SAKURA, the second play in Kikue Tashiro’s LEGENDS OF THE BANDIT PRINCESS trilogy, again concentrates on innovative theatre forms fusing Japanese texts/stagecraft with Western theatre.
SAKURA was created as a one-woman show for actor Kati Kuroda.
SAKURA is the daughter of HANA and Chief Bandit Fujiura. Little Sakura, grows up in the countryside, protected from knowing her parentage by her guardian, Genta (Fujiura’s right hand man). When summoned to court in Kyoto, she sheds her tomboy ways to become a fierce, powerful young woman, fighting for the cause of justice.
SAKURA had its first inception in 1994 at the Circle Rep Lab/NYC and then continued on the Mainstage with Laurence Fishburne’s RIFF RAFF at Circle in the Square Downtown.
At the Edinburgh Festival, SAKURA was acclaimed as “a classic of the American stage,” by Bonnie Lee of THE SCOTSMAN (8/12/01) and awarded 5 Stars.