New Year at the Osaka Shochikuza, with kadomatsu pine decorations setting an auspicious, festive mood. But what struck me even more was the crowd drawn by the “Nizatama” duo. A glorious full house! I took in this reunion, their first in 19 years, from a seat on the east side. Yes, today was wonderful again.
What is the “Nizatama” duo?
Nizatama is the affectionate fan nickname for Kataoka Nizaemon and Bando Tamasaburo. This Osaka Shochikuza appearance was their first together there in 19 years, so the hall was buzzing before the curtain rose. from the New Year’s festivity to the long-awaited return of the duo, the auspiciousness was doubled.
The program had two pieces: a Nanboku play featuring Dote no Oroku and Kimon no Kihei, followed by the Kiyomoto dance Kanda Matsuri. One pair is mischievous, the other stylish, so the contrast was part of the pleasure.
A performance this lavish… if I could, I would come every single day.
From a seat on the east side
My seat this time was on the east side. The Osaka Shochikuza does not have sajiki box seats, the special seats running along both sides of the theatre, but my seat was right about in which the box seats would be. It looks at the stage from a slight angle, and because it is a little raised, the view is clear and very easy to watch from.
Box seats are really built as seats for two, so for a solo outing they can feel a bit daunting, but this seat at the Osaka Shochikuza is easy to pick even when you are on your own.
Kadomatsu decorating the entrance, that New Year’s auspiciousness. But, and I will say it as many times as it takes, even more than that: people, people, people. The Nizatama effect is something to behold.
So natural you cannot even register how amazing it is
The first piece, “Osome Hisamatsu Ukina no Yomiuri,” is a story about a couple who get up to no good. Tamasaburo plays Dote no Oroku, a role of the type known as an “akuba,” and Nizaemon plays Kimon no Kihei, a husband dripping with dangerous charm.
And here is what struck me as I watched. The give-and-take between the two is so perfectly in sync, like a real married couple, that it almost feels too natural. It is that state of “it is so natural you cannot even register how amazing their chemistry is.” Does that make sense? It is so natural that even the fact “this is an incredible thing” stops registering as you watch. An important point, so I said it twice (laugh).
The kind of place, I suppose, you only reach after being a duo for so many years.
The long-awaited “Kanda Matsuri”
The second piece, “Kanda Matsuri,” is a dance in which a dashing chief of a firefighting troop and an alluring geisha dance together, close and companionable, amid the bustle of a festival. From the difficult couple of the first piece, a complete switch; this time a gorgeous, affectionate pair.
Truth is, I had never seen this piece before, so I went in with sky-high expectations. And it turned out even better than I had hoped. I was moved. Nizaemon was just too cool (laugh). Can you believe he is in his eighties? Talent and skill, of course, but beyond that, I felt he must put in so much daily effort. Then again, maybe it really is talent.
Wrapping up
I had meant to slot in a quick bit of theatre from lunch to dinner; the running time was fairly compact, too. And yet, by the time it was over I was so completely satisfied that I was wiped out (laugh). But what a thoroughly satisfying afternoon at the Osaka Shochikuza it was. On the way home, maybe some udon at Dotonbori Imai.
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