Usagi Yojimbo at The Southwark Theatre

A YOUNG boy darts past me waving an imaginary sword at his father, shouting 'I am Usagi' as I walk away from the Southwark Playhouse's adaptation of cartoonist Stan Sakai's anthropomorphic samurai epic Usagi Yojimbo.

Usagi Yojimbo - adapted for stage by Stewart Melton and directed by Amy Draper - pulls together a number of stories from Sakai's 30 year run on the comic, to tell the tale of how a young Miyamoto Usagi was trained in Bushido, the code of the samurai, a way of life which places honour, loyalty and chivalry above all else.

It's a wonderful, joyful production, beautifully crafted, and a fitting tribute to a man who has dedicated decades of his life to entertaining fans, is regularly mentioned as a favourite of fans, fellow creators and critics alike, and is generally recognised as one of the nicest guys in the business.

One would hope too, that even amid Sakai's recent personal tragedy, he would take some pleasure in the obvious enjoyment of the children I saw introduced to his characters and their world during Saturday's matinee performance. 

However, on this occasion credit must be shared, because a lot more than just one man's passion for his cast, the period of history they inhabit, and for the stories he crafts within that world, goes towards making this a magical experience and one I highly recommend comics fans, theatre fans, families and just anyone with a healthy curiosity, enjoys before the show ends its run in January.

Everything comes together, the set, the costume design, the music, the actors, the direction and the projected animation that accompanies, and occasionally takes over, the proceedings, make this a project worthy of the very high pedestal I place its source material on.

I actually learnt about the performance, in a roundabout way, from the man himself, but to tell that story I need to step a little further back. 

I've been reading Usagi Yojimbo for as long as I have been a comics fan. 

It's been, potentially, the only constant in my standing order since I first set one up and if I had to go down to only one book a month tomorrow, it's the one I would keep.

I've never had the honour of meeting Sakai, as far as I'm aware he hasn't been to the UK for a convention, and I have never been out of the UK for one.

But I'm lucky enough to have a very close friend - who has probably had to listen far more than is reasonable to me waxing lyrical about Usagi's adventures - who was kind enough to spend a long time in line at a convention to meet Sakai and get me a signed sketch, the best gift anyone ever gave me and the pride and joy of my comic collection.

I had no idea it was coming because they kept it a surprise but when it arrived my friend told me about meeting Sakai, how lovely he had been and telling him about me, the fan on the other side of the ocean he was drawing for. 

He was so nice in fact, my friend stood in line again earlier this year, to meet Sakai again and tell him how grateful I was for my gift.

That's when Sakai said a London theatre company was adapting Usagi and I should try to see it.

Even though events on the day conspired to make me late for the show, The kind staff at the Playhouse found it in their hearts to sneak me in to the back of the room.

Thankfully, I didn't miss much, and as I settled into my chair I was immediately transfixed, so much so that it was 20 minutes before I realised I was still holding my rucksack. 

The first thing we see as the world of Usagi Yojimbo starts to come alive is the set, a raised stage surrounded on three sides by tiered seating and decorated around the edges with bamboo.

Behind the stage, a musician sits surrounded by instruments (more on him later) and above him and across the back of the room hang bamboo poles cut to different lengths giving the impression of a mountain range. 

The stage itself has a number of trapdoors built into it, almost like the panels of a comic, and indeed a projection from above reinforces that impression, with hand drawn rectangles of varying sizes giving the stage the feel of a page from one of Sakai's comics. 

The trapdoors are opened and closed throughout to reflect changes in the scenery and to reveal various props. 

Actual artwork - backgrounds from Sakai's comics - are projected on the wall at the back of the theatre and on the stage floor.

For most of the play, this is a simple background, a field with mountains in the background, the beautiful familiar lines and hatching a lovely touch to remind the fans whose world we are a guest in.

But the production doesn't stop there and at various points, projections turn the stage floor into a stream and a mountain for the cast to climb, allow ravens to fly across the background and in one truly memorable scene lets a kite carried by one of the cast take to the air, floating on the breeze, and eliciting an audible gasp from a captivated audience.

In Sakai's version of 17th Century Edo, his cast are all animals - with rabbits, cats, foxes, pigs, bats, snakes, racoons, dogs and many more joining the comic's cast over the years - and this production remains loyal to that, recreating the look of the characters with a smattering of facepaint and in most cases, a pair of distinctive ears to distinguish the animal. 

It's deceptively simple, much like Sakai's artwork, and creates a strong visual impression, which combined with the costume design (also true to the comics), adds a few more bricks to the world the play builds around us. 

At this point I've gone far too long without mentioning the cast, who do so much to weave a spell on the audience and take us into the hearts and souls of the characters.

It's clear a passion for the source material has been translated to the cast members who take to the stage with confidence and vigour throughout, playing beautifully to the younger members of the audience and carrying so much of the weight of the story's moral compass on their shoulders.

Jonathan Raggett takes the character of Usagi on a spectacular emotional journey, beginning as a young naive boy, demonstrably petulant and sulky, confused and frustrated throughout his complex relationship with the eccentric hermit Katsuichi, who he pleads to train him, the ever present romantic tension between him and childhood friend Mariko, and then the man he becomes, honourable, brave  and loyal - the very embodiment of Bushido.

As Usagi's boyhood rival, Kenichi, Siu Hun Li brings some levity to the story, the tug-of-war between the two resonating with all ages in the audience and often drawing laughter.

Haruka Kuroda as Mariko is no slouch either, matching both the male leads in her performance just as her character matches them in play as a child and as an adult understanding duty and honour before either of her two friends do. 

The supporting cast, who between them handle most of the rest of the characters bring the same spirit and passion to their work, with Dai Tabuchi and Amy Ip stealing several scenes as the mysterious Katsuichi, a particularly disgruntled innkeeper, Usagi's mother, Lord Mifune and a variety of bandits and ne'er-do-wells. 

Last but not least, it would be a travesty not to mention Joji Hirota, whose score throughout is sublime, effectively creating the changing moods of the play and allowing the grim reality of a battlefield to come to life as easily as he does the carefree play of children.

Usagi Yojimbo was an emotional experience for me for a number of reasons. 

Hearing Sakai's sad news earlier this week broke my heart and I felt an ache to do something to honour him, to say thank you for the decades of enjoyment he has given me. 

Obviously that is not possible, but going to see Usagi Yojimbo and sitting for 80 minutes in the world he created, watching his stories captivate children not much younger than I was when I first discovered it, certainly helped.

I hope people will make the effort to go and see the show because it is truly wonderful, brought tears to my eyes more than once, filled me with joy many, many times, made me think about the choices we make, the paths we take and how the children we were echo in the people we become.

But mostly it made me grateful for a man who gave his time, his energy and his passion to entertain me for 30 years. 

I can never repay that and I doubt I can really express it, but I am eternally grateful. 

Dear Stan, 

thank you so much xx

Usagi Yojimbo is on at The Southwark Playhouse from now until January 4. Performances are 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 7:00pm and tickets are ridiculously cheap at £18 with a £60 family ticket. You can find out more and book here http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/the-large/usagi-yojimbo/