Overseas PerformanceOverseas Performance
KABUKI at the Sadler's Wells Theatre
Daily: Jan 30 (Sat) - Jan 31 (Sun), 2027
30th:7:30 PM [Scheduled]
31st: 2:00 PM [Scheduled]
Presented by Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Askonas Holt
Produced by Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Supported by Japan Creator Support Fund
Supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Official Airline: Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
Time Schedule
- Book Ticket
- *With English surtitles
FUJI MUSUME
['The Wisteria Maiden']
CAST :
- The Wisteria Maiden
- Onoe Tatsunosuke
STORY :
A beautiful maiden in a black lacquered hat, holding a branch of wisteria flowers over her shoulder, stands beneath a great pine tree draped with cascading wisteria. She is the Wisteria Maiden, a familiar figure from Ōtsu-e folk paintings, which were sold as lucky charms to bring about a happy marriage. In dance, she expresses the feelings of a woman in love. Set to lyrics that weave in the Eight Views of Ōmi, she vividly expresses the anguish of a maiden in love with a man who remains indifferent to her feelings. In a delightfully tipsy mood, she dances on before once again placing the wisteria branch upon her shoulder and fading into the gathering dusk, returning to her true form as the wisteria spirit.
YUKI NO SHAKKYŌ
['The Snowbound Stone Bridge – A Lion Dance']
CAST :
- Spirit of the Shishi lion
- Ichikawa Somegorō
STORY :
In Far Eastern tradition, the shishi is not a true lion, but a kind of mythical creature associated with the Buddhist bodhisattva Monju (Mañjuśrī). This version of the dance closely follows the classical nō play of the same name. The shishi displays his power by shaking his mane vigorously.
Intermission: To be announced
MEOTO DŌJŌJI
['A Man and Woman at Dōjōji Temple']
CAST :
- Sakurako, a shirabyōshi dancer, in reality, the kyōgen actor Sakon
- Ichikawa Somegorō
- Hanako, a shirabyōshi dancer
- Onoe Tatsunosuke
STORY :
The original Musume Dōjōji, which is one of kabuki's most famous dances, is based on the legend of the temple Dōjōji, in which a young maiden transforms into a serpent out of jealousy and destroys the temple bell under which the man she loves is hiding. 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 dance reaches its climax when the two reveal their true identities.
FUJI MUSUME
['The Wisteria Maiden']
CAST :
- The Wisteria Maiden
- Onoe Tatsunosuke
STORY :
A beautiful maiden in a black lacquered hat, holding a branch of wisteria flowers over her shoulder, stands beneath a great pine tree draped with cascading wisteria. She is the Wisteria Maiden, a familiar figure from Ōtsu-e folk paintings, which were sold as lucky charms to bring about a happy marriage. In dance, she expresses the feelings of a woman in love. Set to lyrics that weave in the Eight Views of Ōmi, she vividly expresses the anguish of a maiden in love with a man who remains indifferent to her feelings. In a delightfully tipsy mood, she dances on before once again placing the wisteria branch upon her shoulder and fading into the gathering dusk, returning to her true form as the wisteria spirit.
YUKI NO SHAKKYŌ
['The Snowbound Stone Bridge – A Lion Dance']
CAST :
- Spirit of the Shishi lion
- Ichikawa Somegorō
STORY :
In Far Eastern tradition, the shishi is not a true lion, but a kind of mythical creature associated with the Buddhist bodhisattva Monju (Mañjuśrī). This version of the dance closely follows the classical nō play of the same name. The shishi displays his power by shaking his mane vigorously.
Intermission: To be announced
MEOTO DŌJŌJI
['A Man and Woman at Dōjōji Temple']
CAST :
- Sakurako, a shirabyōshi dancer, in reality, the kyōgen actor Sakon
- Ichikawa Somegorō
- Hanako, a shirabyōshi dancer
- Onoe Tatsunosuke
STORY :
The original Musume Dōjōji, which is one of kabuki's most famous dances, is based on the legend of the temple Dōjōji, in which a young maiden transforms into a serpent out of jealousy and destroys the temple bell under which the man she loves is hiding. 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 dance reaches its climax when the two reveal their true identities.