The revival of the Shinoi version of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' after 19 years. Is desire a human life force? Or a shackle?
Changing the pace once again, I'd like to talk about a play I saw recently...
The masterpiece play left behind by Tennessee Williams, 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'
Many great actors have taken on this work, but for us theater fans, one performance is etched in our memories as a 'legend':Blanche DuBois played by Eisuke Shinoi.
After 19 long years since the last time in 2007, a miraculous revival was achieved in 2026.
I, who watched with bated breath from the audience back then, have also aged the same amount of time since that day.
How can Shinoi-san, a man, embody the cry of a woman's soul as it crumbles to this extent?
And what exactly is'desire', the theme of the work, to us?
Now that I am living the second half of my life, please let me talk a little about the intensity of the Shinoi version of Blanche that I feel.
From 2007 to 2026. A matured 'beautiful madness'
Eisuke Shinoi is known as the leading practitioner of onnagata (female roles) in contemporary theater.
Nineteen years ago, in 2007, the Blanche he played had a fragility like delicate glasswork and a sharp, neurotic beauty.
And now, in 2026, this revival.
Shinoi-san, and we the audience, have all equally added 19 years of growth.
Perhaps that is why the'obsession with fading youth'and'fear of loneliness'that Blanche carries press upon the heart with a reality that transcends mere acting.
The pride of being the daughter of a former large landowner versus the misery of reality.
The figure torn between those two is not just a tragic heroine.
It was as if I were being shown the very karma of humanity—facing old age while still wishing to be 'needed by someone' and 'to be beautiful.'
Is desire a 'life force,' or a 'heavy shackle'?
The'Desire'in the title of this work.
Originally, it should have been nothing more than the name of a street in New Orleans, the setting of the play, but Blanche boards a streetcar named Desire and heads toward her ruin.
For her, wasn't desire a means of'escapism'?
She didn't want to see the painful reality; she wanted to stay within a magical fantasy. That strong desire was the energy that sustained her, and at the same time, it was a heavy shackle that kept her away from reality and isolated her.
We, too, struggle with how to deal with various 'desires' as we get older.
'I want to stay beautiful forever,' 'I want to have a prosperous old age,' 'I want to be connected to someone.'
These desires can be a source of vitality for living, but if you become too obsessed, they can also become chains that make you suffer.
Watching Shinoi-san's Blanche, I feel as if I am being asked this question:
'How will you come to terms with your own desires and live?'
Summary: Affirming desire and living lightly
The Blanche of Eisuke Shinoi, whom I reunited with after 19 years, was a beautiful yet sorrowful truth of human existence.
Having desires is by no means something to be ashamed of. Because that is proof that we are alive.
What is important is not to be swayed by those desires, but to hold the reins skillfully.
And isn't it about cherishing the feeling of 'wanting to see,' 'wanting to know,' and 'wanting to enjoy' no matter how old you get?
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Let's wait for the curtain to rise on the next stage with the money we've saved.
Because the stage called life continues on.