I don't always watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but this being an unusual year and Japan being a unique country, I sat down last night to watch anyway. 

I am told that it was a pared-back version of what would have taken place if not for the coronavirus and I am thankful for that. It was simple and beautiful. Just what I expected. I was especially impressed with the Olympic rings which had been fashioned from the wood of trees planted after 1964 Tokyo Games, a lovely cyclical gesture so typical of the culture. I also loved the lotus-framed Olympic cauldron and the extraordinary world made up of drones, that hovered like an apparition about the stadium.

I often used to say to drama students, when they were puzzling over how to make a scene better, that less is more. It is a cliché now to say such a thing, but it remains true in many instances. Fill a simple spotlight on a bare floor with genuine commitment and belief, let the character within come to life, and you will create profound meanings.

Well done Japan.