Nobuko Albery
Nobuko Albery (born 1940) is a Japanese author and theatrical producer and the widow of noted English theatrical impresario, Sir Donald Albery.
Early life
She was born Nobuko Uenishi in Kobe, Japan, the daughter of parents Keiji and Sodako. She attended Waseda University and later New York University from 1961 to 1963 where she received her Masters in drama.
International flavor
Through her theater work she helped to bring several adaptations of Western plays to Japan, beginning in 1963 with Gone with the Wind. Other plays include: Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Les Misérables (1987), Oscar (1994), as well translator into Japanese of Oliver! (1968) and Miss Saigon (1992).
Despite being a native of Japan, she has lived abroad most of her life and considers herself an outsider to Japan. This enabled her to bring a different perspective to theatre in Japan by challenging how plays are produced there and what Japanese audiences will respond to.
Bibliography
- Samurai (1969 - under the name Nobuko Morris, co-authored with Ivan Morris and Paul Varley)
- Balloon Top (1978)
- The House of Kanze (1985)
- Absurd Courage (1987)
- Japanese Pride and Prejudice (2002)
References
- The Times, September 28, 1994, Michael Church, "Just a Girl Who Can't Say Noh," p. 32