Disappearance Review

    Not only was the set-up of Disappearance related to classical asian theater, but the acting itself also had an asian aspect to it. The stage was framed by the four corners which the noh stage is based around. This stage, in which the audience sit at three different sides, integrates the audience into the play so that they are not outsiders observing from a glass, but instead, are insiders breathing with the actors. In western theater, the actors are supposed to face the audience at all times. In Disappearance, however, the actors and actresses were constantly putting their pack to the audience. Not being able to see their faces gave the play a mysterious quality that went along with the plot. Furthermore, the fact that the actors were constantly entering and exiting the stage, contributed towards the eerie ambience and heightened my curiosity in regards to how the outside world in the play was like. 

    Through out the play I felt as if I was floating from one world to another. The moment I began to be carried away by the westernized costumes and scripts, I was suddenly taken aback by the “yup” in the background. The irony of the “yup”, however, is that it is subtle enough for one to recognize it without being completely drawn from the play. This subtlety is what allowed the audience to float from world to world without disturbing the fluidity of the play. Even as the french girl spoke, I felt as if I could understand her and as if her lines were integrated with everyone else's. Despite the fact that there were two worlds -- western and eastern -- I still felt the unique unity that confines classical asian theater. 

    The plot also contributed towards this unity in that all the characters maintained in tact while the world was crumbling around them. The characters seemed to be in this impermeable bubble that was immune to the war going on outside. This idea of existentialism further exemplifies classical asian theater in that noh does not use any outside forces to built stigma. Instead, the characters’ energy, thoughts, and   movements are the only factors that exist. 

    Perhaps the most important representation of classical asian theater in Disappearance was the fact the Stanley symbolizes the ghosts which are typical in noh plays. The fact that Stanley is in the form of a robot indicates the “modern noh”.