『髑髏城の七人』のインタビュー記事 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/03/23/stage/samurai-drama-put-unique-spin-evolution-theater/#.WNTiFttIeSw.twitter
The actor Songha plays TenmaOh, the villain of 'Dokurojo no Shichinin' ('Seven Souls in the Skull Castle').
「Right from the start, the play, which is set in the late 16th century in eastern Japan, grips audiences as a fictional tyrant named TenmaOh (played here by Songha) rules over his people from Dokurojo (Skull Castle) following the assassination of his former lord, the wise, real-life warrior Oda Nobunaga.」「Then, after Sutenosuke (Shun Oguri), who once served Oda along with TenmaOh, rescues a woman being attacked by the tyrant’s men, he is joined by Mukaiya Ranbe (Koji Yamamoto), an expert swordsman and another of Oda’s former retainers. Together with a few friends they vow to overthrow TenmaOh.」
amazingly thrilling chanbara (sword-fighting)
「Free of such worries, the in-demand 35-year-old Songha, who plays the evil TenmaOh and is working with Inoue and his team for the first time, excitedly reported, “We spend most rehearsals doing chanbara and action scenes.」「“It’s great, because I’ve learned from my instructor that using a sword in a play is like saying your lines, as both depend on actors’ precise interactions. Each movement has meaning, so without using words we have to express a narrative in the fighting scenes.”」「As for his character TenmaOh, Songha said, “I suppose many people who’ve seen this before may regard him as a dignified villain, but I’m still developing his role day by day and I’m thinking about making him more wily and cold-blooded.」「“However, I believe villains have to be mysterious, taciturn people. While the hero Sutenosuke needs to be open-minded and charming, TenmaOh must hide his inner turmoil and his dark past. That uncertainty is important so each audience member can imagine him for themselves.”
