For those who know me, my love of musical theatre is no
secret (although I suspect that many of my friends wish it were – my sporadic
solo renditions of the entire RENT score never seem to go down as well as I
would have hoped). I enjoy all kinds
of musical theatre and take any opportunity I can to see a performance –
basically, if there is singing and dancing used to tell a story, I want to see
it. Luckily for me, Japan has it’s
own special brand of musical theatre, Kabuki (which is probably more akin to musical theatre’s older cousin, Opera,
but it’s music in a theatre nevertheless).
Kabuki is a theatrical art that originated in Kyoto in the
early 1600s. Performers use a combination of music, dance, puppetry and
elaborate costume to convey tales of historical or social drama to their
audience. In the early days of
Kabuki, performing casts were comprised entirely of women. The seductive dance routines (and the
fact that many Kabuki performers were said to moonlight as prostitutes)
attracted the attention of scores of male admirers, which eventually led to a
nation-wide ban on female performers.
Since then, Kabuki has been a man’s world, so to speak, with male
actors, known as Onnagata playing female
roles. The Onnogata and their
flawless portrayal of female characters are one of Kabuki’s most distinguishing
features.
While in Tokyo, I learnt that Japan’s largest and most
prestigious Kabuki theatre, Kaubki-za, is set to close its doors for 3 years at
the end of April 2010 – to be demolished and rebuilt as a high-rise structure
that will house a new theatre, a Kabuki academy and business offices. Feelings on this are quite mixed; many
are opposed the closure of this Tokyo icon – particularly when it is to be
replaced with such a modern structure.
Others support the change and look to a strengthened future of Kabuki in
a new and more functional building.
A series of gala performances have been held over the past
12 months to commemorate the closure.
I attended one such show called ‘Tsumeo’ (The Talons of the King) – a simple and beautiful story about a
falconer and his efforts at training a young falcon. The falcon gets seriously injured in an encounter with a fox
and the distraught falconer nurses her back to health. When her health has been restored, the
falconer re-commences training and she once again faces the fox. In a dramatic, colourful and perfectly
choreographed scene that comprises elements of both dance and martial arts, the
two animals battle each other revealing, through some very impressive costume
effects, their true colours and strength.
If you’re in Tokyo before the end of April this year, try to get along
to for a show before the curtain falls for the final time on this iconic
theatre.
