STREAM-N-SCREAM
Fright seekers are spending their weekend with Oiwa, Japan’s most terrifying female ghost. GHOST LIGHT: THE HAUNTING is a streaming theatre experience based on Yotsuya Ghost Tales. The kabuki play is inspired by the legend of a horribly betrayed woman named Oiwa. Written by award winning playwright, Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei and Produced and Directed by Emmy Award Winning Penny Bergman, the Halloween season theatrical experience is a fundraiser/benefit for Cape May Stage with a portion of the donations going to #StopAsianHate and #stopaapihate (Asian American and Pacific Islander violence and discrimination). Performances streams tonight through Monday November 1st at 7:59pm EST.
One of “The 13 Best Theater Events For a Happy Halloween” – Time Out New York
Spend a haunting Halloween with Japan’s most terrifying female ghost! The true tale of Oiwa’s undying vengeance is the original J-Horror story, retold here with a contemporary twist. A Japanese-American actress returns from the dead to wreak vengeance on the ambitious husband who betrayed her in this original play fusing Macbeth and the kabuki Yotsuya Ghost Tales.
Keiko (Kay) Tamiya, descendant of the original Oiwa, gives birth to a baby girl and wins a Primetime Emmy on the same day. Her husband and co-star, also nominated, loses out to his archrival. Kay and Bryan are riding high as America’s favorite couple with an unbreakable contract binding them together — love, devotion, partners at home and at work. When both are offered the leads in Macbeth on Broadway, Bryan’s thrill at playing the role of a lifetime is dashed by Keiko’s disgust at the director’s concept for Lady Macbeth: a stereotypical, derogatory depiction of Asian women. Keiko rejects the job and wants Bryan to stand in solidarity and give up his plum part as well. But Bryan’s ambition results in betrayal and ghostly vengeance.
In order to avoid the wrath of the vengeful ghost of Oiwa, the author and playwright of this play respectfully traveled to her grave in Tokyo, Japan to offer flowers, incense and a note (in English and Japanese). In the note, they humbly requested her permission and blessing to present the play, their way. This ancient Japanese ritual must be performed so that everyone in the production and the audience will be safe. Those who neglect it risk suffering Oiwa’s revenge. A perennial favorite in Japan, YOTSUYA GHOST TALES (Yotsuya Kaidan) recounts the story of Oiwa. It has been adapted into at least 30 films and continues to influence anime and Japanese horror movies, including The Ring and The Grudge.
The cast features Elaina Davis in a tour-de-force double role, Mark Campbell, Marlena Lustik, Michi Barall, Michael G. Chin, Mami Kimura, Emily Kuroda, Peter Lundin and Gerardo Vallejo. Music is by Yukio Tsuji. Eric Nightengale is the Technical Director, Teresa Cicala is the Editor and Tyler McCombe is the Assistant Director. For Cape May Stage: Roy Steinberg, Producing Artistic Director, Mitchell Malnati, Director of Development & Operations Manager and Denise Shutter, Marketing Director.
