Rehearsals are underway for the upcoming New York premiere of Lisa Sanaye Dring's Sumo, set to play Off-Broadway's Public Theater February 20-March 23. Officially opening March 5, the co-production between the Public and Ma-Yi Theater Company will play the former's Anspacher Theater.
Centering on an elite Sumo training facility in Tokyo, the play follows six men as they practice, eat, love, play, and ultimately fight.
The Off-Broadway cast will feature Kris Bona as Kannushi 2, Red Concepción as Fumio, Michael Hisamoto as So, Ahmad Kamal as Ren, Earl T. Kim as Shinta, David Shih as Mitsuo, Scott Keiji Takeda as Akio, Paco Tolson as Kannushi 1, and Viet Vo as Kannushi 3, with live taiko drumming by Shih-Wei Wu. Understudies Akira Fukui, Hank Lin, and Haowen Luo 罗浩闻 will round out the company.
David Shih and Scott Keiji Takeda
Company of SUMO
Ahmad Kamal and Earl T. Kim
Viet Vo
Red Concepción and Viet Vo
Michael Hisamoto, Ahmad Kamal, and Red Concepción
Viet Vo and Earl T. Kim
Company of SUMO
Ralph B. Pe?a
Red Concepción
David Shih and Scott Keiji Takeda
The work made its world premiere at California's La Jolla Playhouse in 2023. Bona, Hisamoto, Kim, Takeda, Vo, and Wu are all reprising their performances from the earlier bow.
Obie winner Ralph B. Pe?a is at the helm for the New York premiere after staging the world premiere, and has reassembled his full creative team from the California run, including scenic designer Wilson Chin, costume designer Mariko Ohigashi, lighting designer Paul Whitaker, sound designer and composer Fabian Obispo, hair and wig designer Alberto "Albee" Alvarado, projection designer Hana S. Kim, Sumo consultant and co-fight director James Yaegashi, and co-fight and intimacy director Chelsea Pace. The Off-Broadway run will feature prop design by Thomas Jenkeleit and dramaturgy by Amrita Ramanan, with Alyssa K. Howard serving as production stage manager and Taeuk Kang as stage manager.
Tickets are at .
