¶ Kabuki! 

By Anna Moraitis 7th June 2001

A selected and warm audience, already in awe of what was to come,  had

gathered at the Globe. Many of them were Japanese and already familiar with

the great Kabuki master and his sons. Mark Rylance introduced the event,

mutual admiration between him and Master Ganjiro. A brief

introduction/translation opened the stage for the two Chikamatzu Monzaemon plays. It

was to be a special evening for everyone present.

The first dance, we were told, was to be between an officer - who is

actually a fox - and the young wife of his royal master. He needs to escort

the lady out of the capital and they will travel far. "Aha", you think,

"Trouble is near. Of course he will try and seduce her! Disloyalty to his

master, his deceitful fox nature... I can see where this is going".

Well, so you think at least.

And indeed the lady appears on stage - all charming and graceful.

Only, the actor in front of you is a middle aged man, but that is NOT what

you see. You really see a lovely young woman, dancing with her fan, playing

with butterflies, careless and joyful. The officer, an impressive warrior,

comes to escort her away. He is respectful. Then her sadness at having to

leave the palace, the fear of the unknown. She sheds a tear but tries to

hide it. He falters: can the great lady really be that affected to almost

lose face in front of her servants?

Is he moved by her? They regain their composure.

And then they travel. The dance together. Adventures and turmoil...

So far all very story-conventional. The officer approaches the lady a

couple of times, he seems attracted to her. At one point she plays a drum,

he seems intoxicated by her. Sometimes his hands form tiny paws and you

think: "Aha, you're caught! I know you are really a fox!"

The tension heightens - she threatens to shoot an arrow at him. She forms

the movement in the air with her empty arms, but you can almost hear the

buzzing of the stretched bowstring.

She spares him. She hurries off leaving the drum behind. He takes the drum,

starts playing, is electrified, starts hoping around like a little ghoulish

demon, runs off!

Enthusiasm from the audience, applause and gracious bows from the actors.

Then the interpreter returns, and this is what he says: "Master Ganjiro

feels you should know an important part of the story, in case you missed

it. The drum that the lady was playing, is made out of the fox hide of the

officer's PARENTS. That is why he always wants to be near her, why he is

drawn to her. When she plays this drum he cannot help himself, his fox-like

nature breaks through."

A big gasp from the audience...

All is not what it seems.

Then it was announced that Master Ganjiro himself would perform "the ideal

image of an innocent 19 year old girl".

A 69 year old man pretending to be an innocent 19 year old girl. Right.

Outside Kabuki tradition you would expect an embarrassing, if not grotesque

sight.

Far from it.

A delicate girl flutters on stage. "Sweet as May", as William puts it.

Her kimonos are exquisite, her hairstyle elaborate, her movements playful,

shy. She sways like a slim cedar tree. A true maiden, if ever there was.

And you are mesmerized. Mesmerized by Master Ganjiro.

Later on she imitates pouring a cup of tea and drinks it. Ah, but soon you

see the effects and you realize: "Not tea. That was pure sake!".  So she is

tipsy now, more display of bright-eyed surprise and demure sweetness

follows.

But for all her innocence she is well aware of her delicate graces and her

effects on her audience. Like an eye-twinkle, all that naivety has a

fragrance of self-consciousness. She is charming us, she is playing with

us, she is seducing us. With her elegant flirting, she is provoking us.

And though I don't go for 69 year old men, or 19 year old girls.... my God,

that was sexy!

The movements are powerful, grounded, extremely controlled and yet

infinitely elegant. The dancers have a fluid spine, they flow more than

they move. Sometimes they move forward and stop abruptly with a foot in

front and parallel to their body, the toes pointing inwards.

Why you think... well, watch the kimono's trail swoosh forward like an

extension of their body and the step makes sense. Their long kimono sleeves

like wings, a feast for the eyes.

Kabuki is a very ritualistic art form. As I understand in Asian Culture,

the value is placed on preserving the past and adhering as closely to

tradition as possible. Western Art tends to celebrate more the innovation

and individualistic expression of the artist. In Asia the artist is an

honored link in a chain, in the West the personality of the artist is

revered.

An audience from a different cultural background can never understand a

foreign art piece in its entirety. We lack basic common cultural knowledge

and the nuances are lost on us. Performing Richard II and Coriolanus in

Japan in English, or the Kabuki performances at the Globe in Japanese must

be to an extend frustrating to the actors that are aware of the lost

appreciation of their craft. So much comprehension is rooted in your native

culture. A painting of the Last Supper must seem trivial to a

non-Christian. If I imitate sewing or typing will a native Bushman

understand me? How about the audience that can't tell the difference

between Sljatoslav Richter and my cousin Bob playing Rachmaninov? But how

about if they are genuinely moved by it? Is a rare vintage wine a privilege

for selected few? It is certainly appreciated more by few and wasted on

most.

The endless dilemma if Art shouldn't be only accessible by connoisseurs.

But then again art should be stricter defined than the whimsical expression

of an individual. Art demands craft, discipline and talent. Don't lower art

standards to reach the audience, educate the people instead. There is so

much nonsense around that would like to be considered art but isn't. The

responsibility of all to build their palate; the eclectic dogma vs.

meritocracy, and so on...

And yet there was so much love and pleasure shared by both audience and

performers at the Globe on Monday. There was no exclusion or snobbery on

both sides. Then are we maybe more involved in performing art than in still

art, like painting? Is it easier to engage in a dance, a play, in music,

that all take you on a journey; the performance dictating the time instead

of you? The Globe always favoring the shared emotional response amongst the

Groundlings.

The response of a foreign audience is always going to vary vastly to that

of a local audience. Or does it not? There are always two interpretations

taking place: the interpretation of the play by the actors and the

interpretation of the play by the audience. Can a foreign audience

understand a play, and can a foreign acting company perform a play outside

their national culture? It was mentioned that Japanese School classes

perform Shakespeare plays. How would a Western audience receive them, how

would a British audience think of them? Would a person passionate and

knowledgeable about the Bard like them? Probably just as much as any other

performance that satisfies us. How much of our expectations should art

confirm? And can here ever be a valid interpretation of a play...

The gap seems to stretch like the Ocean between us. And yet there is

something that unites people regardless of their background at art. Some

basic human emotions and understandings are shared by us all, regardless of

nationality, gender or age. If Kabuki is performed well, if Shakespeare is

spoken well it will move you. The gap is but the edge of the stage and art

will reach out to shake you.

We simply stood enchanted that evening, tacit in our ignorance.  Did we

really understand the Kabuki plays? Probably not. Did we enjoy an art form

beyond our comprehension. Definitely!