Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book-Signing, and Other Things (FringeNYC)
About the show
Part of FringeNYC: She wrote the world's first novel and it's, like, kind of a big deal. After 1000 years, she's finally ready to talk about breaking barriers, traveling through time, and defining her own cultural legacy. Maybe. More…
Categories: Drama, Comedy, Local. From Co-produced by Rachel Christiansen and The Brewing Dept.. Written by Julia Izumi. Directed by Ann Noling.
"The play 'Meet Murasaki Shikibu…' takes what feels like a long time to accomplish what it sets out to do, and exactly what it sets out to do is not entirely clear...The play offers some truly witty moments, mostly when referring specifically to Japanese culture...These are details that might be lost on those who aren't familiar with Japanese. But then again, perhaps that is the point. American ethnocentrism often wipes away nuanced details about other cultural perspectives." Full Review
See it if you want to laugh and have your ideology on western culture challenged in a quirky, insightful way.
Don't see it if you don't want to be challenged.
See it if You want to see a clever, universal story about the Japanese woman who wrote the world's first novel.
Don't see it if You prefer a show with no interaction with the audience.
See it if interested in gender & racial identity preconceptions
Don't see it if tight plot construction is desired
See it if you like a bit of magical realism in your life, and enjoy plays that explore great figures in history with some imagination.
Don't see it if you like a plot-driven show, prefer spectacle, or find plays that play with figures from history to be too "weird", "quirky" or distracting.
See it if you want a funny and surprisingly moving play with an original take on the theme of forgotten history. Also the team has real lady power!
Don't see it if you hate books (or maybe this will get you interested in them?).
See it if You are interested in thinking about identity, memory, books
Don't see it if you are looking for pure fluff
See it if you're after something intellectual
Don't see it if you're after something with action