A man and a woman read each other’s diaries and are both aware of it. In fact they deliberately leave their keys lying around. They communicate with each other through their diaries about things that ought not to be openly revealed, and guide each other in their mutual secret desires. When the man chooses a suitor for their daughter, he gradually becomes involved in their sexual fantasies. Entangled in an ever tighter web of jealousy and excitement, the man is ultimately struck by a heart attack and dies

In Josse De Pauw’s production the characters in Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel (The Key) are played by four women: an actress, two dancers and a percussionist. As a result, the piece is not so much about a man-woman relationship as about the way unceasing human desire is steered by age and youth, differing cultural backgrounds and the lies we tell ourselves and others. How do we read each other’s diaries?

BASED the book of the same name by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki ***

ADAPTATION, CONCEPT & STAGE DIRECTION Josse De Pauw

MUSIC Akira Miyoshi, Kuniko Kato

PERCUSSION Kuniko Kato

VOICE-OVER Josse De Pauw WITH Frieda Pittoors, Fumiyo Ikeda, Taka Shamoto

CHOREOGRAPHY Fumiyo Ikeda

LIGHT & SET DESIGN Herman Sorgeloos

COSTUME DESIGN Anne-Catherine Kunz

PRODUCTION LOD muziektheater

COPRODUCTION KVS, La Rose des Vents Villeneuve d’Ascq ***

Based on the book KAGI by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. Copyright © 1956, The Heirs of Jun’ichiro Tanizaki/Chuokoron-Shinsha, Inc. As translated by M. Coutinho, Copyright © 1962, De Bezige Bij. All rights reserved.

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