The first episode of Fuji TV's Wednesday 10pm drama "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?" (Wednesdays at 10pm, with an extended 30-minute premiere), written by Koki Mitani and starring Masaki Suda, aired on October 1st. The episode begins with a scene in which Suda plays an aspiring director, Hisabe, passionately discusses his theory on theatre to members of a theatre company who are dissatisfied with the direction they are receiving, during which Hisabe utters the word "Macbeth," which has attracted attention on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
In the first episode, in the fall of 1984, Hisabe, an aspiring director who admires Yukio Ninagawa, finds himself at a loss. He has been expelled from his theater company for being too tyrannical.
Wandering aimlessly, Kube stumbles into a suspicious shopping arcade. The shopping street, lit by the neon lights of strip clubs, is called "Hachibunzaka." It's called Hachibunzaka because it's eight minutes from Shibuya Station, and there's a sign inscribed on the arcade that reads, "Pray speak what has happened."
With the introduction of an old lady (Rinko Kikuchi) at the free information center, Hisabe opens the door to a shop called "Pelo Gries"...and so the story goes.
The episode begins with a scene in which Hisabe passionately explains his thoughts to the troupe members who complain, "I want to make plays that are easier to understand." When the troupe members complain about the mosquito coils placed on the stage, Hisabe explains, "I expressed the summer in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with mosquito coils." An actor, enraged by Hisabe's words, confronts him, saying, "Shakespeare never wrote that!" Hisabe immediately retorts, "Mr. Ninagawa staged 'Macbeth' on a giant Buddhist altar set. That's what theater is!" However, the troupe members don't understand, and Hisabe storms out, saying, "Do as you please!"
Suda played the main character, Takaiwa Haruto, the straight man of the comedy trio Macbeth, in the 2021 drama series "Conto Hajimaru" (Nippon TV), and social media was flooded with comments responding to Kubota's mention of "Macbeth." Comments included, "You'd think a comedy skit was about to begin," "Of course he was thinking about it," "Macbeth!? A comedy skit is about to begin," and "I couldn't help but think of 'Conto Hajimaru'."
