Okada Masaki & Namase Katsuhisa to play lovers in new Ninagawa Yukio stage play "Kaikishoku"

Okada Masaki and Namase Katsuhisa will be playing lovers in the new Ninagawa Yukio stage play titled "Kaikishoku" (Total Eclipse) which will be performed at Shibuya Theatre Cocoon between 7th and 29th November. There had been a movie version starring Leonardo Dicaprio in 1995 and Okada will be playing Dicaprio's role i.e. genius French poet Arthur Rimbaud in his first leading role and first appearance in a stage play.

The story which is based on a 1967 play by Christopher Hampton, features two French poets Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine (Namase) who were representative of the literature scene in the 19th century and their taboo relationship as same-sex lovers. Rimbaud was described as a genius poet mature beyond his young age and had looks which would even attract men. On the other hand, Verlaine who was living relatively comfortably in a middle class family and had a beauty wife, was seduced by Rimbaud's talent and looks which led to the breakdown of his marriage and his subsequent imprisonment for wounding Rimbaud with a gun and his sexual relationship with the latter. As the play is largely focused on these two characters, Okada found himself having to memorise pages of long lines and pledged to learn from Namase, a stage veteran, in order to play his character well.

Source: Sanspo