The production “Friends” directed by Motoi Miura (Japan) is based on a play by japanese avant-garde writer Kobo Abe. Russian reader knows this author for his prosaic works: novels “The Woman in the Dunes” and “The Box Man”.

The play “Friends” is written in the spirit of Western European theater of the absurd. The play’s ethical paradox is set in its comical setup. A group of strangers, a whole family of three generations, breaks into an apartment of a young man, quite satisfied with his life, and forcibly tries to save him from loneliness, one of the most relevant diseases of nowadays. Uninvited guests declare their best intentions and casually, as it is common for the ultraviolence, slip into all life spheres of the young man, despite his resistance.

“I chose the play “Friends” by Kobo Abe because such a kind name covers an evil story that shows the imperfection of a modern society and the powerlessness of a man facing the situation when “friends” come without a knock, take away power, emotions and in the end, life. At the age of the Internet it becomes possible to meddle in the life of others without permission, give unsolicited advice, impose an idea or advertisement. Our production shows how quickly modern society can deprive a person of the own identity, kill the self-belief”, –  says director Motoi Miura.

In Japan the name of Motoi Miura became known for his productions of plays by Anton Chekhov. Russian audience might have seen his productions of “The Seagull”, “The Cherry Orchard”, “Uncle Vanya” and “Three Sisters” back in 2011, during the Moscow tour of “Chiten” theater run by Motoi Miura. This time  he decided to make a production based on a play by a Japanese author, but emphasizes that subjects brought up in  the production are relevant to any modern society regardless of geography.