Kabuki Lecture 6/15/05 at UC Berkeley

[Saionji Shonagon]

Cal Performances announces an added Grand Kabuki Lecture Demonstration.
Lecture / Demonstration
By Living National Treasure Nakamura Ganjiro III
of Japan's Grand Kabuki Chikamatsu-za
Wednesday, June 15, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley
Free and open to the public

Kabuki, the art of theatrical exploration into human passions and flaws, has been performed exclusively by men for more than 300 years. Male actors play all roles, including women characters, or onnagata.

Grand Master of the kamigata style of Kabuki, Nakamura Ganjiro III, who has played the female lead in Sonezaku Shinju ("Love Suicides at Sonezaki") for over 50 years and who has been designated a Living National Treasure, will talk about the history and forms of Kabuki Theatre. The lecture will be illustrated on stage by his apprentice, Nakamura Gankyo, who will be transformed into a beautiful woman through the application of full traditional make-up and costume, and will then demonstrate the theatrical conventions of the Kabuki female character role.

Co-sponsored by Cal Performances, The Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, UC Berkeley's Institute of East Asian Studies, and the Department of Music in conjuction with the performances of Japan's Shochiku Grand Kabuki Chikamatsu-za, Friday-Saturday, June 17-18, 2005 at Zellerbach Hall.

For more information see the event page. Or, to purchase tickets online, click below.

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/

[Saionji Shonagon]

The lecture was well worth it. I can't wait to see the play tomorrow night. Nakamura Ganjiro, an apple cheeked, silver haired gentleman dressed in haori and hakama spoke through an interpreter about the origins of kabuki and the tradition of male actors playing female roles, the differences between the adventure oriented style that became popular in Edo and kamigata (kabuki of the heart, as it was translated) that developed in Kyoto and Osaka, and so on. With a twinkle that could be seen in the back of a very large lecture hall, he declined to reveal his age when asked (a question prompted when he said he'd been performing the female role he will play tomorrow evening since the 1950's).

After a brief break, another onnagata actor, Nakamura Sennojo came out on stage in hadagi and susoyoke (female kimono underwear) with makeup already applied to his neck up to the chin and edges of his ears. Nakamura Gankyo, the first American ever apprenticed to a kabuki company, described the process and answered questions as Sennojo-san began to transform himself into an Edo period courtesan. Eyebrows were erased with wax, a very liquid looking white makeup was applied with a broad brush - he literally looked like he was whitewashing himself. Setting powder was applied, and he went back and blotted the white off his eyelashes. Pink powder was brushed on over the eyelids, red accents were drawn at the edges of each eye, dark eyeliner and red lip color were applied. The process took maybe 20 minutes or so. Then two dressers began draping him in a juban with the collar deliberately rumpled to show the red edge of the hadagi beneath, a kimono in shades of pink, wide obi with the bow in FRONT (courtesan, remember?), and finally the wig. This stunning vision then toed the trailing hems out of her way and glided down stage, head turning coyly as the audience applauded.

www.jaccc.org/event_%20related/kabuki05.html is the website for their dates in southern California. I include it as it has photos from the play. (Note the flipped collar in the photo on the main page. Clink on the link for more pictures, and scroll down to the very bottom to see what Ganjiro-san looks like without his makeup.

I will post this weekend about tomorrow night's performance - and I can't wait to start experimenting with make up when the new stuff arrives.....

M.

[Please Delete]

We saw Chikamatsu-za perfom in D.C. last year. It was great! I recommend people look out for this particular troupe as they seem to travel the US regularly.

I believe that one of the younger Nakamura actors played Emperor Meiji in the "Last Samurai" as well--I think it is Ganjiro's son, whom we saw do the lion dance with him.

All in all, a wonderful time, and I'm envious you got to attend their lecture.

-Ii