Led by Taku Narahara, the Chari-T Project theatre company has been at the forefront of political comedy drama in Japan for nearly 20 years, boldly and cleverly addressing timely topics from scandals to social turmoil — such as families divided over constitutional revision between left-wing parents and their soft-right son in “Japacon” (“Japan Conference”),” and concerns over Shinzo Abe’s long-standing, reactionary government in “Abebe no Be.”
In Japan’s politics averse, heavily entertainment-orientated contemporary theatre world, the Chari-T Project stands out as a beacon of intelligent skepticism, confronting audiences with society’s contradictions and concerns over the country’s direction served up with lots of laughs, both rueful and hilarious.
This time, in “Kyobaw Desuyo!” (“It’s A Conspiracy!”) Narahara shines his revealing light on the new conspiracy law (Kyo-bou zai) bulldozed through by Abe’s government to show how almost anyone can now be classed as a criminal without them even realizing.
“Kyobaw Desuyo!” runs June 9–13 at Shinjuku Ganka Garo (Shinjuku Ophthalmologist Gallery), a 12-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station.
For details, call 070-6450-4167 or visit http://www.chari-t.com/.