Shrek in Japanese-English

Americans are spoiled.

I guess that could be said about quite a bit of our culture.

I am speaking about a certain field though. We are spoiled with fantastic drama! We have wonderful live theater, mesmerizing movies and music that can make the most stoic person emotional.

When the opportunity came for us to see how the Japanese would perform we were hesitate. Don't get me wrong. The Japanese are just as talented, and in most cases, seem more dedicated that Americans. We only hesitated because we do not speak their language.

How were we going to survive a two hour performance when we don't speak the same language? How would the kids handle it?

Would we be able to understand through body language? Or maybe through hand gestures?


On post a few times a year, a Japanese University brings an American play to life in ENGLISH!

Yeah! It was the perfect way to see some Japanese talent, without the stress of trying to figure out what in the world the actors were saying =)

The drama team was performing Shrek Jr. We were excited to see how they would decorate the stage, and even more excited to see the costumes!

Well, the Japanese did not disappoint!

Shrek is such a great show. The drama crew did an awesome job! Their English was quite good. Shrek and Donkey were just spot on most of the time. Their pronunciation was good. Their diction was off in several parts. It was not a lack of talent. It was just a non-native speaker trying to work out a complicated language.

There were some characters that you even forgot they were NOT English. Then, there were other characters that you could not understand a single word. The actor who played Pinocchio was trying to  keep the "high pitched" young boy voice throughout the whole play. It was really difficult to listen to.

If I had not seen Shrek a few hundred times then I am not sure I would have followed certain parts.

The costumes were original and fun. The favorite costume and character was Lord Farquaard. He walked around on his knees with fake little legs. He 'danced' and 'ran' a few times to the hoots and hollers of the audience.

Fiona was a wonderful singer. The best scene of the night was one I had never seen before in Shrek. There were three females playing the role of Fiona as she aged. The first one was very young, maybe 10, then a 14 year old and then the college student who played Fiona for the rest of the show. We watch as Fiona sang a song about being trapped in the tower. As she spun around the tower an older Fiona would come out. It was really well done.

Even in English, on an American base the vast majority of the audience was Japanese. In order to accommodate for the locals the theater scrolled the play in Japanese on a side wall.  The locals didn't seem to mind the setup.

When intermission came, only the American stood up at first. We wondered if we were 'supposed to' stand and leave. We try hard not to offend the Japanese and to follow the parts of their culture we can respect without compromising our beliefs. When they all remained sitting we were puzzled. Finally, they start to stand and take a break. We were told that since they were 'visiting our theater' they wanted us to go first. How sweet they are!

At intermission, the theater students had set up a few photo backdrops for people to pose in front of. They had also set up a few areas for the kids to color Shrek pictures. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

We went back in to watch the second act. We were all getting a little tuckered. See, you don't realize how hard it is to try and translate all the time. After an hour you are often a little tired. Two hours in, you are starting to get frustrated. With three hours of active translating under your belt, you are ready for ice cream and a bath.

When the show passed two hours I thought we would lose the kids completely. Luckily, the young ones had been given clipboards with paper and pencils. This kept them entertained. They played games, passed notes and drew pictures. Who knew I would be so thankful for a simple clipboard?

We were about to hit three hours and even I was D-O-N-E.  As I said, I really like Shrek. I think the Japanese did an awesome job. But any play that lasts that long is just plain OUT.OF.HAND!

Finally, the show ended. Thank you. Then, for the encore, the whole Shrek crew came out to see "I'm a Believer". They danced and sang and ROCKED it! Everyone had a ball. If they could only have sang that song an hour earlier.

We thought the fun was over until we stepped out of the theater. The Shrek crew has lined the hallways to sign autographs and pose for pictures. The Japanese, again, let the Americans go first. It was adorable and sweet.

Overall, we had fun. We enjoyed the show and learned a few more Japanese-English words. We look forward to seeing a few more shows during our tour. Next time I will remember a fanny cushion ;)

Enjoy Your Show~

Aggie Amy