Jed Parsario (boy), Julie Kuwabara (sheep Man), Chuck Lacson (LIbrarian), Ogie Zulueta (old Man)
Haruki Murakami’s The Strange Library takes readers on a mind-expanding journey through the depths of imagination and surrealism. Z Below and Word for Word bring this novella to life in a superlative production, directed by Lisa Hori-Garcia and Keiko Shimosato Carreiro. They skillfully capture Murakami’s visual symbolism and magical realism while enhancing his signature, absurd style.
Murakami wrote this novella as a children’s book in 1983. It invites children and adults to ponder and question the true nature of our freedom. How do we maintain our freedom when we are imprisoned by so many rules? He also questions the very boundaries of our consciousness, urging us to stretch the limits of our imagination. He blurs lines between the imagined and the real, leaving us to ponder the true nature of existence.
Artful Set Designer Mikiko Uesugi creates a dreamlike quality with imaged book wallpaper and movable panels, both expanding the depth of the stage. Japanese cultural elements and wall signage adorn the lobby and the stage. At the same time, a humorous Japanese video about toilet usage plays near the bathroom, further immersing the production’s tone for the audience. The labyrinthine pathways lead us to reveal the imprisoned and unsettled aspects in ourselves.
The story centers on an very naive young boy (Jed Parsario) who stops at his local library to return books. He inquires, on a whim, about the life of a tax collector in the Ottoman Empire. The sardonic Librarian (Chuck Lacson), reinforces the rules of the library drawing the audience in with a wink of an eye and an unsettling charm.
Chuck Lacson (Librarian), Jed Parsario (boy)
What begins as a simple curiosity visit, spirals into a nightmarish adventure. The Librarian directs the boy to a special basement via a labyrinthine, and gives him three books to read and memorize. In the basement, he meets a creepy old, demanding bald man (Ogie Zulueta) who promises the boy can only leave after he memorizes the three huge volumes. Zulueta’s loud, menacing presence keeps us on edge and embodies the authoritative figures we may relate to from our own lives.
Jed Parsario (boy), Vivienne Truong (mother, ensemble)
The boy imagines his caring mother (Vivienne Truong) and longs for his mother’s cooking and seeing his pet starling. He wants to be free. His fantasy bursts when he encounters a Sheep-costumed Man (Julie Kuwabara) who also insists the boy read the volumes. We hear the boy say: “Why do I act like this, agreeing when I really disagree, letting people force me to do things I don’t want to do?” He worries about his mom and starving starling. Murakami’s unites two worlds, the real, and the surreal, the captured and the free.
Kuwabara artistically switches moods of the Sheep Man, from whimsical, fearful, conforming, then non-caring. He places the boy under lock and key, and chains him to a steel ball, and brings him hand-made donuts. He explains that the crazy, loud man, will slice off the top off his head and eat his fact-filled brains. “Brains filled with knowledge are yummy. They’re nice and creamy. And sort of grainy at the same time.” The boy decides to attempt an escape.
Lighting Designer, Jim Cave, dynamically shifts the atmosphere through every room, the hall, walkway, stage; from subtle, to bold, to scary, and to ominous. Bright lights shine on mom and the beautifully crafted talking puppet, controlled by Vivienne Truong.
Julie Kuwabara (Sheep Man), Jed Parsario (boy)
Z Below and Word for Word succeed in bringing Murakami’s depth and artistic storytelling alive through a visual portal. Hearing Murakami’s psychological quotes, in this novella, brings clarity to his unusual situations. “The world follows its own course. Each possesses his own thoughts, each treads his own path. So it is with your mother, and so it is with your starling. As it is with everyone. The world follows its own course.”
The Sheep Man and the boy plan their escape. From there the story twists in a magical way. No spoiler here. Come and see “The Strange Library,” this fabulous eye-opening spiritual adventure.
“The Strange Library” written by Haruki Murakami, Directed by Lisa Hori-Garcia and Keiko Shimosato Carreiro, Sound Design and Projections, Lana Palmer, Costume Design, Laura Hazlett, Z Below and Word for Word, San Francisco, CA: https://www.zspace.org/murakami through December 8, 2024
cast: Julie Kuwabara, Chuck Lacson, Jed Parsario, Vivienne Truong, Ogie Zulueta
Production & Promotional Photography: Robbie Sweeny