2.36°C Paul T. Davies reviews Flowers at the Headgate Theatre.
What is femininity? From Sakai, Japan comes this absorbing piece that looks at and demolishes images and constructions of femininity, exploring myths around the “ideal” Japanese woman, her place in society, and her own desires and wishes. In a Japanese society where the obedient wife and mother are still highly prized virtues and where the gender gap appears wider than in the UK, how does a woman grow and attend to her own “flowers”? In a country culturally defined by fragile, tender ceremonial tea parties, martial arts and technology, how does the human side of being a woman emerge? It’s a precise, beautiful and tender piece, thought provoking and visually stunning.
Much of this has to do with performer Sayu Arakawa, whose physicality is mesmerising. Delicate steps and precise movement in a tea party ceremony are overthrown every time she walks behind the central screen. Literally throwing the kimono robes away, she emerges as a martial arts wonder woman, a lap dancer, or a nun; the audience is never sure who will present. Plastic surgery and augmentation are lampooned, and a male voiceover constantly tells her she is wrong and makes it clear what is NOT considered feminine by her society.
In a highly effective sequence, Sayu is a ballerina, exhausting herself trying to keep dancing as the music plays over and over, moulding her face into a fake smile, something she does throughout. She has excellent stage presence, connecting strongly with the audience.
Produced by theatre company GUMBO, the piece was created after taking part in the 2023 Colchester Fringe Festival and observing equality and behaviour in our society. Director Kayo Tamura has crafted a thoughtful, impassive world premiere with superb choreography, and the soundtrack is in perfect synergy with each section. It has much to say about gender division and construction, not just in Japanese society but here in the UK, where stereotypes are still constructed through patriarchal lenses.
