Kyogen meets Shakespeare: Nomura Mansai's take on Richard III

Kyogen player Nomura Mansai compares the works of William Shakespeare to a giant tree with a dense tangle of branches. "You need to trim the branches when presenting the works in a kyogen style, since it is a much simpler form of performing art," Nomura said.

So, Nomura is going to present Kuninusubito (Thief of a Nation), a kyogen-inspired play based on Richard III, at Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo later this month as something like a "beautiful bonsai tree."