WIT Life #56: Talk Like Singing
Events, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Translator/Interpreter/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 20 00-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own obser
vations.
Last night I attended the world premiere of Talk Like Singing, the first-ever original Japanese musical to premiere in the U.S. I had high hopes for this production due to the involvement of several big names in Japan. The star of the show, Shingo Katori, is a member of the ubiquitous boy band SMAP, and though he is less well-known than heartthrob Kimutaku or recently headline-making Kusanagi he holds his own thanks to his eccentricity. Back in my JET days, he adopted the persona of “Shingo Mama,” and sang of his cooking skills, eating breakfast together and properly greeting everyone with a genki “oha!” This abbreviation for ohayou or “good morning” and its accompanying hand motion became all the rage at the workplace and beyond.
This song was composed by Yasuharu Konishi, who is in charge of the show’s music and musical direction. He was one of the original members of the Japanese pop group Pizzicato Five, known for their eclectic and energetic music. Their American debut in 1994 was about when I began studying Japanese, and listening to their music and studying the lyrics was one of my first introductions to the language. Traces of their poppy sound can be found in the music of Talk Like Singing, and Konishi’s direction moves the story along naturally. The show’s writer and director, Koki Mitani, is famous as a playwright as well as for his work in television and movies. His blockbuster hit film 有頂天ホテル (Uchoten Hotel or Suite Dreams) is a wonderful comedy that features both Katori and one of Talk Like Singing’s other stars, Jay Kabira.
Kabira plays Dr. Dyson, a self-aggrandizing psychiatrist who is looking to make a name for himself. He finds the perfect patient in Tarlow (Katori), a unique young man who only knows how to communicate through song and dance. Tarlow happily goes through life by singing his thoughts, due to the fact that he has band members playing music in his mind. When Tyson finds out about their existence, he decides that the only way to cure his patient is to assassinate these musicians. Tyson is not the only person interested in Tarlow however, and the female psycholinguist Dr. Nimoy (Keiko Horiuchi) becomes involved with helping him as well. The more she gets to know Tarlow the more she grows to care about him, and she opposes Tyson’s radical treatment. Shinya Niiro rounds out the cast in his various comic roles such as Tyson’s downtrodden assistant and Brother, a character in an Afro and disco jumpsuit who is one of the few people who can relate to Tarlow. What will become of this singing wonder?
Talk Like Singing kept the audience entertained with its wacky, Japanese-style humor and catchy tunes. I have to admit I found myself humming the theme song this morning! For the most part it is performed bilingually, but when subtitles are used they are implemented quite creatively. I personally would have preferred more Japanese, as at times the actors’ English pronunciation was hard to understand. Talk Like Singing has a limited run at NYU’s Skirball Center from November 12-22, and tickets range from $30-$70. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy the off-the-wall comedy of this star-studded Japanese play!
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