ariyoshi. Iwan, the middle brother spends much of the play trying to develop a weapon to end the war.

The light relief is provided by Nauto Takenaki as the father/prosecution lawyer and Hideki Noda as the defence lawyer/reverend father who often have the funniest lines. Fumbled costume changes add to their humour which gets close to slap stick on occasions.

English subtitles and shown on a screen above the actors. Generally, this works well, and one can view both the subtitles and the action. However, occasionally the screen is raised slightly higher which forces your head to move up and down like watching a vertical tennis match.

Although this play deals with some serious subjects and one is aware of the shadow of war, this production is pure entertainment, and is thoroughly enjoyable.

For more information about Love In Action please visit the link below.

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https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/noda-map-love-in-action/

4 stars

Reviewer Nina Gardner.
 
Writer & Director                 Hideki Noda
Set Design                               Yukio Horio
Lighting Design                   Motoi Hattori & Makoto Kitazawa
Costume Design                   Kodue Hibino
Music                                      Marihiko Hara 
Sound Design                      Junko Fujimoto
Choreography                     Shigehiro Ide
Hair & Make-Up                  Eri Akamatsu
Projection Design               Taiki Ueda
Stage Manager                   Masataka Sesaki 

Cast
Jun Matsumoto          Karamatus Tomitaro
Masami Nagasawa    Karamatus Aryoshi
Eita Nagayama           Karamatus Iwan
Nozomi Muraoka       Ubukata Rina
Nobue Iketani             Madame Russasky
Kazushige Komatsu   Urie Goriki
Hideki  Noda                Shranui/ The Reverend Father
Naoto Takenaka          Karamatsu Hyodo Prosecutor Kugatachi Masami Nagasawa Grushenka
Sumida Jako                  Kure Goriki

Sadler’s Wells, Roseberry Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN
Thursday 31 October – Saturday 2 November
http://www.sadlerswells.com