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Ashita no Joe Meets Macbeth in Upcoming NYC Stage Play

Shakespeare's classic is putting on its boxing gloves for a whole new twist on Macbeth. Japan Society's current performing arts season includes Yū Murai's reinterpretation of the theatrical classic through Tetsuya Chiba and Asao Takamori's 1960s manga Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow's Joe).

The play, titled Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth opens on May 15 at Japan Society's performing arts center in New York City. Japan Society describes the story:

Yū Murai, founder of the Theater Company Kaimaku Pennant Race, cleverly retells Macbeth through the 1960s mega-hit manga Ashita no Joe, providing insight into how the tale of one young man's rise from delinquent to professional boxer parallels that of the Scottish king. Laced through with reimaginings of indelible scenes from both works, this production is sure to titillate Shakespeare and manga lovers alike - as Murai employs the mythos surrounding the boxer Joe to create a theatrical production in which two worlds fraught with angst and ambition collide and align. Performed in Japanese with English titles.

The Ashita no Joe manga celebrated its 50th anniversary with last year's Megalobox television anime series. The original story also inspired a stage play starring Otoya Shingū as Joe Yabuki in 2015.

Thanks to Mikhail Koulikov for the news tip

Source: Japan Society official site via Broadway World