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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, as he searches for his wife who’s inexplicably disappeared. Toru encounters a cast of strange characters who lead him into a labyrinth that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo suburbia. |
As the lines between dreams and reality dissolve, Toru’s real journey becomes an internal one, where he 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.  |
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Murakami fever One of Japan’s most renowned writers, Haruki Murakami’s work has been translated into thirty-eight languages, poising him to become the most widely read Japanese author outside of Japan of all times. The most recent of his many honors is the nomination for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize as well as winning the prestigious Yomiuri Prize, whose previous recipients include Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. |
Though Murakami writes about his native Japan, his characters’ desperation to find intimate connections in a society plagued by urban loneliness are entirely universal. Because of Mr. Murakami’s exploding popularity and international interest in his work, and because of the world’s current obsession with Japanese culture, this production has tremendous potential for both critical and commercial success, while offering a universally compelling, cross-cultural and original piece of theatre. |