Biography | London
& Amsterdam Tour | Kabuki |
Photos | Ukiyo-e
Tour
information | Play Synopses | Kamejiro Ichikawa II | Cast & Musicians
|
|
Tour Information The outstanding young Kabuki star Ebizo Ichikawa XI will be
making his debut appearances in London and Amsterdam, heading up a company of
over 30 actors and musicians. The
programme features two classic Kabuki
works: the visually stunning Fuji
Musume,
in which the Wisteria Maiden dances against a gorgeous backdrop of wisteria
flowers; and Kasane,
a dramatic tale of love, murder and revenge, famous for its beautiful musical
accompaniment. LONDON Wednesday 31 May – Sunday 11 June 2006
at 7:30pm Sunday 4 & 11 June at 2.30pm Book online
now
Earphone guides will be available to enhance your enjoyment of
the Kabuki performance. Cost: £3 (deposit of £5) AMSTERDAM
Wednesday 15 June – Saturday 17 June
2006 at 8:15pm Sunday 18 June 2006 at 3:00pm Book online now
Fuji Musume [The Wisteria Maiden] One of the most popular of kabuki dances, The Wisteria Maiden demands both elegance and a subtle
sensuality from a dancer. The dance
portrays the figure of a fashionable young girl (Ebizo XI), extravagantly
dressed in a long-sleeved kimono with a distinctive wisteria pattern and
carrying a branch of trailing wisteria blossoms. This figure was a popular
theme in the folk art pictures known as otsu-e
sold to tourists on the shores around Lake Biwa from the 17th century. In 1826, a multi-part kabuki
dance piece was created using five of the most popular otsu-e figures. The Wisteria Maiden is the only one still
regularly performed today. The lyrics are a delicate tissue of allusion
and word play, which paint suggestive images rather than telling a story. The
dancer interprets these images into fluid movement to portray the joys and
sorrows experienced by a young girl in love. With its dynamic expressivity,
rhythmic shifts, eye-catching scenery, and colorful costume changes, The Wisteria Maiden is a pure joy to
watch. Kasane
A richly poetic and beautiful dance-drama scene from a much
longer play, Kasane brings together
eroticism and horror in a baroque blend typical of early 19th
century kabuki. Kasane (Kamejiro II) is a lady-in-waiting who has fallen in love
and become pregnant by the handsome samurai Yoemon (Ebizo XI). Unable to be
together, the two lovers have fled to a midnight riverbank in order to kill
themselves. As they make their emotional final farewells, a wooden
grave-marker and a skull with a sickle embedded in its eye come floating down
the river. Unknown to Kasane, several years before Yoemon had slept with her
mother and murdered her father, Suke. In revenge for having slept with her
father’s muderer, Suke’s spirit possesses Kasane, making her lame and
disfiguring her face horribly. The wicked Yoemon then tries to kill the
tragic, possessed Kasane… Kasane deals with heavy themes of adultery, possession and murder, but
through the enchantment of music and dance. The highly embellished,
rhythmically flexible kiyomoto
style of music and the complex poetry of the lyrics provide a languorous
dream-like backdrop to a play that simultaneously chills and delights.
Sadler’s Wells London’s
dance house and premier venue for cutting-edge contemporary dance, mainstream
dance and ballet, and for international theatre and opera productions. It is
a major producer of new work and host to the world’s greatest international
companies. For more information,
click on www.sadlerswells.com The Holland Festival is the trend-setting high
point of the cultural season in Holland, which presents innovative and
dramatic arts across the spectrum. For more information, click on www.hollandfestival.nl Askonas Holt is one of the world's leading arts management agencies,
representing some of the finest classical musicians of today as well as
working extensively in the fields of dance, theatre and festival
management. It last presented Kabuki
in 2001, featuring Nakamura Ganjiro III. For more information, click on ww.askonasholt.co.uk Kamejiro Ichikawa II
Kamejiro Ichikawa II (1975- ) is one of the most popular of kabuki’s
young stars. His family background is impeccable - his father is the
impressive character actor Danshiro Ichikawa IV and his uncle the hugely
popular maverick Ennosuke Ichikawa III, famous for his Super Kabuki
spectaculars. Kamejiro himself first appeared on stage at the age of 4 and took
his current name at the age of 8. He spent his apprenticeship in his uncle
Ennosuke’s troupe, but has recently struck out on his own, impressing in both
male and female roles from the traditional repertoire. In London and Amsterdam, Kamejiro will play
the role of tragic heroine, Kasane. |
