Train – father and daughter performance duo in motion

Everything about this play projected simplicity.  The idea: a man waiting in a train station.  The set: a stack of Japanese bowls, a bench and a clothesline.  The performers: a girl and her father. Theatre Replacement's Train built upon these relatively simple concepts to create a beautiful and haunting production.

Writer and actor Maiko Bae Yamamoto joined forces with her very likeable musician father Minoru Kofu Yamamoto to present a story that was, all at once, personal, cultural and mythical.  Train came across as an immigrant story - tales spun and passed amongst family so many times that no one knows exactly what is true anymore.  However, whether the underlying events of Train were based on fact or fiction was beside the point; Maiko Bae Yamamoto succeeded in making the story her own.  I was impressed by how she interacted with the audience, added in a biographical point of view, and conveyed multiple messages and themes.

Well-conceived lighting and set design allowed the audience to feel that they too could have been situated in that Japanese train station, witnessing the story as it unfolded.  Although heavy in its usage of symbolism, Train's most effective storytelling aspect was the physical performance of the lead actor.  Maiko Kofu Yamamoto demonstrated her mastery of movement through choreographed gestures and dance-like sequences.  These, in conjunction with Minoru Kofu Yamamoto's playing of the Japanese flute, made Train an aesthetically pleasing experience.

Train was produced by Theatre Replacement of Vancouver.  Performed by Maiko Bae Yamamoto and Minoru Kofu Yamamoto.  Directed and choreographed by Sarah Chase.