The revolving stage turned slowly, and Somegoro and Sakon — leaning against each other — drifted gently into the dark backstage. That single scene alone made the whole evening worth it. As always, today was the best.
What was on the evening program
The evening program had two pieces. First came the dance “Iwau Haru Kobiki no Nigiwai.” After that was the full-length play “Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami.” The latter had two cast patterns: A-cast / B-cast. I attended a B-cast day.
“Iwau Haru Kobiki no Nigiwai” is a short 17-minute dance set in the Heian court, opening the evening with a celebratory mood. …having said all that, I barely remember it (laughs). Sorry 🙇
Here for Somegoro and Sakon
The truth is, I came that day for Ichikawa Somegoro (playing Jusaburo) and Onoe Sakon (playing Otose).
“Sannin Kichisa” is the story of three bandits — Ojo Kichisa, Obo Kichisa, and Osho Kichisa — who swear an oath of brotherhood. Running quietly beneath their story is the tragic romance of Osho Kichisa’s sister Otose and a young shop clerk named Jusaburo. The catch is that the two of them fall in love before realizing they are actually twin siblings. A setup heavy with karma, to put it mildly.
The B-cast had Bando Minosuke as Osho Kichisa, Nakamura Tokizo as Ojo Kichisa, and Nakamura Hayato as Obo Kichisa. A ridiculously luxurious lineup. I do love it when Tokizo plays these slightly wicked women.
Sakon, way too adorable
Sakon (I privately call him “Sakonnu”) has, in my view, the most beautiful face among the onnagata (female-role specialists) of his generation. The delicacy of his movements, his slender build, the way his whole figure just narrows softly upward. I’ve always told myself I love onnagata, but watching him I realized I love them even more than I thought.
Otose is a yotaka (a streetwalker of the lowest class) — robbed of 100 ryo by Ojo Kichisa, pushed into the river, and ultimately… well. She has a hard time of it from start to finish. And yet, when she’s lost in her romance with Jusaburo, she’s so endearing that you can’t help rooting for her. Instead of feeling the weight of her karma, my heart kept reaching toward “the young woman in love right in front of me.”
Somegoro’s Jusaburo was, well, just handsome (laughs). No further comment needed. Just handsome. So this is what people mean by “picture-perfect.”
The revolving stage took me away
And then there was that scene I can’t forget. After the two of them learn the truth about their fate, they stand pressed close together, and the revolving stage carries them quietly into the dark behind. Slowly. Gently.
Rather than showing their death directly, the staging sets them on the revolving floor and ushers them — out of the light and into darkness, from life toward death — without a single dramatic gesture. Watching the two I had been cheering for get pulled into that final darkness was unbearably sad. There must have been music too, but I have absolutely no memory of it. (Was there, actually? Anyone remember? I, for one, recall nothing whatsoever.)
About the seat, and Kabukiza at night
For the record, my seat was a “hanayoko tochiri” — a special-tier seat near the hanamichi walkway. And yet, “Is this really a premium section?” — quite a few seats around me were empty. The person right next to me showed up, but the one beyond them didn’t. Weekday evenings at Kabukiza apparently leave some premium seats open. Roomy is nice, but honestly, I prefer a full house.
Come to think of it, the front entrance was strangely deserted when I arrived before the show too. The front of Kabukiza, this quiet? Unusual. Why, though? Just a coincidence? Was the space-time fabric warped? This is Ginza, you know? (Higashi-Ginza, technically.)
By contrast, after the show, the night-time Kabukiza had its usual buzz, with the red paper lanterns glowing beautifully. Kabukiza at night really is something special.
Wrapping up
There were two intermissions, but somehow I didn’t eat a thing! Was I somehow dieting? Somegoro and Sakon must have pulled me in so deeply that I forgot I was hungry… maybe I really was on a diet. I didn’t even get the medetai-yaki (the Kabukiza fish-shaped sweet) — was I just too lazy to climb up to the third floor (laughs)? Dieting is annoying, isn’t it 😂
The fun of kabuki is that the same play feels like an entirely different work depending on the cast. I missed Shoroku’s A-cast this time, so — looking forward to seeing him next time!
Related Links
コメント