• Bunraku: 酒屋、戻駕 (The Sake Shop, The Returning Palanquin)

2/11/24 (Sun), Tokyo

Bunraku has been homeless in Tokyo since the closure of the National Theater last October, leaving it to wander among venues. Today’s venue, a 1,249-seat theater, is way too big for puppets (the NT had around 800 seats), but I’ll take what I can get. They chose an audience-friendly three-part program of classics at just two hours or so each, a smart change from the usual two-part show of 4-5 hours each. This was the day’s second pairing. Continue reading →