M
Ballet in two acts
| Choreography / Décor and Costume Concepts Maurice Béjart |
| Music Toshiro Mayuzumi, Claude Debussy, Johann Strauss II, Erik Satie, Richard Wagner, Louis Petra - Dino Oliver |
photo: Kiyonori Hasegawa
Yukio Mishima remains one of Japan's most fascinating and controversial postwar novelists after more than 50 years since his ritual suicide. When Maurice Béjart set about choreographing a new ballet for The Tokyo Ballet in 1993, he chose Mishima as a motif.
However, he did not create a biography nor use ballet to illustrate Mishima's work of literature whose importance was not yet fully recognized at that time. It was Béjart's bold experimentation to "simply suggest, and above all, love ―without ever judging".
The ballet opens with the sea, an important symbol in Mishima's works. From the sea roars, appear a schoolboy, Mishima, and four other selves who develop imagery of the themes of Mishima's masterpieces including Kyoko's House, Forbidden Colors, Rokumeikan, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion and his lifetime aesthetic motif, Saint Sebastian.
M stands for la Mer (the sea in French), la Métamorphose, la Mort (death in French), la Mythologie, and of course, Mishima. It is also the initial of Maurice Béjart and Mayuzumi Toshiro who created the music.
The Tokyo Ballet has performed M not only in Japan but also internationally at prestigious theaters including the Palais Garnier, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Hamburgische Staatsoper where it received huge critical and public acclaim. The Tokyo Ballet revives M in September 2025, celebrating the centenary of Mishima's birth. Maurice Béjart's 100th birth anniversary will follow in two years.
photos: Kiyonori Hasegawa
photo Yoshihiro Kawaguchi
Maurice Béjart （1927-2007）
Maurice Béjart was born in Marseille on January 1, 1927, the son of the philosopher Gaston Berger. He began his career in Vichy in 1946. In 1959, he choreographed the widely successful Le Sacre du printemps for the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, and in the following year founded the Ballet du XXe Siècle. In 1987, he moved his operation to Lausanne where he changed its name to Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Having profound understanding on cultures of the world at all times, he created ballets for contemporary people. The relationship with The Tokyo Ballet was exceptional. He choreographed three ballets for the Company: The Kabuki (1986), Bugaku (1989) and M (1993).
Saturday 20 September 2025, 14:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Sunday 21 September 2025, 14:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Tuesday 23 September 2025, 13:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Cast
I-ICHI Dan Tsukamoto
II-NI Arata Miyagawa
III-SAN Ryunosuke Ubukata
IV-SHI (La Mort) Shoma Ikemoto
SAINT SEBASTIEN Yuki Higuchi (20, 21 Sept) | Suguru Otsuka (23 Sept)
LA FEMME Mizuka Ueno (20, 21 Sept) | Akimi Denda (23 Sept)
LA LUNE SUR LA MER Hitomi Kaneko (20, 21 Sept) | Kotone Hasegawa (23 Sept)
ORANGE Kanako Oki (20, 21 Sept) | Yurika Mikumo (23 Sept)
ROSE Emi Masamoto (20, 21 Sept) | Kanako Nihei (23 Sept)
VIOLET Akimi Denda (20, 21 Sept) | Yumie Sakaki (23 Sept)
Running Time Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes without intermission.
Recorded music will be used.
*Program and casting as of 24 April 2025 are subject to change.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo)
http://www.t-bunka.jp/access/index.html
| Category | |
| S | ¥15,000 |
| A | ¥12,000 |
| B | ¥9,000 |
| C | ¥7,000 |
| D | ¥5,000 |
| E | ¥3,000 |
| 39 and Under "Yukio Mishima's Happy 100th Anniversary Seats" |
¥4,000 |
| 25 and Under | ¥2,000 |
●Children under 6 years old are not admitted to the auditorium.
●Program and casting as of 24 April 2025 are subject to change. Changes in the program or the cast do not entitle holders to return or exchange tickets.
Ticket Sale DatesGeneral ticket sales begin on
Thursday 29 May 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Buy tickets
Presales at NBS WEB Ticket
Monday 26 May 2025 at 19:00 -- Wednesday 28 May 2025 at 18:00
Presales and Discount Tickets at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center
To purchase presale and discount tickets at NBS WEB Ticket, you will need to register for a free membership of Japan Performing Arts Foundation (NBS) from here. (We regret that the form is only in Japanese.)
After registration, click here to buy tickets.
1. Parent and Child Tickets (Categories S, A and B)
Child tickets for children between 6 and 18 years old are half the adult price. Parent and Child Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 1 July 2025 at 10:00 at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center (Phone 03-3791-8888). Up to two child tickets per one adult ticket can be purchased. You can select seat category but cannot select seat(s). Our system automatically allocates the best available seating to you for the price category you have selected.
2. 39 and Under Tickets - "Yukio Mishima's Happy 100th Anniversary Seats"
¥4,000 tickets for those aged 26 to 39 years go on sale from Thursday 24 July 2025 at 19:00 at NBS WEB Ticket. You must bring identity documents with proof of age to pick up your tickets at the venue on the performance day.
3. 25 and Under Tickets
¥2,000 tickets for those aged 6 to 25 years go on sale from Thursday 24 July 2025 at 19:00 at NBS WEB Ticket. You must bring identity documents with proof of age to pick up your tickets at the venue on the performance day.
4. Discount for two persons (Categories S, A & B)
Enjoy a discount of ¥1,000 for two persons.Tickets will be on sale during the periods of presales and the general sales at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center (Phone 03-3791-8888).
For more information, please contact us at +81-(0)3-3791-8888 (phone) or english@nbs.or.jp.
| 助成： |
文化庁文化芸術振興費補助金（舞台芸術等総合支援事業（公演創造活動）） |
| 主催： |  公益財団法人日本舞台芸術振興会 |
| 後援： | 一般社団法人日本バレエ団連盟 |
| 委託： |
