Guess what I saw today?

That's right! My free day ended with a production of The Lion King. Yes, it was in Japanese. Much like the Kabuki-za performance, it was like a theatrically religious experience for me. Both of these productions have resonated so much with me, reinforcing and celebrating why I love theatre. And this production was perfect to be brought into another language and another culture. God bless Julie Taymor! The created something so universal in this production. I was really amazing, and I'm sure it will rank in the top theatre experiences of my life time. I'm so very glad I went. I loved how they infused just touches of their culture into the production, such as the way Mufasa and Scar were very Kabuki-esque both in their makeup and in their physical/vocal characterization choices. Very cool. Also the way the characters would bow was vaguely Japanese.

The most unusual thing about the performance (other than the fact that I was BROILING in there... Come on, people, let's cut on the AC) was the curtain call. The intensity of the applause never changed. It didn't build as the more important characters came out. It didn't build when the entire cast bowed. Any of the EIGHT times they bowed. People kept clapping, and they kept opening the curtain for another curtain call. But the volume of the applause stayed contstant, and I only saw three people stand down in the orchestra level where I was. (Oh yeah, it cost a lot... but hey, it's The Lion King).

Now how I GOT to this performance and the rest of my free day is an entirely different story. I'm going to run my bag down to the bell captain (we get to leave our souvenir bag here in Tokyo and not lug it to Itabashi). If my internet connection for the day doesn't expire while I'm gone, I'll try to fill you in on my other MISadventures. Oh, man...