David Shih (center) and the company of SUMO (Photo: Joan Marcus)

Sumo

By Julia Polinsky

Not often in theater does an ancient Japanese goddess invest you with radiance, but at the end of Sumo, the spiritual nature of Japan's national sport is painted with strong, wide strokes. The goddess herself is present at a sumo match. The implicit blessing is a mixed one.

Americans are largely ignorant of the sport of sumo, certainly of its spiritual aspects, and have been known to mock or snigger at the spectacle of what looks to us like two enormous men in diapers grappling for about a minute. Sumo is, of course, much more than that. In Sumo, the new play by Lisa Sanaye Dring at the Public Theater, the goddess, as well as a trio of Shinto priests in traditional garb (Paco Tolson, Kris Bona, Viet Vo), are there to make sure we take sumo seriously. The priests also open the show with a helpful short description of the basic rules of sumo, and point out that the rikishi, the sumo wrestlers, represent gods who, long ago, fought to own Japan, connect to the nature-worship aspects of Shinto religion, and even cleanse bad spirits from the earth (that's what the slow-motion stomping is for).

Otherwise, it's two acts of sports-movie-clichés: boy-meets-sport, boy aspires, boy achieves, but who does he become? No surprises in that plot. Directed by Obie Award winner Ralph B. Pena, Sumo places us in the heya - think training facility - where we meet the rikishi themselves: first, Mitsuo (David Shih), the top athlete in the group, one win away from attaining the status of Yokozuna, the highest rank possible, and a classic practitioner of sports-story version of Toxic Masculinity. Then we have Ren (Ahmad Kamal); Shinta (Earl T. Kim); So (Michael Hisamoto); and Fumio (Red Concepcion), the rank-climbing aspirants, each with his own issues.

Scott Keiji Takeda (Photo: Joan Marcus)

And, of course, there's the lowest of the low: our teenage wannabe with the bleak backstory, Akio (Scott Keiji Takeda). He chafes at his menial tasks of sweeping and washing, and burns to be great (also known as "Shrimp," because he's so small, all things being relative). The ensemble work well together; I could wish that Akio, as the central character with the most prominent story arc, were more engaging.

Fight directors James Yaegashi and Chelsea Pace have made the training and bouts exciting even for the uninitiated. I can't speak to authenticity, but watching Sumo's scenes of practice and learning, and then the actual bouts, is fascinating - and watching the audience watch those scenes, equally so. It's easy to tell who the sumo fans are, as they avidly absorb every move in the ring, and stomp and cheer for their favorites as they force opponents to step outside the dohyo (the ring), or touch the ground.

The surprises come in Sumo's subplots - a tender gay love that goes horribly wrong; a suicide -- and a strong emphasis on honor and shame, more so than usual in sports stories. Sumo offers in-depth reflection on whether community or winning is more important. Sumo also acknowledges that the sport, while spiritual, is also big business; in a lighter but still fraught moment in act 2, the rikishi drink, sing karaoke, and dance with sponsors, hoping for endorsements and money.

Red Concepción, Ahmad Kamal, Michael Hisamoto (Photo: Joan Marcus)

The best part, though, are the stunning visuals. A co-production with the Ma-Yi Theater Company and the La Jolla Playhouse, where it premiered, Sumo is in residence at the Public's Anspacher theater, a space that perfectly houses the dohyo, the Taiko drummer above it (Shih-Wei Wu), and the stylized walls/doors/screens that comprise the set, in elegantly effective design from Wilson Chin. Lighting by Paul Whitaker emphasizes and amplifies the action; music from Fabian Obispo, and Mariko Ohigashi's costumes: all work magic, but it's Hana S. Kim's projections that knock it out of the ring. They show us everything from scores to karaoke lyrics to the ancient gods to the ranking pyramid that reveals where everyone stands.

Sumo offers a fascinating, visually stunning glimpse into a very foreign sport. At the same time it's emotionally manipulative, as so many sports stories are. Worth seeing? Absolutely.

 

Sumo

At the Public Theater

425 Lafayette St

Through March 30

Tickets: https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2425/sumo/