• Kabuki: 魚屋宗五郎、太刀盗人 (Sogoro the Fishmonger, The Sword Thief)

10/17/20 (Sat), National Theater

I haven’t been to Kabuki since January because of this dumb pandemic as well as the ridiculously foreshortened offerings at the Kabukiza since their August reopening – they really expect us to spend ¥8,000 for shows lasting  little more than half an hour?? They’re out of their minds. The National Theater restart is short by its standards but still a full 2.5 hours, making it a much more attractive option.* The morning show featured a newly written skit about a pandemic in Edo where actors sneak into a closed theater during a long shutdown and perform their favorite roles. I saw Koshiro, today’s performer, do something similar in Las Vegas years ago and am still traumatized. In contrast, the afternoon show featured the audience favorite Sogoro the Fishmonger as its main offering with the reliable Kikugoro, who’s been playing the role for decades. I haven’t seen it in years, so I decided to go for it.

Sogoro: The fishmonger Sogoro hears that his sister, serving as lady-in-waiting to a lord, has been killed for an illicit affair. His family is incensed and wants to avenge her death, but he says there is nothing they can do given her offense. Then they receive a visit from another lady-in-waiting who worked with the sister and wants to pay her respects. She reveals that the sister was framed by a jealous retainer and was in fact innocent. Sogoro, unnerved, breaks his sobriety vows and begins drinking the sake that the woman has brought as a gift. One drink leads to another, and he resorts to various comical tricks to sneak another cup. He becomes increasingly distraught as he gets more inebriated, fighting off the family as they try to keep him from the alcohol. Finally he knocks them all over and runs out to take revenge on the lord – not a good idea in those days. The wife runs frantically after him. The next part is rather convoluted, but, in a twist that could only have been dreamed up in the Meiji Era when it was safe to do so, the lord actually emerges and apologizes for his actions. This unlikely resolution has been taken as the author’s criticism of the old feudal system that allowed lords pretty much to kill at random.

Nevertheless, the first half is a great showcase for actors, and Kikugoro was in full command in one of his signature roles. This was a good choice as one of the theater’s opening shows. He got especially robust support from Tokizo as the wife, but the entire cast did solid work. A big crowd pleaser.

Tachi Nusubito: A Kyogen-based play. A thief spots a countryman in a crowded market and manages to get his hands on a man’s sword, which he claims as his own. A passing judge adjudicates the situation. As the judge asks the countryman the details of the sword, the thief sneakily eavesdrops and then provides the same answer. The judge is stumped. He then asks them to dance, as one does, at which the thief, trying to mimic the samurai, moves clumsily one step behind. In the end, the thief is unmasked. The show was mildly amusing though, as with most Kyogen, rather repetitive. Shoroku was fine, doing what he could with an exaggerated role.

*I was later told that the National Theater has unusually large dressing rooms for a Tokyo theater, allowing the actors and others to maintain their social distancing backstage. The theater is thus able safely to feature two shows in one program. Kabukiza, despite being rebuilt just ten years ago (on admittedly limited space), has a more crowded configuration. That’s not a problem normally, but under the pandemic, each separate show’s staff — actors, musicians, assistants, etc. — is forced to wait outside until the previous show’s staff has cleared out. That apparently makes it difficult to get two shows set up within a reasonable period. Still, I would think they could at least choose longer individual shows for the money they’re charging. Let’s hope they figure things out in the months ahead.