December Program at the Kabukiza Theatre||KABUKI WEB

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December Program at the kabukiza

December Program at the Kabukiza Theatre

Daily: Dec 05 (Mon) - Dec 26 (Mon), 2022

Matinee:11:00 AM

Evening Show: 4:00 PM

*No Matinee and Evening Show on the 12th (Mon) and 19th (Mon).
*Reserved seats are sold out on the 15th (Thu) for Matinee, on the 11th (Sun) for Evening Show.

[Important Notice]
●Notice about the Kabukiza Theatre’s operations from October 2022
●Precautionary Measures at the Kabukiza Theatre

(Updated)Notification of the absence of Matsumoto Hakuō for the Evening show of the December performances (Dec 26)

(Updated)Notification of the absence and cast replacement of Bandō Yajūrō for the Evening show of the December performances (Dec 23)

【Performances Announced】The performances for the name succession of Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, Hakuen and Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII have been announced.

'The name succession of Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, Hakuen, and the stage debut of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII' at the Kabukiza Theatre in November and December, 2022

Time Schedule

On sale: from Nov 14 (Mon), 2022 10:00AM(JST)

Box Seat: 25,000 /First Class Seat: 23,000 /Second Class Seat: 18,000 /Upper Tier A 8,000 /Upper Tier B : 6,000
Unit: Japanese Yen (tax included)
*Children over the age of 4 must purchase tickets to enter.

*Single Act Seats are not for sale.
*Tea will not be offered at the Box Seats.

Kabukiza Theatre (at TOKYO) Theatre Information

The performances celebrating the name succession of Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII will continue in December. The entire program is associated with the Danjūrō line of actors and will be performed by top-ranking actors. In the Matinee, all three of the works showcase the 'aragoto', 'rough' style of acting with which the Danjūrō line of actors is associated, while in the Evening Show you can see a stage announcement which is performed only on special occasions and ''Sukeroku'' with a different cast from that in November.

Performance Time: 11:00 AM - 11:21 AM

Sono Omokage Tsui no Amigasa
SAYA ATE

['A Fight in the Pleasure Quarters']

CAST :
Fuwa Banzaemon
Onoe Shōroku
Nagoya Sanza
Matsumoto Kōshirō
STORY :

Two samurai are rivals in love for one of the top courtesans in the Pleasure Quarters. As they pass each other in the street, their scabbards knock together, which is considered an insult. They begin to compete with each other in a series of sarcastic, poetic and stately speeches. A play full of the color and ceremony from the most stylized age of kabuki.


Intermission: 20 minutes

Performance Time: 11:41 AM - 12:51 PM

KYŌKANOKO MUSUME NININ DŌJŌJI

['Two Maidens at Dōjōji Temple']

CAST :
Ōdate Samagorō
Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, changing his name from Ichikawa Ebizō XI
Hanako, a shirabyōshi court dancer
Nakamura Kankurō
Hanako, a shirabyōshi court dancer
Onoe Kikunosuke
STORY :

This dance is a special two-person version of ''Kyōkanoko Musume Dōjōji'', a masterpiece for 'onnagata' female role specialists. It is spring and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Two 'shirabyōshi' court dancers who call themselves Hanko visit Dōjōji Temple where a ceremony is to be held to celebrate the installation of a new temple bell. They perform various dances in order to be permitted to see the bell. However, in reality these two are the dual spirit of Kiyohime, a maiden who once transformed into a serpent out of bitter resentment. Kiyohime had fallen in love with a priest, but shocked at her advances, he ran away to this temple and hid himself under the temple bell. Pursuing him all the way here, Kiyohime turned into a fiery serpent and burnt both the bell and the priest beneath. Now her spirit has returned in dual form to destroy the new bell. Once this pair reveals its true nature, a larger-than-life 'aragoto' hero named Ōdate Samagorō appears and vanquishes the spirit. This rarely performed epilogue is called 'Oshimodoshi' and is one of 'The Eighteen Favorite Kabuki Plays'.


Intermission: 35 minutes

Performance Time: 1:26 PM - 2:26 PM

KENUKI

['The Whisker Tweezers']

CAST :
Kumedera Danjō
Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII, making his stage debut
Makiginu, a lady-in-waiting
Nakamura Jakuemon
Hata Minbu
Nakamura Kinnosuke
Yatsurugi Genba
Ichikawa Udanji
Ohara no Manbē
Nakamura Shikan
Ono no Harumichi
Nakamura Baigyoku
STORY :

A princess has a mysterious ailment that makes her hair stand on end, and this prevents her from going ahead with her long-awaited marriage. Kumedera Danjō comes from the groom's household to investigate and, when his tweezers mysteriously float up in mid-air, he discovers a secret plot. This is one of 'The Eighteen Favorite Kabuki Plays'. This collection mostly features plays with the bombastic 'aragoto' style of acting, but ''Kenuki'' is an urbane, witty detective story that unfolds in a world of fantasy. It displays the spirit of early kabuki.

Performance Time: 4:00 PM - 4:22 PM

Shūmei Hirō KŌJŌ

['Stage Announcement Commemorating the Name Succession']

CAST :

Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, changing his name from Ichikawa Ebizō XI
Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII, making his stage debut
Matsumoto Hakuō

And other top-ranking actors are present

STORY :

The actors will appear as themselves to make a stage announcement to commemorate the name succession.


Intermission: 25 minutes

Performance Time: 4:47 PM - 5:13 PM

DANJŪRŌ MUSUME

['Danjūrō Girl']

CAST :
Okane
Ichikawa Botan
A fisherman
Ichikawa Omezō
A fisherman
Ichikawa Udanji
STORY :

Okane was a famous strong woman living by the shores of Lake Biwa who was known for stopping a runaway horse with her bare hands. This has become a kabuki dance that combines strength and charming femininity. This dance was first performed by Ichikawa Danjūrō VII, and the title 'Danjūrō Girl' implies that Okane is a woman of great strength befitting a female role played by Ichikawa Danjūrō, the specialist in the rough or wild style of acting.


Intermission: 35 minutes

Performance Time: 5:48 PM - 7:48 PM

SUKEROKU YUKARI NO EDO ZAKURA

['Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo']

CAST :
Hanakawado no Sukeroku
Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, changing his name from Ichikawa Ebizō XI
Agemaki, a great courtesan of the Miuraya
Bandō Tamasaburō (5th – 15th)
Nakamura Shichinosuke (16th – 26th)
Rigyō, a man-about-town
Ichikawa Ennosuke
Shiratama, a courtesan of the Miuraya
Onoe Kikunosuke (5th – 15th)
Nakamura Baishi (16th – 26th)
Fukuyama Katsugi
Bandō Minosuke
Asagao Senpei
Ichikawa En'ya
Shinbē, Sukeroku's elder brother
Nakamura Kankurō
Hige no Ikyū
Bandō Yajūrō
Kanpera Monbē
Ichikawa Sadanji
Soga no Mankō
Kamimura Kichiya (5th – 15th)
Bandō Tamasaburō (16th – 26th)
Prologist
Matsumoto Kōshirō
STORY :

This is a play filled with the leisurely atmosphere of old-style kabuki in its mixture of comedy and romance. ''Sukeroku'' is a great showpiece for the top stars in kabuki. The dandy Sukeroku is the most famous patron of the Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters, but his reputation as the lover of the highest-ranking courtesan Agemaki is matched by his argumentative nature and his tendency to pick fights. In fact, Sukeroku is the samurai Soga no Gorō in disguise and he uses the fights as an excuse to search for a lost heirloom sword. His quest takes place amidst of the colorful spectacle that is the Yoshiwara, where the processions of beautiful courtesans compete with the splendor of cherry blossoms in full bloom.