Kabukiza Theatre
December at the Kabukiza Theatre
Daily: Dec 01 (Wed) - Dec 26 (Sun), 2021
Part 1: 11:00 AM
Part 2: 2:30 PM
Part 3: 6:00 PM
*No performances on the 8th (Wed) and the 20th (Mon).
*The theatre will open 40 minutes before the performance starts.
*In Part 2, the order of the performances has been changed from the initial announcement.
[Important Notice]
●Notification of the absence and cast replacement of Bandō Minosuke for the Part 1 December performances
●Notice about the Kabukiza Theatre's operations from 2021
●Precautionary Measures at the Kabukiza Theatre
On sale: from Nov 14 (Sun), 2021 10:00AM(JST)
Box Seat: 16,000 /First Class Seat: 15,000 /Second Class Seat: 11,000 /Upper Tier A : 5,000 /Upper Tier B : 3,000
Unit: Japanese Yen (tax included)
*Children over the age of 4 must purchase tickets to enter.
*Single Act Seats are not for sale.
*One section of the auditorium will be sold in two-seat blocks, with every third seat vacant.
*Tea will not be offered at the Box Seats. Please refrain from eating at seats as well.
Kabukiza Theatre (at TOKYO) Theatre Information
- *No English supporting guide available.
Part 1 begins with an entertaining history play in which an actor performs ten roles in quick succession. In Part 2, you can see a touching masterpiece of the Shin Kabuki (‘New Kabuki’) genre, together with a flowery dance by two actors, while in Part 3, you can enjoy a dance set against the spectacular backdrop of cherry blossoms in full-bloom, plus a powerful dance play in which a beautiful lady reveals her true nature as a demon. Please enjoy the last performances of this year at the Kabukiza Theatre.
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(Intermission: 20 minutes)
12:20 PM - 1:10 PM
SHINPAN DATE NO JŪYAKU
['The Ten Roles of Sendaihagi']
CAST :
- Masaoka, the wet-nurse
Matsugae Setsunosuke
Nikki Danjō
Kinugawa Yoemon
Ashikaga Yorikane
The Proprietress of the Miuraya
Dote no Dōtetsu
The spirit of Takao dayū
Kasane, a lady-in-waiting
Hosokawa Katsumoto
Ichikawa Ennosuke- Yashio
- Bandō Minosuke
- Watanabe Minbunosuke
- Ichikawa Monnosuke
- Sakae Gozen
- Ichikawa Chūsha
STORY :
This play was originally written by Tsuruya Nanboku IV and revived by Ichikawa Ennosuke III (now En'ō) in 1979. The play's main attraction is the fact that the leading actor enacts ten different roles, male and female, villain and hero, one after the other in quick succession.
Nikki Danjō is initiated into the art of rat sorcery by the ghost of his father Akamatsu Man'yū and plots one conspiracy after another to realize his ambition to take over the Ashikaga Clan. He plots to poison Tsuruchiyo, the heir to the present lord Ashikaga Yorikane. Sakae Gozen, a member of the evil faction, visits Tsuruchiyo. As she offers him sweets, Senmatsu, son of Tsuruchiyo's wet-nurse Masaoka, suddenly runs in and eats them. He immediately shows signs of being poisoned, and as punishment (as well as to cover up the truth), Danjō's wicked sister Yashio tortures him to death. As Sakae Gozen observes Masaoka, who seems to remain unperturbed even while her son is being killed, she mistakenly assumes that Masaoka is a member of their faction and gives her the scroll on which the names of the conspirators are written. Just then, a giant rat appears and deprives her of the scroll. It is Nikki Danjō in disguise, using the sorcery that his father taught him.
Meanwhile, to repay favors he received from his former lord, Kinugawa Yoemon, who was previously a retainer of the Ashikaga Clan, chases after Danjō to put a stop to his evil deeds and ....
MEOTO DŌJŌJI
['Male and Female Dōjōji']
CAST :
- Hanako, a shirabyōshi dancer
- Nakamura Kankurō
- Sakurako, a shirabyōshi dancer,
in reality, the Kyōgen actor Sakon -
Onoe Ukon
STORY :
The original 'Musume Dōjōji' is based on the legend of a woman who transformed into a serpent out of jealousy, and destroyed the temple bell that hid the man she loved. In that version, the woman changes her costume repeatedly while depicting various kinds of love through dance. In this version, however, there are two dancers, one of which is eventually revealed to be a man in disguise. The two portray the romantic feelings of a loving couple. The dance reaches its climax when the two reveal their true characters.
Intermission: 20 minutes
JĪSAN BĀSAN
['The Old Couple']
CAST :
- Minobe Iori
- Nakamura Kankurō
- Shimojima Jin'emon
- Bandō Hikosaburō
- Miyashige Kyūemon
- Nakamura Kashō
- Miyashige Kyūya
- Onoe Ukon
- Run, Iori's wife
- Onoe Kikunosuke
STORY :
Based on a short story by Mori Ōgai, this modern play by Uno Nobuo shows the deep love of the couple, Iori and Run. The young samurai Iori travels to Kyoto with his lord, leaving Run, his beloved wife, behind. There, he attacks another man in a fight over a sword and is put under house arrest, which separates him from his wife.
37 years later, he returns to his home as an old man. There he meets an elderly woman. This turns out to be Run who has also aged. They do not recognize each other until the woman sees Iori's peculiar habit of putting his hand to his nose, the one thing that has not changed.
Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura
YOSHINOYAMA
['Mt. Yoshino' from 'Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees']
CAST :
- Satō Tadanobu, in reality, the fox Genkurō
- Onoe Shōroku
- Shizuka Gozen
- Nakamura Shichinosuke
STORY :
This is a beautiful dance filled with mystery and excitement set amidst the dazzling cherry blossoms of Mt. Yoshino. Shizuka and Tadanobu are on their way to find Shizuka's lover, the military commander Yoshitsune. He has become a fugitive and has had to leave Shizuka behind in the care of his retainer Tadanobu.
However, this Tadanobu is actually a magic fox in disguise. He has transformed into human form in order to be with a drum that Shizuka carries, the skins of which are made from the hides of the fox's parents.
Intermission: 20 minutes
SHINANOJI MOMIJI NO ONIZOROI
['The Autumn Leaves and the Demon of Mt. Togakushi']
CAST :
- The demon of Mt. Togakushi
- Bandō Tamasaburō
- Taira no Koremochi
- Nakamura Shichinosuke
- The Mountain God
- Onoe Shōroku
STORY :
This is a dance drama adapted from the Nō, play Momijigari portraying how Taira no Koremochi slayed the demon of Mt. Togakushi.
Taira no Koremochi is passing through Mt. Togakushi in Shinano Province when a noblewoman and her ladies-in-waiting invite him to join them as they enjoy the colourful maple leaves. Eventually, he becomes drunk and falls into a deep sleep. The Mountain God appears and warns him that the noblewoman and her ladies are, in reality, demons. Then the noblewoman and her ladies-in-waiting reappear in their true forms as the demons of Mt. Togakushi and ….