Arigato Gozaimasu

Standing ovation. I was amused to see several of the cast members gaze around the very small theater and smile happily. One of the Kyogen actors waved like an enthusiastic little boy as he disappeared into the wings.



Apologies for the horrible, centered watermark...I really need my own.

Edited 5/24/11 to add: Have found the program with the performers names...will add asap.

Please...do not use any of my photos in any way without my express permission. Thank you.



Description as listed on the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia's website:

Encounter Japan's theater form developed and preserved since the 14th century. Kyoto's Kashu-juku Noh Theater, led by Katayama Shingo of the prestigious Katayama Noh family, is joined by kyogen actors from the Shigeyama family in providing this rare opportunity for American audiences to experience the 600-year-old tradition of noh and kyogen performed back-to-back, accompanied by live music.

The Program Includes:

MAI-BAYASHI: Literally meaning 'dance & music', a mai-bayashi is a solo dance depicting the climax of a famous noh play. This program features the ferocious battle scene from Yashima.

KYOGEN: Boshibari (Tied to a Pole) Tied up by their master, two servants are thwarted in drinking his sake. how will the two rascals get a hold of their beloved beverage again?

NOH: Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi) In this famous adaptation of a story from the classic novel The tale of Genji, the jealous Lady Rokujo --who had sent a spirit to possess Genji's wife, Aoi -- is confronted in combat by a Buddhist monk intent on saving her soul.

From Wikipedia:

Aoi no Ue (葵上, Lady Aoi) is a Noh play based on an episode in the Tale of Genji and named for Lady Aoi, one of the novel's characters. It is an example of the fourth category of "miscellaneous" Noh plays. Aoi no Ue was the first of many Noh plays based on the Tale of Genji.[1] It is sometimes attributed to Zeami Motokiyo; the extant version of the text is likely a reworking of a version by a contemporary, Inuō.

In the backstory, Prince Genji, who was married to his wife Lady Aoi at a young age, has taken a mistress, Lady Rokujo. Lady Rokujo had been married to the crown prince, and had been next in line to become empress. The death of her husband robbed her of the chance to become empress and left her powerless. Following an episode in which she is humiliated in public by Lady Aoi, Rokujo is enraged to discover that Aoi is pregnant. Genji begins ignoring Rokujo, and in her jealousy her living spirit leaves her body and possesses Lady Aoi, resulting in Aoi's death.

The action of the play focuses on a miko (female shaman) and a priest exorcising the spirit of Lady Rokujo from the body of Lady Aoi. Aoi does not appear on stage - rather, an empty kimono serves to represent her.

Noh roles being historically played by men, the first woman to play the lead role in Aoi no Ue was Uzawa Hisa.