Sabers for samurai as Japanese theatre stages kabuki version of Star Wars www.theguardian.com

The Star Wars franchise is about to breach the artistic final frontier with a one-off performance of a kabuki adaptation starring one of Japan’s most revered stage actors.
Ten days after the Star Wars performance, the performing art will meet anime and manga in a kabuki adaptation of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by the renowned Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
George Lucas was influenced by the venerated Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and his first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was loosely based on Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress.
Ichikawa, a Star Wars devotee who has been closely involved in scripting and choreographing the adaptation, promised the this week’s performance would bridge the artistic divide.
“It will be a show that both Star Wars fans and kabuki fans will enjoy.”