Theater review by Raven Snook
The path to greatness is paved with blood, sushi and tears in Sumo, Lisa Sanaye Dring’s hearty new play about Japan’s spiritually infused national pastime. The relatively diminutive Akio (a winning Scott Keiji Takeda) is a lowly newcomer at an elite Tokyo training facility. He’s stuck doing menial work and desperate to get a shot in the sumo ring himself, but he faces hefty competition from other wrestlers in the stable—particularly the disdainful highest-ranked fighter, Mitsuo (a quietly intimidating David Shih), who abuses and dismisses him. Anyone who's ever seen a sports movie knows what comes next.
That seems to be by design: Dring transports a traditional hero's-journey plot to a setting that is rarely seen in American theatre, which gives it some freshness without taking it too far afield from the familiar. The ferocious sumo matches—fight-directed by James Yaegashi and Chelsea Pace, and choreographed to Shih-Wei Wu's live taiko drumming—get your blood pumping. Paul Whitaker's lighting is appropriately dramatic; Hana S. Kim's eye-popping projections set the scene and fill in cultural gaps, as do three Shinto priests who serve as narrators.
Sumo | Photograph: Courtesy Joan Marcus
None of the actors have the sheer mass of authentic sumo greats, but they pull more than their weight. Director Ralph B. Peña elicits substantial performances from the entire cast of the production, which is presented jointly by Ma-Yi Theater Company and the Public Theater. As the characters navigate an aggressive and cultish men-only world, Dring grapples with themes of masculinity, sexuality, class, corporate sponsorship and ambition.
But unlike the bouts, which often last less than a minute, Sumo frequently feels sluggish. The humorous sequences are high points, especially a scene of spirited post-tournament karaoke, but the central narrative—leading up to an epic final showdown that pits empathy against aspiration—ultimately feels too pat; a subplot involving a taboo relationship is more gripping than the main story. The play is a solid contender, but it doesn't have quite enough surprising moves to rise to the level of champion.
Sumo. Public Theater (Off Broadway). By Lisa Sanaye Dring. Directed by Ralph B. Peña. With Scott Keiji Takeda, David Shih. Running time: 2hrs 20mins. One intermission.
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Sumo | Photograph: Courtesy Joan Marcus
