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演劇から落語へ
カナダではミュージカルの仕事をしていた筆者は、なぜ日本で噺家に転身したのか。
ミュージカルと落語では、上演の規模、観客との関係など、さまざまな点で異なるのだが、その相違を超える共通点が落語の世界への橋渡しになったという。
さてその共通点とは。
From musicals to rakugo
When people ask me why I suddenly decided to become a rakugo storyteller, I reply that in some ways I came by it honestly. The first decade of my working life was spent as a playwright, composer and producer of musical theater.
What do you mean, "came by it honestly," you might ask. Musicals and rakugo could not be further apart! In many ways, you would be absolutely correct. Start with the staff. To stage a musical, you need any number of performers who can sing, act and dance. The ones who are equally excellent at all three are called, appropriately, "Triple Threats." You also need musicians for the orchestra, a stage manager and assistants, lighting and sound technicians etc. It takes a lot of people and money just to put on one show.
In comparison, rakugo, with a lone storyteller sitting on a cushion who brings his own costume (kimono), is a very smart and economical art form indeed.
The relationship between the performer and the audience is also very different. Musicals are rooted in showing off. In a sense, the musical actor walks on stage and says, "Look at me! I am great!" Ebullient self-confidence is crucial to the performer's success.
In the world of rakugo, the performer must appear humble before the audience for the humor to work. Storytellers begin their performance with a set greeting like, "If you remember only my name and my face, I will be happy" or "Thank you for coming from far away at a busy time."
The culture backstage is very different as well. In the world of Japanese geinin, for example, when you enter the dressing room, you have to say, "Good morning!" in a loud voice. This is considered good manners.
In my home country of Canada, if you walked into a dressing room and shouted, "Good morning!" people would think you are rude and quite full of yourself.
Backstage language is also different. In the world of theater, you never wish a performer "Good luck!" This is very bad luck, and a particularly superstitious actor might really get hysterical if you make this mistake.Instead, you say, "Break a leg."
Backstage at rakugo, before you go on, you say, "Please allow me to study prior to you." This reflects the rakugo performer's attitude of going on stage not so much to give something to the audience, as to receive from the audience the knowledge and experience gained from performing before them.
So with two such different art forms, what's the link? That's the easiest question to answer. In both worlds performers live to create a new world for the people who come to see them take the stage every time. And that similarity dwarfs all the apparent differences between the world of musical theater, and the world of rakugo storytelling.
- came by it honestly
- 順当に引き継いだ
- playwright
- 劇作家
- composer
- 作曲家
- could not be further apart
- これ以上ないほどかけ離れている
- Start with 〜
- まずは〜だ
- appropriately
- いみじくも
- Triple Threats
- 3つの脅威(才能を3つ兼ね備えた人)
- stage manager
- 舞台主任
- lighting and sound technicians
- 照明や音響の技術者
- In comparison
- それに比べて
- lone
- 一人だけの
- cushion
- 座布団
- smart
- 小粋な
- art form
- 芸術形式
- showing off
- 自分を誇示すること
- Ebullient
- あふれんばかりの
- crucial to 〜
- 〜にとって重大な
- humble
- 謙虚な
- for the humor to work
- ユーモアが功を奏するためには
- culture backstage
- 舞台裏での文化
- full of yourself
- 尊大で押しつけがましい
- superstitious
- 縁起をかつぐ
- get hysterical
- ヒステリーを起こす
- Break a leg
- 足を折れ(縁起をかついで「うまくやれ」というときに使う言葉)
- Please allow me to study prior to you.
- お先に勉強させていただきます
- dwarfs
- 〜を小さく見せる