夏祭浪花鑑 (The Summer Festival) (Cocoon Kabuki)

As my fourth straight show in the annual Cocoon Kabuki series (held at Shibuya’s Theatre Cocoon), this had a very familiar ring. I’ve seen this much-performed show in both its Kabuki and Bunraku versions, and remember especially vividly the great climactic scene, where the guy murders his father and quickly disposes of the body in the mud as the festival procession approaches. I ended up with seats on the floor – literally on the floor in traditional style, since there were no normal seats left for the afternoon show. But for all the discomfort, it’s more fun to be down close to the stage, and these particular seats, evidently the house seats (exactly the same as last year), are right at the equivalent of the key 7-3 spot on the hanamichi. So I wasn’t too unhappy with the arrangements.

The show was as fun as ever in its usual crowd-pleasing style, and the production was professional. But I had a slight feeling of déjà vu, a feeling that this was becoming somewhat formulaic. Continue reading →

Cocoon Kabuki: 三人吉三  (Sannin Kichisa)

23 June 2007 (Sat), Tokyo

My third straight year to see Kanzaburo’s annual Cocoon Kabuki series in Shibuya’s Theater Cocoon, which turns away from the overly reverent traditional staging of Kabuki classics in an effort to bring back the raucous atmosphere of the old Edo Era days. This year was Mokuami’s venerable 1860 drama Sannin Kichisa, which I’d seen a few times in the past. It’s a much-revived show, especially the scene along the river when the three Kichisas meet, and includes some of the most famous speeches and set pieces in all of Kabuki. It seems a good choice for the Cocoon series given its populist touch and the grotesquery of certain of its characters. The show was as usual sold out, but I managed to get a couple of seats on the floor right next to the makeshift hanamichi. I guess it was an authentic way to watch Kabuki and not as crippling as I had imagined, but I think I’d rather spend the three-hours-plus on a chair. Continue reading →