HANAFUDA DENKI-THE DANCE OF DEATH

Internationally Acclaimed Japanese Musical Inspired by Threepenny Opera Returns.

HANAFUDA DENKI - THE DANCE OF DEATH is high-voltage Japanese underground musical based on Threepenny Opera, set in a funeral parlor in Tokyo during World War I. In it, a dead girl who loves a living boy adventures between two worlds - the dead and the living. The play’s creator, Shuji Terayama once said, “Humans are incomplete cadavers”, and this work is heavily tinged with this sentiment. It’s a thought-provoking meditation on how we view death and life.

Ryuzanji Company originally toured Hanafuda Denki in 2012, receiving an Overall Excellence Award at the New York International Fringe Festival and a Pick of the Fringe Award at the Victoria Fringe Festival. Ryuzanji Company is a world famous Tokyo underground theatre company that has performed in 33 cities worldwide, including Cairo, Seoul, Taipei, Moscow, and Toronto.

HANAFUDA DENKI - THE DANCE OF DEATH was written by avant garde master Shuji Terayama (1935-1983). Under Artistic Director Show Ryuzanji, the production features direction, sets, costumes and makeup by Saori Aoki, music by Makoto Honda, choreography by Daiko Ishimaru.

The production is cosponsored by Crossing Jamaica Avenue.