Chocolate Cake, a Tokyo-based theatre company known to its fans as Geki Choco, was formed in 2000 primarily around members of a drama group at the city’s Komazawa University.
Director: Yusuke Hisawa (Standing), Playwright: Takeshi Furukawa
Since then the troupe has become increasingly popular, and tickets for its performances are in great demand.
The company’s works — which mainly draw on historical events such as the inner workings of Nazi Germany’s rise; the 1911 plot by socialists to kill the Meiji Emperor; the deadly 1972 United Red Army hostage incident; the life of Emperor Taishō; and the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 — have garnered a large and loyal fanbase which, unusually for today’s theatre audiences, includes many men.
The troupe consistently releases new plays annually, typically directed by founding member Yusuke Hisawa and written by co-member Takeshi Furukawa. Many of these are regular contenders for prestigious theatre honours, including the Yomiuri Theatre Award, the CoRich Performing Arts Award, and the Tsuruya Namboku Playwriting Award.
This new production, titled “Mittei” (“The Three Secret Agents”), tackles the assassination of the Chinese warlord Zhang Zuolin on June 4, 1928, when his train was blown up by agents of the Kwantung Army, his supposed Japanese allies occupying northeast China, as a pretext for Japan’s subsequent occupation of southern Manchuria.
Chocolate Cake presents this complex historical work by focusing on three brothers. One of these, played by Atsushi Okamoto, plays a lieutenant colonel in the Japanese army; another is a Manchurian/Kwantung Army intelligence officer (Shinji Asai); and the third (Yûki Nishio) is an intelligence officer with the opposing Chinese Nationalist Party forces led by Chiang Kai-shek.
The play depicts each of them contemplating strategies for a peaceful future, and presents interactions between the brothers as they strive to execute their own plans.
Interestingly, the three siblings’ stories are performed as three separate dialogue-driven plays titled “Fuse”, “Ignition” and “Chain Reaction”, each of which features two of the three brothers, As a result, audiences can choose to watch the 70-minute short works individually or consecutively as a trilogy.
Jstages.com recently visited the rehearsal space near Shinjuku’s Sun-mall Studio to meet playwright Takeshi Furukawa and director Yusuke Hisawa and talk about “The Three Secret Agents”. There, with preparations in full swing around them, they discussed the current state of the theatre company now marking its 25th anniversary, as well as their respective activities.
Hisawa (L), Furukawa (R)
How do you view the achievements of the past decade, which sparked and sustained the Chocolate Cake boom?
Hisawa: Rather than setting grand objectives, I believe our current position stems from consistently discussing within the troupe, “What shall we do this time?” That said, we’ve always had a desire to “connect with society”. During the pandemic, for instance, we felt compelled to act, so we offered free video streams and supported young people making theatre. It was a time of continually seeking what we could contribute to society, not just through theatre activity.
Looking back, I feel it was when my involvement in theatre as a profession took shape in a tangible way. During the pandemic, there was talk of entertainment being non-essential. Personally, I don’t feel strongly opposed to that view; I think eating and living take priority. However, I do believe life is absolutely richer with entertainment and art.
Furukawa: For me, it was a time when I consistently had the clear purpose of writing about Japan during World War II. The pandemic occurred midway through this period, and as a result, things I hadn’t previously seen came into focus — matters related to the Olympics, for instance. Naturally, I still find myself viewing these things through the lens of war. I sense elements that link back to that war in Japan’s obscure decision-making, its incomprehensibility, and aspects of the national character. I feel I am now in a state of continually contemplating how to address this.
Roughly 10 years ago, around the 70th anniversary of the war’s end, was when I began contemplating the war. I felt a sense of urgency because it was becoming certain that those who could speak of the war from personal experience would soon disappear. I thought it would be an injustice to the senior artists who had created works based on their war experiences if I couldn’t write about it simply because I didn’t know.
So my starting point was a desire to depict the war, even without direct experience, even without knowing.
I imagine this past decade has seen increased external activities for each of you beyond the theatre company. Have any particular insights or people who’ve inspired you emerged from these pursuits?
Hisawa: Having worked as a director in small theatres for so long, I gained many insights from being involved in larger-scale productions. I’d previously dismissed commercial theatre somewhat, but I came to understand the scale of presentation and the merits inherent to commercial theatre. A major gain was realising how much of that could be applied when returning to small theatres.
The impact was less about technical skills and more about shifting perspectives. When creating work for small theatres, the proximity of the audience means we seek a sense of unity rather than putting on a show, so I felt it was best to present something very vibrant just as the people in the audience are.
In contrast, work for larger theatres is thoroughly crafted. This crafting process focuses entirely on how the audience will enjoy it and how to deliver that enjoyment.
For instance, an actor might naturally stand at a certain angle, but if that angle prevents some in the audience from seeing the scene, then we’ll adjust the angle rather than stick with natural positioning. Furthermore, if something isn’t visible, we consider adding lighting, sound, or set-design elements to compensate for it, or to create an effect precisely because it’s hidden. I was truly impressed by how thoroughly everything is considered from every angle.
Through team discussions where we’d say, “We understand what the director wants to do, but it won’t reach the audience done that way”, I learnt a great deal.
Furthermore, I truly realised that those who remain active and successful at the highest level in the entertainment world all tend to be genuinely good people — broad-minded in every respect and wonderfully considerate.
Furukawa: From my position of solely writing plays, encounters with directors are truly treasures. In that sense, I can only feel gratitude towards every director and company I’ve met. If I write for other theatre companies, I understand what is actually being asked for by them. You usually start with a theme request, or you discuss the direction with the director or producer. However, it’s always incredibly stimulating because each person and each company is so different.
If I had to name one, I was particularly inspired by the dynamism and, in a good way, the boldness of director Hitoshi Uyama’s approach. Among his works that we’ve staged have been “The Courage of Truth: Tosaka Jun and the Materialism Research Society” (produced by Seinen Gekijō, premiered 2022) and “Research on Failure: Nomonhan 1939” (Seinen Gekijō, 2024).
Just recently saw the end of the run of “Too Young”, which wasn’t a Chocolate Cake production though it was written by Furukawa and directed by Hisawa and was centred on the so-called Tōyoko kids — young people on the margins of society, often runaways, who tend to gather in the seedy Kabukicho area of Tokyo’s central Shinjuku district. It felt unusual to see you both involved in a subject different from history or war pieces. What did you think about the work?
Hisawa: It was decided upon in discussions with the production company, Watanabe Entertainment. We agreed to challenge ourselves with something different from what Geki Choko typically does.
The reactions were quite mixed. Many fans of the leading actor Shuto Miyazaki came to see it. I was surprised to find people in the questionnaires who had watched it 10 times or had conducted deep analyses. It made me realise that if we properly prepare their entrance to theatre, we can reach those who previously had no interest in it. This might even lead to theatre-going becoming one of their hobbies.
In a 2014 interview with me in The Japan Times, Mr Furukawa stated, “I
continue to believe Japan must maintain friendly relations with its
neighbouring countries, yet the situation only seems to deteriorate”. Was the theme of this production, “The Three Secret Agents”, something you had been developing for quite a long time?
Furukawa: No, not particularly. However, when considering where to begin when writing about Japan’s wartime history, I thought the Zhang Zuolin assassination — a pivotal event in Japan’s continental expansion — was an intriguing topic. I felt that revisiting it anew might be worthwhile.
From “Mittei” (“The Three Secret Agents”)
Buichi Ikeuchi performed by Atsushi Okamoto
Itsuji Moritaka by Shinji Asai
Hidemitsu Ikeuchi/Eisan Oh performed by Yûki Nishio
Regarding the format of staging a two-person play as a trilogy, was that a decision made by both of you?
Hisawa: We discussed it within the theatre company and decided on that. We’d been doing a lot of revivals recently and felt we wanted to do something new. So we thought why not do a trilogy of two-person plays, only with the company members?
The deterioration in Japan-China relations has been dominating the headlines lately. How do you feel about this timing?
Furukawa: Ultimately, I’m reminded anew that peace doesn’t endure without effort. Perhaps in a natural state, people gradually drift apart. I used to believe that “human beings inherently love peace”, but over the last decade or so, I’ve found it increasingly hard to believe that. So, because we want to protect peace and live in a peaceful world, I wrote this thinking we must keep contemplating it.
None of the characters wish for Japan and China to become hostile, yet events inevitably push them in that direction. I find it compelling to highlight this clash between the inexorable flow of history and individual aspirations. Truthfully, I wish each person would think properly for themselves.
In that regard, I want to believe in humanity — I believe everyone would say peace is better than war. Yet the danger lies in being worn down by daily life, exhausted and swept along by louder voices. Still, we live in the present, and I hope this play conveys that we must live while considering exactly where we stand now.
As a director, how do you feel about this production being a triple bill of two-person plays?
Hisawa: It’s challenging. Though the actor pairings differ, there’s a risk all three plays could end up feeling similar. On top of that, I’m constantly thinking about how to direct it so the audience enjoys it. Though it’s a trilogy, some will see only one play. Consequently, each must stand alone while the three must flow together.
Initially, I focused on satisfying single-play viewers, but as the work took shape, I became concerned the three were becoming too similar. So now I’m striving to differentiate them. I’m exploring how to construct the larger framework; how the disconnect between brothers and the disconnect between Japan and China connect to contemporary sensibilities.
The historical context of China during this period is genuinely difficult to grasp, so a key challenge is how to convey that information to the audience and how to communicate it through the play to those unfamiliar with it. For instance, some people understand the relationships between Zhang Zuolin, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong, while others don’t. So, when they are mentioned in the dialogue, I instruct the actors to use the brothers’ manner of speaking and vocal tone to help the audience discern who is on which side.
Also, for instance, the term “heading south” might be clear to the writer Furukawa, but not to me. So we discussed such meanings during rehearsals. I’m the representative of the “not understand” side, you see (laughs).
Works with a lot of information inevitably leave readers feeling lost if that aspect isn’t handled properly. Conversely, for those information enthusiasts who specifically seek out Furukawa’s insights, the play’s details are a veritable feast — so we simply cannot afford to treat that lightly. With that in mind, when it still proves difficult I sometimes ask the author beside me to alter the wording or phrasing.
Also, despite the three brothers taking their father’s teaching — ”Brothers should get along” — as their guiding principle in life, they each end up following their own distinct destinies.
Furukawa: While it’s easy to say “be friendly”, the theme running through these three plays is how difficult it is for people in different positions to actually put that into practice. That’s precisely why I want the audience to take away not just the words, but the understanding that everything begins with taking that first step.
Finally, could you share what you personally, and as a theatre company,
would like to challenge yourselves with next?
Hisawa: Personally, I hope to continue working healthily across various projects and encounter many excellent works.
As a theatre company, we do want to try new things, but I feel I’m struggling to see what exactly those new things might be. Personally, I feel a slight stagnation in creating works, and I think the next five years will be about addressing that.
For instance, gradually trying slightly larger theatres. Though
regional, we’ve never performed in a 400-seat capacity theatre in Tokyo, so I’m contemplating what kind of work we could do that with. I’m also thinking about some new concept, like a serial drama spanning 10 years, with one episode per year (laughs). That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Furukawa: I’ve never conceived a play over such a long span as 10 years, but it would be fun if everyone thought about it together, and it might not be impossible. (laughs)
I tend to accumulate topics that catch my interest day-to-day, then gradually draw from them when planning projects before ultimately deciding on themes based on my own sensibilities. Precisely because of that, I do feel like challenging myself with ideas originating elsewhere.
I doubt anyone would actually commission me, but if I got a request for a romantic comedy, for instance, that would be absolutely brilliant. Personally, I’d love to broaden my scope — to take on something entirely new, something I’ve never done before, or perhaps something spurred by external factors — and use it as a springboard for growth.
“Mittei”— “The Three Secret Agents”: “Fuse”; “Ignition”; “Chain Reaction” was performed Dec. 25–29/ 2026 at Sanmore Studio in Tokyo.
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 10 minutes each
For further details, visit https://www.geki-choco.com/
http://confetti-web.com/@/mittei