Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre will present William Shakespeare’s King Lear from September to October 2026 as part of its own programming. Directed by Shintaro Mori and starring Seiyo Uchino in the title role, KING LEAR will run at the Playhouse from September 21 to October 4.
The play depicts the downfall of an aging king who once wielded absolute power, only to lose everything. At the same time, it addresses issues that resonate deeply with contemporary Japanese society, including aging, the transfer of power, and disputes over inheritance within families. In recent years, King Lear has been staged with increasing frequency in Japan, reflecting the renewed relevance of these themes.
In conjunction with this production, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre will present a three-part talk series exploring King Lear in relation to contemporary society. For each session, we will invite guests whose work and experience are closely connected to the theme, and hear both their personal perspectives and insights from their respective fields. Through these conversations, we hope to create an opportunity to explore, from multiple perspectives and in greater depth, the questions that King Lear poses to us today.

Session 1: Aging

Guests
Naoki Sugawara — Director of OiBokkeShi, a theatre company whose work explores aging, dementia care, and theatre.
Naoko Nobutomo — Documentary filmmaker; director of I Go Gaga, My Dear.

Session 2: The Fate of Dictators

Guests
Shoichiro Kawai — Scholar of English literature and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, specializing in Shakespeare. He translated Stephen Greenblatt’s Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics into Japanese for Iwanami Shinsho.
Seiko Mimaki — Scholar of international politics specializing in contemporary American politics and foreign affairs.

Session 3: Passing on the Family Legacy

Guests
Yuichiro Kanai — Fourth-generation president of Kanai Scene Shop Co., Ltd., a long-established stage scenery company.
Rumiko Obata — Fifth-generation proprietor of Manotsuru, the sake brewery operated by Obata Shuzo on Sado Island.

Moderator

Hiroko Yamaguchi — Theatre journalist and former editorial writer for The Asahi Shimbun.

Ticket

＜Peatix＞