Clock-watching in a performance is never a good thing. Unfortunately, that’s what I was doing in Shoko Ito’s one woman show about a Samurai who is transported 400 years into the future by a demigod. A moment when Ito was portraying a character who, having eaten too much ice cream, had a sore stomach and was crouched over in pain was particularly cringe-worth; I was half worried she would act out a toilet scene on stage.
It can be incredibly difficult to perform to a small audience (I was one of 4 people), especially if you think they are not on your side. Ito did her best to get us on board, her energy was unfailing, and she performed with vigour as she played out the different parts in the story using a mixture of English and Japanese to sub-titles projected at the back of the stage.
Sadly, her energy was not enough; the story of a samurai who lands in modern-day Japan and, in pursuit of power, sets up a video game company did little to engage the audience. The samurai is guided on this journey by a young girl who, it transpires, has a connection to his past. Together they create a successful video game company toppling their competitors and thus leading the samurai to the realisation that there is more to life than success.
Both the samurai and the young girl are presented as clichés; pantomime-like, the Samurai is a bold, clumsy oaf of a character, while the girl, giggling and submissive, does little for the feminist movement. I imagine it is hard to present the nuances of a character when you are playing multiple roles and, while there may be circumstances where one-dimensional cartoon characters might work, I don’t think this was the case here.
Although Ito is undoubtedly a talented performer, this was an ill-judged performance and one that will add little to your Edinburgh experience.