This month I went to the Kabukiza Theatre using a “flat-rate theatregoing service”. My seat was in the front row of the second floor, veeeeery far to the right side. Watching a ghost story at the Kabukiza in summer, I learned that greedy humans are far scarier than any ghost🫨 As always, it was another wonderful day at the theatre.
What Is the August Program (Noryo Kabuki)?
Held at the Kabukiza Theatre every August, the “Noryo Kabuki” (literally “cool-of-summer kabuki”) is a summer tradition performed in three parts, making it easy to drop in for just one. This year’s Part 1 is the full-length play Kaidan Botan Doro (“The Ghost Story of the Peony Lantern”), based on a celebrated rakugo story by San’yutei Encho.
To the Second-Floor Front Row with a Flat-Rate Subscription
This time I used the Shochiku Kabuki Club’s “flat-rate theatregoing service”. For a fixed monthly fee, you can choose from the available seats on the second floor, even the boxed sajiki seats. The catch: bookings open only one week before the performance date, and by telephone only. For popular productions the good seats can be long gone, and when that happens I simply give up and buy a regular ticket instead (laughs).
My seat this time was in row 1 of the second floor, on the far right. The stage is a little distant, but I could still see the shichisan point of the hanamichi runway. Not bad at all, as it turns out. Opera glasses, however, are essential.
Scarier Than Ghosts: Humans
If I had to sum up Kaidan Botan Doro in one line: the greedy humans are scarier than the ghosts.
What made me laugh hardest was the back-and-forth from Minosuke Bando as Tomozo to Ukon Onoe as his wife Omine. Whether they were squabbling over money or spiralling into jealousy, their comic timing was flawless. I honestly believe Ukon understands funny timing on some animal level, leaping straight past reason to pure instinct. A creature that simply knows what’s funny? Truly, what a genius.
Koshiro Matsumoto played two roles: the storyteller San’yutei Encho, who narrates the tale, and the packhorse driver Kyuzo. His Encho scenes, framed by the stage design, were strikingly picturesque, and then his Kyuzo had the whole house laughing. That range is exactly what I love about Koshiro.
And then there was Tatsunosuke Onoe as the ghost Otsuyu. Utterly adorable, every single time. The way she beckoned with her ghostly hands sent chills down my spine, and yet she was so lovely that I found myself thinking, “if it’s this darling girl doing the haunting, go ahead and haunt me” … (absolutely not the right takeaway). Somegoro Ichikawa as Shinzaburo, the man cursed to death, was so handsome it was a feast for the eyes. By my next visit to the Kabukiza the stage photos should be on sale, and I’m already plotting a purchase💕
A Pitch-Dark Theatre, and an Unexpected Chill
One thing that struck me: the auditorium stays dark almost the entire time. The performance starts at 11 in the morning, yet moments in, everything goes pitch black. “What time is it even?!” (laughs) Occasionally light spilled over the audience, and each time I felt oddly relieved.
The lighting on the ghosts, though, is veeeery restrained, which made Tatsunosuke rather hard to see, my one lament. A little brighter, please…? Though I suppose ghosts don’t work that way😂
The torrential rain scene was another wonderfully cooling touch, perfect for a summer ghost story. The funny thing is, after days of brutal heat, the day I attended happened to be a rare 25°C! Watching “cool-of-summer” kabuki on a day that needed no cooling at all: a neat little punchline. To everyone in the front rows: do take care not to catch a cold…
Intermission with a Kitcho Bento
During the interval I had a bento from Kitcho🍱 The portion was neither too much nor too little, the perfect balance. The fish and the futomaki sushi roll were delicious, but the thing that made me happiest was the boiled egg🥚 So good!
Final Thoughts
The chill of the ghosts, the greed of the humans, a married couple’s hilarious banter, and an Otsuyu almost too adorable to fear. Part 1 was packed to the brim.
Next up was Part 2, so I waited in the lobby. The luxury of a full day at the Kabukiza continues. Bliss~
