Iwa ni Hana

A scene from the theatre play "Ashi no Kago" (葦ノ籠) in 2008.

I just learned about a Japanese theatre troupe with the sort of angsty decadent beauty that I always go ga-ga about. They are called Kokushokukitan Katarinaha [黒色綺譚カタリナ派], and you can find out more from their official website here: http://www.kokusyoku.com/

There is a catchphrase on their homepage which I think summarizes the kind of beauty which is preoccupied with death and destruction that the theatre troupe embodies. (I call that hakai no bi [破壊の美] and have written about it here before.) The catchphrase goes like this:

飛ぶ鳥水面に波紋の残さずして死ねるか

(Can a flying bird die without leaving a trace on the water surface?)

I think you might get a feel of their aesthetic sense if know what the kind of original plays they produce are like. For example, the play Ashi no Kago [葦ノ籠] dated 2008 goes something like this:

(more…)