Jonah is a Bibliotic character of the Old Testament who was swallowed by a whale and returned alive. Romanian poet Marin Sorescu wrote a one man play based on this story which is an ode to people who live in a hardship. You will witness the birth of a brandnew peformance and encounter the very essence of theatre. Kuranosuke Sasaki and Romanian legendary director Silviu Purcarete collaborate for the third time after "Richard III" (2017) and "L'Avare"(2022). This production was premiered in late May, tour 6 East European cities and will be highlighted at Sibiu International Theatre Festival at the end of June. Never miss Japan premiere of this unique fruit of international collaboration.

Written by

Marin Sorescu

Translation and Rhetoric by

Durian sukegawa

Directed by

Silviu Purcarete

Silviu Purcarete

Silviu Purcarete is one of Romania’s most prominent theatre directors with an impressive carrer both nationally and internationally. Studied Nicolae Grigorescu Arts Academy in Bucharest and School of Fine Arts Romulus Ladea in Cluj-Napoca.
In Sibiu International Theatre Festival, one of Europe’s big three theatre festivals, Purcarete’s large-scale, spectacular version of
“Faust” draws attention as the annual highlight of the event. He has been invited to numerous festivals around the world including Edinburgh, Avignon, Melbourne, and Montreal. In France Purcarete has been decorated as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and in Romania he has been awarded the Order of the Star of Romania. His theatre awards include the Critic’s Prize at the Edinburgh Festival, the Peter Brook prize, and the Dublin Festival Critics Award. He created the three works “Richard III” (2017), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (2020) and “L’Avare” (2022) for Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.

Performed by

Kuranosuke Sasaki

Kuranosuke Sasaki

Born in Kyoto. He was a founding member of university students’ theatre company, Planet Pistachio.
and had been the main actor. After leaving the company in 1998, he moved to Tokyo and developed his career in
various field, appeared in numerous number of theatre, film and TV drama. His major appearances are;
＜Theatre＞ title toles in “L’Avare” (by Moliere, directed by Silviu Purcarete), “The Lion in Winter” (by James Goldman), “RichardIII” (by Shakespeare, directed by Silviu Purcarete), “Bent” (by Martin Sherman), “Macbeth” (by Shakespeare, directed by Andrew Goldberg), “The Shawshank Redemption” (based on Stephen King’s novel), “Love Letters”(by A.R.Gurney), numerous number of Japanese original plays and KABUKI etc. ＜Film＞ title roles in “Samurai Hustle”, “We Make Antiques”, “Godzilla-1.0” etc and many featured roles ＜TV Drama＞ numerous dramas including period drama etc.
Recipient of major theatre awards and Academy Award in Japan, and Kyoto Culture Award.

Fan site 「TRANSIT」

Set, Lighting,Costume Design by

Dragos Buhagiar

Music by

Vasile Sirli

General producer

Junko Suzuki, Constantin Chiriac

Performance Schedule

Oct.2025

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
		1 ▲ 19:00	2 19:00	3 14:00	4 14:00	5 14:00
6 no performance day	7 ◯ 19:00	8 19:00	9 14:00	10 14:00	11 16:00	12 ◯ 16:00
13 14:00	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

♦=Preview
○=Portable captioning devices will be available for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing. (Reservation required)

Additional info about Runtime

Doors open 30 mins before the performance starts

Performance Language

Japanese

Surtitle Language

English

Runtime

80 MIN

Ticket Types and Prices

Adult	JPY 9,500
Adult (Preview Oct. 1, Oct. 2, Oct. 7, Oct. 8 ONLY)	JPY 9,000
U29s	JPY 5,000
High school students and younger	JPY 1,000

• Children below school age will not be admitted.
• U29s and high school students and younger tickets are available only at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre box office. (Limited availability and ID required on the performance day)
• If you have a disability certificate or Mirairo ID, you can purchase ticket at a discount rate. For details, please contact the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre box office (0570-010-296; 10:00-19:00 except venue holidays.) or visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre official website.
• Due to limited wheelchair seating, if you require a wheelchair-accessible seats, please contact the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre box office before purchasing tickets (Advance reservations are required).
• Hearing loops (Magnetic loops) will be activated in some seats of the auditoriums during entire programs.
• Please note that the event details and the performance information may be subject to change due to unavoidable circumstances.
• Ticket resale for profit is strictly prohibited.
• Tickets cannot be cancelled or changed except in case of cancellation of performance.
• Please check the important information and updates before your visit.

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Now On Sale

Ticket Information

Book with Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

Phone 0570-010-296 (Navi Dial, domestic calls only)
*Only Japanese credit cards / Cash payments in Japan accepted
*Business Hours: Until Sep 5: 10:00am – 5:00pm (weekdays only), From Sep 6: 10:00am – 7:00pm (Closed Days)
*This number is not reachable from international lines, and may not be available from some IP or prepaid phones.

*Available 24/7 (except during maintenance)

Box Office *Only Japanese credit cards / Cash payments in Japan accepted
*Until Sep 5: Temporarily closed, From Sep 6: Open on the 1st floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
*Business Hours: 10:00am – 7:00pm (except for venue holidays)

Online

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Confetti

050-3092-0051 (Weekdays 10:00am – 5:00pm)

Confetti

Staff

Lighting by

Keisuke Yoshitsugu

Sound by

Hiroyuki Onai

Dramaturg

Kyle Yamada

Interpreter

Ritsuko Kato

Production Stage Manager

Kohki Ura

国際コーディネート

谷口真由美

制作進行

桑澤 恵

宣伝美術

永瀬祐一

広報

森 明睎子

Inquiries

お問合せ先

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

+81-570-010-296

• • Until Sep 5 10:00am to 5:00pm (Weekdays)
  • From Sep 6 10:00am to 7:00pm (Closed Days)

Information

＜Kanazawa＞
Sat., Oct. 18, 2025
Hokkoku Shimbun Akabane Hall, Hokuriku Shimbun Kaikan (Kanazawa, Ishikawa)

＜Matsumoto＞
Sat., Oct. 25, 2025
Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre – Small Hall (Nagano Prefecture)

＜Mito＞
Sat., Nov. 1 & Sun., Nov. 2, 2025
ACM Theatre, Art Tower Mito (Ibaraki Prefecture)

＜Yamaguchi＞
Sat., Nov. 8 & Sun., Nov. 9, 2025
Studio A, Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) (Yamaguchi Prefecture)

＜Osaka＞
Sat., Nov. 22 – Mon., Nov. 24 (Mon public holiday), 2025
TT Hall, COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA (Osaka Castle Park, Osaka)

Organizer

Tokyo Festival Executive Committee [Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)]

Support

Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan Japan Arts Council

Sponsor

Asahi Group Japan, Ltd.

Media Partner

Tokyo Art Beat

Plan and Produce

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Teatrul National Radu Stanca, Sibiu

Supporter

Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities (JAFRA)

Sponsor for International Transfer

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

Cooperator

EMBASSY OF ROMANIA in Japan