>> HOME Haruki Murakami's heroically imaginative novel is now a thrilling multimedia theatrical experience. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is an interdisciplinary theatrical production based on the internationally acclaimed novel by one of Japan’s most renowned writers, Haruki Murakami. Inspired by Murakami’s visionary style, writer/director Stephen Earnhart merges live performance, live music, dance/movement and Bunraku puppetry with on-stage projections of video, anime, and holographic technology to create a "theatre of dreams". This cross-cultural play incorporates both English and Japanese languages and represents an international collaboration between Western and Asian artists and designers. >> MURAKAMI'S STORY Story: At once a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets of World War II, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a surreal mystery that follows a quiet, unassuming “everyman”, Toru Okada, as he searches for his wife who’s inexplicably disappeared. Toru soon encounters a cast of strange characters, and while he searches for his wife, the mundane world of Tokyo suburbia grows stranger and stranger. As the lines between dreams and reality dissolve, Toru must confront the dark forces that exist inside him as part of his human nature. Ultimately, the play makes us question our ability to have relationships and to love, knowing that powerful influences of violence, lust and greed lurk in the deepest corner of ourselves. About Haruki Murakami: One of Japan’s most renowned writers, Haruki Murakami’s work has been translated into forty-two languages, poising him to become the most widely read Japanese author outside of Japan of all times. Murakami’s many honors include the prestigious Franz Kafka Prize and the Yomiuri Prize, whose previous recipients include Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is considered his most important work. Though Murakami writes about his native Japan, his characters’ desperation to find intimate connections while plagued by urban loneliness are universal. Because of Murakami’s exploding popularity and international interest in his work, as well as the intrigue with Japanese popular culture, this production has tremendous potential for both critical and popular success while offering a universally compelling and original piece of theatre. >> THE SHOW The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle employs a dynamic blend of theatrical elements to create a hypnotic “theatre of dreams”. The multiple realities of the narrative are realized by layers of projections, mesmerizing soundscapes, Japanese anime, puppetry, and dance/movement. Some characters only exist live on stage, others are trapped in the world of film, and some characters have the ability to pass back and forth. Video projections and audio speakers envelop the audience so one feels immersed in the world of the characters, not watching from a distance. This interdisciplinary play is much a feast for the senses as it is an engaging emotional journey. Puppetry: The element of puppetry is a central element in the play. Numerous forms of puppets are used to create a world of mystery with surprising simplicity. At times, the protagonist, Toru Okada, is represented by a Bunraku-style puppet, a traditional Japanese art form that requires three puppeteers to manipulate a single puppet. Other storylines utilize shadow puppets and hand puppets of various size and scale. Tom Lee and his puppeteers experiment with breaking established rules, mixing Western technique with Eastern tradition. In some ways, the puppets engage the audience’s imagination in ways that living actors cannot, acting as a “mirror” onto which the audience can project their own emotions. Technology: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle makes use of several cutting-edge projection technologies. Multiple video projectors cast images throughout the theatre, using scrims, set pieces, hanging laundry, tablecloths, bed sheets, actors’ bodies, mirrors, even water and fog as non-traditional projection surfaces that emphasize Murakami’s dreamlike worlds. Water: As one character puts it, “Human existence is largely controlled by elements of water”. Wells, pools, underwater sequences, and dreams involving oceans and rivers all provide the predominant image system. Characters “swim” through mid-air, traversing worlds of live performance and cinema. Toru’s fixation with jellyfish is another central motif. Water and fog are used to accentuate the intangibility of Toru’s world where the people and objects in his life constantly materialize and evaporate. When Toru descends into his own consciousness, it is a world of water that becomes more turbulent as he nears his life force. >> CAST & CREATIVE Director / Co-Writer: Stephen Earnhart Consulting Producer: Seth Goldstein Consulting Producer: Bonnie Sue Stein Co-Writer: Gregory Pierce Video Designer: Aaron Harrow Puppet Designer/Performer: Tom Lee Lighting Designer: Laura Mroczkowski Consulting Video Designer: Ruppert Bohle Scenic Designers: Peter Ksander, Efren Delgadillo Jr >> PRESS "It is very provocative and very evocative, and it's very rich with meaning...so even though it's about the shadow-land between reality and non-reality, it's done so well...in the end, it is an original piece of work." ~ Paul Morley, BBC "Wondrous and poignantly memorable in all sorts of unexpected ways." ~ The Economist "Murakami fans can celebrate … Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is simply enthralling." ~ Mayo Martin, Today Online "Does a tremendous job of creating a genuinely theatrical experience from a complex work of literature... has the heightened intensity of something by David Lynch." ~ Mark Fisher, Variety "A technically-stunning and dreamlike work of theatre; worlds of reality, fantasy and memory collide onstage to create something unforgettable." ~ Edinburgh Spotlight "Deeply felt and gracefully staged." ~ Sarah Crompton, The Telegraph "A beguilingly immersive experience." ~ Neil Cooper, The Herald Scotland "Odd, mad, surreal. Beauty and emotional honesty beneath its weirdness." ~ Libby Purves, The Times "Eclectic, inventive, pacy and exuberant." ~ Helmi Yusof, The Business Times "This critically acclaimed production is both warped and whimsical." ~ Time Out Singapore >> PHOTO GALLERY >> TICKETS Schedule includes two matinee performances each weekend ONLINE Book direct with the Lyceum Theatre Box Office BY PHONE Call the Lyceum Theatre Box Office 0844 871 3000 IN PERSON Lyceum Theatre 21 Wellington Street London WC2E 7RQ GET DIRECTIONS >> LINKS TO FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE