←Recommendations of Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book-Signing, and Other Things

This play is so enjoyable and hilarious especially when knowing The Tale of Genji. It was a joy to read about the woman who wrote the tale and, really, she is just so human in this play it's amazing! The arc of emotion that Murasaki goes through throughout this play is fantastic and brilliant. Really kept me on the edge of my seat the entire play. A lot about Japanese culture can be seen through this whole journey and amazing way of highlighting the world's first novelist.

Absolutely fascinating and at times hilarious look at an ancient tale and the woman who brought it to life 1000 years ago. Julia Izumi has crafted an intelligent, completely original piece that makes me want to attempt to wade through The Tale of Genji (in English, of course). Brilliant!

I just finished reading this play in one furious delighted gulp. God--what a joy to find a play that explores a famous woman writer that actually frustrates the notions of "the woman writer" or legacy, or how one relates to their own art. I found this play so delightful and so then, so unexpectedly tender. I really hope to see this performed at some point.

Julia, manages to entertain and educate without force. Our lead character, Murasaki is a riot. And why wouldn't she be? She's a 1000 years old, she's earned that right. The inclusion of audience participation would be nice to see played out ... or not. Either way works. This was very different for me and sometimes different can be good. It was. Great job Julia and long live Murasaki!

Izumi crafts such a unique, quirky world. While the play makes me loud out loud (and hard), there are such beautiful moments that tear at the heart. The play poses such an important question - who's work are we remembering and why? I can't recommend the play enough.

This is the kind of play that feels like it started as a "If you could meet one famous dead person" writing prompt and became this moving and thoughtful reflection on art and legacy. These two lead roles are the kinds that actors dream about and Izumi is exploring so much about their identities as women and people of Asian descent. The theatre should be a place to here stories of people and achievements long forgotten as both a way to remember and connect with in our modern time.

Whip smart, vividly imagined, and dazzlingly funny. Where else might one find an exchange straight out of Laurel and Hardy between a harried bookstore manager and a 1,000 year-old Japanese novelist? The play also builds to an insightful meditation on the vagaries of reputation and representation. All in all, an astounding accomplishment that is deeply entertaining.

I can only endorse the previous recommendations for this delightfully droll but ultimately elegiac commentary on the nature of creativity and fame. Izumi has no end of fun upending the convention of the author meet-and-greet followed by a questions-and-answers session, or is it a question-and-answer session, or a Q+A (this interchange must be hilarious performed), and then a book-signing. But afterwards the tone changes to something more contemplative and evocative about the nature of art and fame. You will also learn the meaning of the word "amayadori" which has no equivalent in English.

I started reading, and my jaw dropped open with delight, and never closed again. Because the delights come fast and furious in Izumi's play, as the author of the first novel ever written finally makes an appearance and it is everything we could ever hope for. Hilarity reigns throughout but Izumi also asks what it means and why history has lost her name. MEET ... would be a standout on NPX if it only did these things. But it is further elevated by the lengthy debate over the proper phrasing of "question and answer session." This play is a gift.

I was first introduced to this original, delightful play at the Great Plains Theatre Conference, and was luckily enough to see in production in the NYC Fringe. This play is not only incredibly funny, it's deeply moving. I'm a huge fan of Murasaki and Julia Izumi!