Encore: Singapore International Festival of Arts

Japanese legend comes alive with Singapore flair

A dense script, puppetry and rich set add up to a visual feast for this Sifa commission

The Finger Players stages a dense script with lush visuals in Oiwa - The Ghost Of Yotsuya.
The Finger Players stages a dense script with lush visuals in Oiwa - The Ghost Of Yotsuya. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ARTS HOUSE LIMITED
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The Finger Players has achieved an impressive act of theatrical ventriloquism with this production, a Singapore International Festival of Arts (Sifa) commission.

A home-grown company staging a famous Japanese legend about a vengeful female ghost sounds beyond the pale. What can Singaporean creatives bring to the tale of Oiwa, an Edo-period woman, a wife betrayed and murdered by her samurai husband?

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 02, 2021, with the headline Japanese legend comes alive with Singapore flair. Subscribe