Kabuki in NYC

Today Kabuki is considered one of the traditional forms of theater (along with Noh, Kyogen, and Bunraku) in Japan. It had its origins in the early 17th century. Okuni, a miko (Shinto shrine attendant) of Izumo Shrine, developed original dances and performed them in the dry river beds of Kyoto. She gathered together other women, children, and some men and formed a troupe. They became popular among the common people and rival troupes quickly formed. This version of Kabuki featured dancing and singing with less emphasis on drama.

However, this new form of theater soon became associated with immorality and prostitution. In 1629, the Onna (woman) Kabuki was banned. Kabuki with young men and boys quickly took its place, but it too became associated with immorality. In 1652, the Wakashu (young men) Kabuki was also banned. A couple of years after the ban, a third form of Kabuki developed. This was the Yaro (man or fellow) Kabuki, which became the basis for the current version of Kabuki.

The performers of this new version of Kabuki were under the watchful eyes of the authorities and could not rely on just physical charm to attract and keep the interest of the audience (as had the previous incarnations of Kabuki). Acting, writing, costumes, make-up, stage construction, etc. had to be developed and by the early 18th century, Kabuki had matured into a form similar to what we see today.

Later this month, Kabuki will be performed at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall. One of the actors, Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, was interviewed by Kateigaho International Edition magazine. As his name suggests, he is the 18th in the line of Nakamura Kanzaburo…the first lived in the late 16th to mid 17th century, when Kabuki was developed. It should be noted that not all who carried the name were blood relatives…some were adopted into the family.

The first half of the interview dealt mainly with his experiences at and memories of the Kabuki-za, the theater in Tokyo’s Ginza. The theater opened in 1889 and was destroyed twice…in the 1923 Kanto earthquake and in WWII during allied bombing. The building will soon undergo reconstruction.

Nakamura-sama was asked what ideas and requests he had for the new building. Here is an excerpt of his reply:

“…I’m vehemently opposed to a contemporary high-rise building. When I was little, there was a toy store at the Kabuki-za. That shows how common it was for theatergoers to bring their children. But today many people hesitate to bring them. Then, on the third floor there used to be an oden restaurant, serving vegetables and seafood slowly simmered in broth. True kabuki enthusiasts tend to flock to the third floor, not the first. Those regulars would get a little tipsy after a quick drink at the oden restaurant. They would go back to their seats and shout out the name of an actor’s yago, or house, at just the right moments: ‘Nakamura-ya!’. That’s what’s been so great about the Kabuki-za. I hope the new theater will have restaurants like that so it will attract all sorts of people.”

The second half of the interview was about the New York visit. This will actually be the second time he and his troupe have performed in New York. Incidentally, he helped establish the Heisei Nakamura-za, a temporary stage which recreates the feel of a traditional kabuki theater, and was used for the first New York performance. Nakamura-sama was asked about his feelings for the second visit:

“The second time is scarier, actually. The first time you are fearless because you don’t know what to fear. That’s scary, too, though, by the way. Anyway, the first time we could have shrugged our shoulders if the New York audiences had not responded to kabuki. We would have said, ‘Ah, well, foreigners are foreigners. What do they know?’. But this time we can’t very well say that, can we? It is on the record that New Yorkers did understand the pleasure of kabuki the first time. Their expectations will be higher the second time. We have to deal with this sort of pressure.”

This visit will feature Nakawa Shimesuke’s Hokaibo which is described in the Lincoln Center blurb as:

“…a work showcasing Kanzaburo as the central character, a rascal with the shaved head and garb of a priest, but the appetites and adventures of a cunning rogue.”

There will also be a single performance of Renjishi (The Lion Dance) which Nakamura-sama performs with his two sons. It is about a lion teaching his sons the lessons of survival. In the interview, he says:

“The dance number has a straightforward story line, and the choreography is spectacular, particularly when all three of us swing our heads in unison, swirling the body-length manes we wear. I guarantee the audiences will have great fun with that.”

As I mentioned earlier, this interview was from the Kateigaho International Edition magazine. It is from the current Summer 2007 issue. Unfortunately, there is no online version of the interview, but you can get more information about the magazine here…if you can read a copy at a book store or library, then I highly recommend it.

If you are in New York from July 16 thru July 22, 2007, you have the opportunity to see Kabuki:

• Event: Heisei Nakamrua-za (Kabuki)
• Where: Avery Fisher Hall in New York City

• Renjishi (The Three Lions)
• July 16, 2007 – 7:30 pm

• Hokaibo
• July 17 – 21, 2007 – 7:30pm
• July 18, 19, 21, 22 – 2:00 pm

• Information: Lincoln Center Website