In a land far away a stranger is washed up near an isolated fishing village. Unable to understand his language or why he looks so different, the villagers decide he is a demon and must be destroyed. Only one woman, also an outcast, befriends him. Shot through with wit, ingenuity and sly humour, it reveals the conflict between compassion and suspicion in a closed community.

Hideki Noda is Japan's foremost writer, director and actor. This production of Red Demon, which opens at the Young Vic in January 2003, is his European English language premiere.