At the end of their lives, two old friends meet and look back. After the war, they founded a small enterprise in a burned ruin in the devastated city of Tokyo. They dreamt of becoming the leading company in consumer electronics. They wanted to help reconstructing Japan and strengthen its pride and dignity, and they even planned to conquer the American market once. They did make their dream come true. Today the company is called SONY. “Heavenly Bento” tells the (almost true) story of two men and their creation. It is a story of friendship and power, genius and insanity, identity and assimilation, control and its loss. In the end there will be a kind of dinner. The audience is invited to enjoy an abstract bento box full of pictures and remembrances, anecdotes and stories, victories and defeats. A bento box full of life.
Premiere and Touring
Premiere: Bonn Biennale, Summer 2004.
Touring:
2005
the Museum for Communication, Berlin
2006
Singapore Biennale, Singapore
2009
Japan Society, New York
2012
Aoyama Round Theater Tokyo
Press Quotes
“What makes the production remarkable, is the look. It is design-theater. And it is really astonishing how quickly colored patterns move on the surface of the stage object and cause movement. How the map of New York circulates. When the players seem to draw with light. That is cutting edge and “op art” with other means. That is chic and beautiful and surprising for the audience.”
(RBB (public Berlin / Brandenburg Radio) Stage, August 19th, 2004)
“That is very amusing, because of the ritualized politeness, and because of the minimalist stage arrangement that is juxtaposed with a cool stream of video images, that floats around the feet of the performers.
…
Equipped like an electronic geisha…, Kazue Ikeda places dance episodes between the narrative parts….it is highly convincing in terms of form. You get reminded of the sushi-principle: rice and fish are arranged beautifully….
The international artist collective (Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Bulgaria, USA) undoubtedly has to be praised for their experiment between theater and electronic worlds…”
Neues Deutschland, August 20th, 2004
Documentation
Credits
Artistic Director: Hiroko Tanahashi
Theater Director: Max Schumacher
Performer (Akio Morita): Jun Kim
Performer (Masaru Ibuka): Ben Wang, Lim Kay Tong or Alexander Schroeder
Dance / Choreography: Kazue Ikeda, understudy: Yuko Sato
Dramaturgy: Andreas Horbelt
Stage Design: Matthias Boettger
Music / Sound: Sibin Vassilev
Costume Design: Naoki Kouetsu
Assistant Director: Simone Bennett
Funded by:
Hauptstadkulturfonds, Berlin
Bonn Biennale, Bonn