Review of Tattooer | Charing Cross Theatre

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

Although The Tattooer at Charing Cross Theatre presents an intriguing premise, I found it to be a mixed experience overall. I think there is potential in the story, which blends dark humour with what I perceived as an examination of personal and emotional struggles, but it doesn't always deliver. While the cast delivered terrific performances, and there were moments of brilliant intensity, the pacing of the show was unbalanced. At times, scenes felt drawn out in silence (not the best when suffering from a bad cough too).

Round theatre stage with a female actor laying on her font and a male actor holder her foot with one hand and a tattoo pen in the other, ready to tattoo her foot. — Mao Aono and Leo Ashizawa

The theatre's dark and intimate setting did work in its favour, as it allowed for a closer connection between the audience and the actors. The minimalist set design, I think, was a clever move as it allows the audience to imagine their own visuals. The highlight of the show was Gaku Azuma, renowned Japanese Ink-Brush Painter, who produced artwork on one of the actors and the actual stage in real time during the interval. This allowed the audiences to take a closer look at artist in action.

Gaku Azuma on stage with a male actor, painting his pack in black ink. — Gaku Azuma

Another strength was the cast's ability to convey the emotional complexity of their roles, for example, Seikichi‘s (Leo Ashizawa) foot fetish and desire to inflict pain through his art. Despite the pacing issues, there were a few stand-out moments where the intensity and raw emotion came through strongly. Unfortunately, these moments were scattered, and I didn’t feel they were enough to lift the overall production beyond an average experience.

If you are someone who enjoys experimental theatre with a focus on dark, introspective themes, The Tattooer might resonate more with you. For me, though, while it had some good elements, it didn’t fully come together as a cohesive production. It is a decent show, but one that didn’t quite live up to its potential.

Cast

Leo Ashizawa - Seikichi

Aki Nakagawa- Kazuyo B

Nozomi de Lencquesaing - Customer

Mao Aono - Kazuyo A

Gaku Azuma - Ink-Brush Painter

Creatives

Writer - Takuya Kaneshima

Director & Set Designer - Hogara Kawai

Dramaturg and Costume Designer - Mao Aono

Lighting Designer - Rob Halliday

Sound Designer - Yu Takeda