Kabuki
Vigorous Performances by Senior and Mature Actors and a Wide Variety of New Plays Mizuochi Kiyoshi There were three striking features of the kabuki world in 2019. 1) The senior actors exemplifying kabuki at its best were all healthy and active and presented superb performances. 2) The middle group of mature performers and young actors presented very 053
ambitious productions. 3) There was a wide variety of new plays. First, the senior actors of kabuki had major productions that represented the best of kabuki acting in the Heisei era. Sakata Tojuro, who has become 88 years old, is the oldest still active actor in kabuki and he performed the dance Sakae Kotohogu Fuji no Suehiro (“The Crane and the Tortoise” to Celebrate Tojuro Becoming 88) to commemorate this age (in Japan, the age “88” is referred to as “beiju” and is considered to be particularly auspicious). He performed this dance at the Shochiku-za Theater in Osaka in January and at Kabuki-za in Tokyo in April. The second oldest actor is Onoe Kikugoro (78), who appeared at the National Theatre in January in a revival of the play Himejijo Oto ni Kiku Sono Ishizue (Protecting the Foundation of Himeji Castle and its Clan). Then at Theatre in Japan
Theatre Yearbook 2020
