Lisa Sanaye Dring’s Sumo, co-produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company, comes to the Public Theater after an earlier run at La Jolla Playhouse, and specifically addresses an audience whom it assumes knows little about the ancient Japanese art and sport of sumo. And so Dring’s play becomes an opportunity to teach about this sacred ritual, and actually show it to us, while also crafting a story of a rebellious young underdog’s rise to the top against a hostile mentor.
Akio (Scott Keiji Takeda, left) and Fumio (Red Concepión), both members of the sumo heya (stable), in Lisa Sanaye Dring’s Sumo.
These two imperatives, to instruct and to create original, moving drama, sometimes come into conflict in Sumo. The result is a beautifully staged production, under Ralph B. Peña’s direction, of a play that shows real promise but struggles to dive into its characters and leans at times on sports-story clichés. The work of the actor-wrestlers, however, who have rigorously trained to enact sumo practice and matches, makes this a show worth experiencing.
Our guides into the world of sumo are three kannushi, or Shinto priests, with a cheeky, mischievous streak: “Thank you for coming to the all-Asian revival of Legally Blonde” (they are portrayed by Kris Bona, Paco Tolson, and Viet Vo). The kannushi focus on teaching the audience the sumo terminology that will be indispensable to understanding the story. The rikishi (wrestlers) enter, and for most of the play wear the traditional mawahsi, or belt (costume design by Mariko Ohigashi). A projection (designed by Hana S. Kim and used to great effect aesthetically and practically throughout) shows the ranking pyramid—and rank in sumo “is everything.”
Akio is tormented by the highest-ranked wrestler of the heya, Mitsuo (David Shih), referred to by his rank, Ōzeki.
The would-be wrestlers are chosen by the oyakata, head of the heya (stable), though he is mostly absent, so the highest-ranked wrestler runs the show. Mitsuo (David Shih), referred to exclusively by his rank, Ōzeki, is one rank away from Yokozuna, the highest one can attain in Sumo—“this is a big fucking deal,” one of the kannushi clarifies.
The actors performing as the rikishi have worked with sumo consultant and co-fight director James Yaegashi, and co-fight director and intimacy director, Chelsea Pace. They are So (Michael Hisamoto), the lowest ranked and described as an “optimistic underachiever” who is most tied to the spiritual significance of sumo; Fumio (Red Concepión), “equally conformist and romantic”; Shinta (Earl T. Kim), a “freethinker”; and Ren (Ahmad Kamal), the “work horse” of the heya and on the ranking ascent.
Into this mix comes 18-year-old Akio (Scott Keiji Takeda), a novice but “driven in a feral way.” Akio chafes against his role, which requires him to stay silent, clean up and do whatever else is asked. Ōzeki becomes an unwilling mentor, brutalizing Akio and playing mind games, ostensibly to see if he has the ruthlessness that Ōzeki thinks is necessary to succeed. A quasi-Oedipal struggle between them ensues. Achieving star status means all-important sponsorships, and living the high-life, which clearly tempt Akio beyond the spiritual significance of sumo, which is represented in different ways primarily by So and Shinta, who both, ironically, end up outside the heya.
Akio’s trajectory is predictable, with the sadistic mentor-mentee relationship between Ōzeki and Akio reminiscent of many other sports stories—and so, unlike other aspects of the play, doesn’t necessarily feel specific to sumo. The subplots have more promise, such as the romantic relationship between Ren and Fumio, Shinta’s transition to life outside of the heya, and So’s very inevitable fall from grace, but they are not fleshed out.
Three rikishi (wrestlers) in starting position. Photographs by Joan Marcus.
The production comes to life during the sumo tournaments and the internal heya bouts, which are visually and technically remarkable and help raise the play’s emotional stakes. The staging of the tournaments captures the powerful spectacle of sumo: the actors’ skills in the dohyō (the circle where the sumo bout occurs), Wilson Chin’s vivid scenic design, Fabian Obispo’s resounding sound design, Kim’s projection design, and Shih-Wei Wu’s taiko drum composition and performance coalesce to form a rich and lasting impression.
A recent New York Times profile mentions that Dring and Peña had originally considered using shadow puppets to portray the play’s fights, but then committed to having the actors wrestle. We can be grateful for this decision, and to the men portraying the rikishi for their commitment. Sumo provides the opportunity to learn about sumo in a thoughtful and respectful environment, and with a technically striking production.
Sumo runs through March 30 at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette St.). Evening performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday; matinees are at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available by visiting publictheater.org.
