Shimin Kyogen Dec 7th;
Hanagata Kyogen Dec 21-23
With Sennojo’s passing, the Shigeyamas seem to be in a
holding pattern. They follow through with their varied performances, continue
to give solid, funny, individually-inflected shows, and attract their loyal
fans. But there are no wild experiments, no changes from twenty years ago, not
attempts to expand kyogen potential.
1Big Projects,
newsmaking events and special restorations are rarely to be seen. Same old,
same old, sometimes with tweaks not for the better. The shimin (civic) kyogen, a 4/year city-sponsored kyogen-only program
has been going for over 40 years. Inexpensive seats (once geared towards cinema
tickets, now twice that), unusual plays, and stakeholding public (I once saw a
vehement claim that the photographer’s pachipachi
sounds were disturbing them!).
But recently, the shows have
shifted to four plays in a row, rather than the 15 minute pre-show lecture
performed so ably by Sennojo, a mix of poking fun at the convention (bragging
rather than self-deprecating; attacking the low performance fees) and intimate
knowledge of history and performance conventions that would make the show a
pleasure. It functioned as a kind of makura,
pillow, used in rakugo to explain difficult words or old conventions. Instead,
the four plays follow each other without any introduction, and some might see
this as a bonus. But the play selection—three plays with drinking scenes, two
plays with similar structure and reliance on wordplay—show the quarterback is
asleep at the wheel on this. The hall was ½ empty on a cold December
day—something is changing. The current Sengoro looked tired, and even always
reliable Shime seemed a gray shadow of his normal self. It was up to Ippei, as
a proud and powerful Asahina warrior refusing to be pushed around by the
energetic and acrobatic Emma of Shigeru, that brought the show to life. Ippei
in these roles is more kabuki than kyogen, a booming voice and dynamic pose,
elegant form and exquisite timing. His buyo/kyogen recitals and other
experiments are now leading the way to the next phase of physical, dance-theatre
kyogen perhaps.
Hanagata Kyogen (Masakuni, Ippei, Shigeru, Doji), Dec 21-23
Furitsu Bunka
Geijutsu Kaikan
So it is up to the youngest generation to create new works. Hanagata kyogen has changed its name and
members at least three times: a stage for the 20-30 year olds to strut their
stuff away from the shadow of illustrious parents. It is always held pre-xmas,
with towels celebrating new year distributed at the end to frenzied hands;
afterwards actors pose with eager girls for photos. It is all about intimacy of
family players with their loyal fans.
They have done programs written
by Doji, then by all 5 (Motohiko, now in Czech for a year, joining) of 20
minute skits (konto). This time three
different authors take one day to show something new twist on kyogen and a
single genre.
Day 1 was Noh (I
missed it, so heard from Gondo-san!) Fukuro,
the Owl infestation, mixed with Kusabira,
the Mushroom proliferation, so that at the end of the play the stage was hopping
with scratching, hooting owl-spirits. Then a parody of noh Aoinoue, where the spirit of Rokujo is exorcised from the sleeping
Aoi. In noh a kimono substitutes for the ill woman; a real kyogen woman lay in
this one. The exorcism unsuccessful, the yamabushi failed exorcism theme of Fukuro was repeated with the two ladies’
battle.
Day 2 Kabuki This time the show opened with the
Kabuki Narukami parody. Powerpoint
slides projected (Shigeru spoke afterwards about how nervous he was to use
these, the first time apparently).
The story of the Wizard, slighted at court, who captures the dragon-god
creating a drought, before the charming Taemahime seduces him, releases the
dragon, bringing rain on the country is recounted.
The curtain then opened to
reveal the waterfall, straw rope (nawa)
fallen, stairs leading to it bare, from the escaped dragon. The sound of monsoon-like
rainfall. The white/black cloud Servants stare bleakly from the veranda of the
temple. “Nothing to do but wait.” “Yes, nothing to be done but wait.” Yes, this
is Beckettean take, with the Wizard, angry at his folly and the rain, has holed
up and refused to come out for three months. But the servants are hungry,
sharing some mochi, the other foods all moldy from incessant rains, mt roads
impassable, no food in sight. Nothing to do but wait.
Then
an improbably dressed tanuki-suited Masakuni appears. He apparently collects
monies as the God of the mts., but takes off his mask and shows a large bag of
goodies won at pachinko. He offers them a can of salmon for the wizard, then
goes home for a beer. The two debate whether to eat it, then bring it to Wizard
(offstage) who throws it back out, they sit despondent.
Taemahime
returns, herself re-enacting the scene (Shigeru, although Kataoka Hidetaro, a
famous onnagata, is named in program!) climbs and falls down repeatedly. The
servants chat that she seems to be obsessed with this since the release,
repeating it every day for three months. But the Wizard says just repeating
things is useful, over and over.
She
leaves and a real Mt. God, in mask, dances—the rains stop. The two servants
prod each other to get supplies in town. “We should go.” “You should go.” “OK,
I guess I’ll go.” (he does not move) Curtain
Playful
and redeemed by cute Doji and Ippei, this is a fluff of a parody, only funny if
you know Narukami and Godot, but seemed to get enough laughs
at odd moments (imagining eating the canned salmon) and badger-belly Motohiko
(afterwards, “this is my 3rd time; won’t need padding next time). Gondo
remembered fifty years ago, when Sensaku and the late Sennojo appeared with tv
actors in LIVE versions of plays including Narukami; no record survives. For TV
Asahi in Tokyo.
After
a break, standard kyogen Boshibari,
Sengoro’s master a little wobbly to Ippei and Motohiko’s servants.
Professional, but pretty standard. I was surprised at the laugh—ahaha, rather
than hahaha. This was a filler piece, nothing to do with evening, just crowd-pleaser,
but possibly the wrong crowd: it was rote and no theme (except repression and
escape) with rest.
Kaminari, but performed without backdrop pine of previous. The tale
of the Thundergod, fallen to earth and hip in pain, saved by acupuncture of
quack dr. Updated to more modern language in parts, (I am an Isshi (dr.); Stones can’t speak! No, a
dr.!) more acrobatic taking of needle, but otherwise no perceptible variations
til end. Instead of the “800 years of no drought” song and dance typically
ending the play with a leap into the sky, the Dr. was instructed to sing a
simple ditty, Kagyu style, while clapping and dancing, while the Thundergod
danced into the sky. But when thunder and lightning (they used stage lighting
and offstage rumbles), he was frightened, and the Dr. chases him off wondering,
“who ARE you anyway?”
Throwing towels far and wide to
grasping hands, then posing for photos at bottom of stairs out of the hall. Wives
and staff faithfully manning the calendar/book sales.
Day 3 Rakugo.
Akira has worked with Rakugen
meldings for many years, and the playful re-adaptations of the spoken stories
with kyogen action is usually an easy, lazy in-joke for mixed audiences. Here,
the program consisted of Kaketori
2012, I suppose based on a rakugo tale.
End of year, paying debts. A
tenant can’t pay his rent so his wife assures him that he can fool the landlord
by answering in noh song, since the landlord loves to practice noh. When he
does, the landlord answers likewise (like Yobikoe),
and is sent on a wild kyunomai dance
to the wife’s flute sofleggio (screaming the sounds) and taiko/okawa imitation by koken.
Maruishi was hilarious as the landlord, leaping about the stage before riding
off on his horse on the hanamichi, Psi
gangnam style. Then came the sake store owner Masakuni who the tenant
remembered called himself the Demachi “Julie” (Sawada Kenji, pop singer). Suddenly a mirrorball dropped and Ippei
belted out, to audience clapping along, snatches of song, with Masakuni getting
a hat and responding, then dancing off. Wife decides to go to a department
store where she can get away with Julie imitation if husband practices at
karaoke. Big in-jokes, lost on me. It was fun and fluffy, acted in the relaxed
style of new kyogen, letting the occasional breaking of character for a laugh
erupt, to audience affection.
Honekawa was a traditional Ribs and Skin
kyogen, but played a little dark by Akira and Doji. The older priest gives his temple
to his acolyte, retiring to meditate, telling him to treat parishioners well.
When one comes to borrow an umbrella the acolyte gives him the best, newest one
of head priest. Thinking he’d be praised, he tells the priest, who scolds him,
telling him to next time excuse himself with, “it got broken to skin and ribs
during storm, so I stuck it in the roof.” When another parishioner needs to
borrow a horse, acolyte repeats roof-sticking story, puzzled parishioner
leaves. Priest again scolds: tell him the horse is thin and put out to pasture,
lying in stall eyes ago.” But when another parishioner invites him and head
priest to feast, acolyte repeats story w head priest in pain. The priest throws
him down, and he rises to throw down priest. As the curtain comes down, Doji made a peace sign, ruining the
moment (for me) of a refined, classical kyogen as is.
An
accomplished performance, using light (with no pine backdrop) for stage, just
square for Head priest in meditation, another for entrance of each supplicant,
and middle for Doji. Dark lighting throughout, brown chiarascuro.
The famous rakugo ? was staged by four actors. Without much
action, it was rather a reserved and melodramatic kyogen, but worked because of
its simplicity and sincere acting.
A
young shop master is summoned by a steward: he has used up so many incense
sticks (determining payment) for a geisha lover that the family is nearly
bankrupt. They held a meeting and thought of what to do,and finally agreed he
should beg on the street. When the young man begs the steward to reconsider, he
locks him in a storehouse for 100 days. Letters begin arriving from the girl,
shown in fast-forward with Doji taking them out of his sleeve one after the
other. After 100 days, the steward releases the young man, who vows his
obedience and calmed desires. He only wants to go to temple to pray before greeting
his parents. The steward tests him w last letter, sent after 80 days, before
she gave up, but the young man is
unmoved. But when out of sight, he rushes to her home, to see her face a
moment. Her mother leads him to the Butsudan, where her samisen sits—she passed
away weeks ago after not wanting to eat anything and pining away. When they
brought in her samisen, she tried to play and collapsed. As the young man
realizes what he’s done, he lights an incense stick to pray for her and they
hear the sound of the plaintive samisen and singing. It suddenly stops in the
middle of his favorite tune and he realizes, “the stick has burned down” (her
time with him is over). Fadeout.
This
was a challenging piece and bravely conceived and directed by Doji, but then
Chiori, the pseudo-poet, came on mournfully, with a reader reciting a maudlin
poem of longing to a departed lover, drinking a beer to his health. Ridiculous.
Again
towels and desperate calendar sales, photos and the end of another night. Oh
yes, when he came out for his curtain call, Masayoshi/Sengoro sang as mirrored
ball descended, a serious pop ballad. Family familiar fun.
Comments