Where Dreams & Reality Collide: Sputnik Sweetheart Play (2023)

Sputnik Sweetheart is probably my favourite Haruki Murakami novel (books in general is a different question because Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, a short story collection, is still unbeatable for me). I received a Murakami Chronicle newsletter on a random Monday and saw the Sputnik Sweetheart play announcement that I didn’t even know existed (!!!). A couple of happy coincidences happened and I was able to book a ticket to see one of its limited showing schedules. And that’s how I found myself in London, in a theatre in the middle of nowhere (at least, I was not familiar with this area), and trying my best to contain my excitement to see this play.

https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/sputnik-sweetheart/

THE PLAY

Content Warnings: (spoilers!) *highlight to view* {discussions of explicit sexual assault, depictions of a sexual nature, illustrations of animal abuse, swearing }

Sputnik Sweetheart is “partly a story of love and loneliness, partly a detective story” adapted into an approximately 80+ minutes play by Bryony Lavery and directed by Melly Still. It centres around K (the narrator, played by Naruto Komatsu) as he narrates his friendship and yearning for his friend Sumire (played by Millicent Wong). After falling head over heels in love with the older and elegant Miu (played by Natsumi Kuroda), Sumire suddenly disappeared while vacationing in Greece. As K investigates and tries to find her, he “unearths more questions than answers”.

I’ve always imagined how hard it would be to translate the distinct dreamy feel of Murakami’s writing to the stage – but this production made a decent effort of it. Aided by strategic use of light and music, it gave that that effect. I loved how cleverly the phone booth was used in this production: twirling it around, making use of the two-way distorted mirror in it as a vehicle to connect to reality (by various phone calls between K and Sumire) and also to the “other” side, Sumire’s “other” self/reality; the almost-infinitely long telephone chord symbolizing how each characters were connected despite the distance (literally and figuratively); and at some point the booth being a stage for that pivotal Miu scene (which I think was more dramatically performed and emotionally charged than what I have in my head it should be after all of these years pondering about it and that particular quote [this/below quote]: aloof, detached; one that makes more sense with the character). The animation flashed to the walls at moments in the play also added to the narration. They made use of smart staging, and even dance, to effectively demonstrate parts of the story. Despite the minimalistic setup, it was still a feast to the eyes.

I also loved that the venue is relatively smaller than some theatres, it added to the intimate feeling of the play which I think is one of the hallmark ‘vibe’ of this story. The story was written mainly in K’s point of view, but this adaptation also put Sumire in the center of it all.

“In the novel, K’s lens is the reader’s guide; memories and imaginings are his alone. But when actors embody the other characters with inevitable conflicts and desires, the lens is disrupted. IT expands, and a kind of cross fertilisation of memory takes place leading to K’s certainty being confounded.”

From the Director, Sputnik Sweetheart Play Pamphlet

…in which I totally agree. The book felt isolating because of POV, but the stage adaptation gave more life and focus to the other characters. I suppose I was just missing the ‘enigmatic’ vibe that should’ve emanated from Miu, one of the very reason why Sumire felt compelled and drawn to her in the first place. And I think this is because of the production choice to leave out her shock of white hair from the character styling. With black hair, she appeared more ordinary albeit still sophisticated. (Miu’s white hair is also a central plot point in the original story.)

Above are some of the photos I took during the day. I was able to go near the stage and the props upon exit and managed to get near some of the props took some close ups. Fun fact: In one of Bryony Lavery’s interviews, she was asked what can readers expect in this adaptation and she answered: “What can they expect? A show performed by five exciting actors, a wonderful set and animation, romance, love, heartache…all taking exactly the time it takes a sputnik to circle our world.” I was always curious what the countdown (shown in the 3rd picture above) means but, apparently, it took the Sputnik “about 98 minutes to orbit Earth on its elliptical path” – which is also approximately how long the play is (I didn’t time it, but I’ll trust Bryony’s word on this lol). Yep, count me officially mind blown. 🤯

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Here are my favourite production photos from the Arcola Theatre page: (Photo Credits to Alex Brenner; thanks John Paul for pointing me to the right source!)

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In Conclusion

The Sputnik Sweetheart we see performed on stage was different from the Sputnik Sweetheart we read. To the average viewer who probably don’t have any background about this, I understand how this can appear disjointed and trippy and all over the place. But for me, as a fan who have loved the book so much over the years since I first read it, I was just giddy witnessing the production. The play gave it a new lease on life and a separate version of itself.

Do I think a Murakami novel could ever translate perfectly on stage? Definitely no. But do I still have much excitement and hope for it? Of course! There’s always beauty in trying. And seeing one of your favourite stories coming to life is still a feast to the eyes. I know that it isn’t perfect. I honestly think it failed to wholly capture the magic that is in the text, which is really hard considering a lot of it is in the liminal and quiet moments of the story where the exact quality that I like from Murakami’s writing shines. The thing about Sputnik Sweetheart is that it is ultimately a story about loneliness and seeking connection amidst and despite it. And I think the production made that theme shine through.

I’m just so proud of the whole company for making this happen! I really enjoyed it and I experienced it how a Murakami work should be staged: dreamy and trippy, but still profound.

Sputnik Sweetheart Play
Arcola Theatre; October 31, 2023 7:00 PM

Note: Is ‘my-favourite-books-being-adapted-to-stage‘ series gonna be a thing now? We shall see. I love living in the UK because I get to experience this all the time. 😌 I admittedly don’t have much experience watching stage productions so I’m just not gonna put ratings on them and focus on the experience and how I enjoyed them.

If you want another post of me recalling watching a stage adaptation of a beloved book, read THIS POST as I recount my experience of watching the A Little Life Play for the first time. Or THIS POST if you wanna hear me rave about being a Hamiltrash!

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