My trip culminated in a performance that demonstrated Zeami’s theory about substance over function (see part 5) perfectly.  At Cocoon Theatre I saw a new adaptation of Sakura Hime written by Keishi Nagatsuka, directed by Kazuyoshi Kushida and starring Kanzaburo Nakamura.  The production transferred this famous Kabuki play to modern day South America.  It was visually arresting with vivid colours and fast scene changes, full of theatrical tricks and devices and contained a myriad of cultural influences from Brecht to Hollywood.  There were also certain influences from Kabuki; men played some of the female roles, actors pulled ‘mie’ faces, a bottle was struck which sounded like blocks of wood and the actors at times performed in a more stylized way.  The key, I believe, as to why this production was a success was because the Kabuki influence (and any other influence for that matter) was incorporated into the production.  No single element dominated and from this, a modern and relevant form emerged.  After the show, Kanzaburo-san told me that in previous years the shows at Cocoon Theatre have been more in the Kabuki style and that audiences had been a bit shocked by this production.  I hope they keep pushing this endeavour because from experiments like this we will succeed in transferring and updating our cultures and the result will be that we connect our present to our past and find a worthwhile understanding of ourselves.

And so I leave Japan affected by the deep and refined elements of the culture, inspired by the fascinating and talented people I met, refreshed by the energy and enthusiasm that I encountered and full of new ideas for my own future work.

FWW

Previous Installment- Part 5: Modern Japanese Theatre- a Myriad of Cultures

Share on Facebook