KABUKI

Yesterday we started by fulfilling one of my childhood dreams: seeing Kabuki theatre in Japan. Ever since I first learned about Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku theatre styles in my junior high theatre class when I was 11 years old, I have been fascinated by the masks, costumes, traditions and incredibly exacting physicality of these art forms.

I can happily report that seeing the real thing vastly exceeded all of my wildest expectations. Here's our own little troupe on our way in:

Here's a little info about Kabuki, if you're interested. The story we say, Shunkan was about a Buddhist priest who is exiled with two compatriots to an island after plotting to kill the wicked king. After living on the island for many years on the island in utter deprivation, the king declares a general pardon and send a boat to the island to retrieve the penitents. But Shunkan, after finding out that his beloved wife has killed herself in the imperial capitol, decides to remain on the island as a symbol of ultimate self-sacrifice. The final moment of the play consisted of Shunkan alone on the island (as the stage turned and shifted around him; AMAZING technical stage tricks!) and he gave a final scream of tragic loss before becoming silent and posing at the top of a cliff, surrounded by the sea.

By far the coolest part of this stunning performance was the tradition of audience members yelling out the performer's stage name during especially touching/passionate/powerfully-acted moment of the piece. So Shunkan would nail a particularly poignant line, and from different parts of the house patrons would yell out: "Narikomaya!!!!!"

It was totally surprising and bracing and FANTASTIC! Imagine if during the To Be or Not to Be speech in Hamlet, audience members would shout the actor's name after he spoke a line well. It made it feel like a mixture between a sporting event and an opera, the 'bravo's" replaced with the actor's name. So cool.

Afterward, high on the experience, we took a stroll through the gallery on the third floor to check out the famous Kabuki actors of yore. Many of them are born into famous acting families, and take the names of their forefathers, hence Nakamura the 11th and such. Here's another glimpse:

Theatre!