Holden Street Theatres Director Martha Lott admits to not loving filmed theatre. “I completely sympathise with those who don’t like watching theatre on screen, I don’t either but then I saw One Hour Photo with the incomparable Tetsuro Shigematsu and I was so lost in his portrayal and the story, I forgot he wasn’t standing in front of me.”
We couldn’t agree more. It’s an intriguing and mesmerising 75 minutes, equally for its engaging story, its ingenious use of on stage devices and technology, and Shigematsu’s flamboyant, showman-like performance.
It begins with musings by Shigematsu on the need to preserve words and sounds, which leads him to have recorded the story of Mas Yamamoto. Like Shigematsu himself, Yamamoto was a Nikkei, a Canadian of Japanese descent, who, following Pearl Harbour, was interned in a Japanese Canadian internment camp.
Using his recorded words, 1 Hour story follows Yamamoto’s life before, during and after internment. His family, his loves, his ambitions, and his career, which ultimately leads him to open a 1 Hour Photo Shop. It's a tale of twists and turns, told without regret on his part, full of admiration and respect by Shigematsu and with some parallels to our own history.
Holden Street Theare’s On Screen Program brings four filmed production from the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe to Adelaide. Each is a production of The Cultch, an innovative Canadian Theatre, created out of necessity during the height of COVID, while Canadian Theatres were closed.
They are being presented in HST’s Ruby space a ten seater gold class style cinema whose intimacy further enhances one's connection to the on screen performance.
It’s early days of the Fringe, but safe to say, 1 Hour Photo is one not to miss. Highly recommended.