Essay

On stage with masters

By 桂三輝

Through my apprenticeship as a rakugo storyteller, I have had the chance to meet and to work with many fabulous Japanese comedians and artists. But, outside of my master himself, none have influenced me nearly as much as the great manzai couple, Masters Miyagawa Daisuke and Hanako.

Master Daisuke has been experimenting with various forms of theater, and last month I was fortunate enough to have the chance to perform in his Omnibus, which was a series of short one-man plays. This Omnibus featured six stories, each adapted from well known folk tales or fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, The Brothers Grimm, and even the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop. Master Hanako played a sort of narrator role as The Little Match Girl from Andersen, linking each of the stories with a lovely touch of light comedy and insight.

My story was based on the fable The North Wind and the Sun by Aesop. In this rendition, it wasn't just the North Wind and the Sun who tried to get the traveler to take off his coat. They were joined by Rain and the Winter General (Fuyu Shogun Sama), and were all eventually outdone by the appearance of Spring. Master Daisuke developed the tale as a kind of rakugo story to suit my way of performing. Although I wasn't in a kimono and I was standing up and walking around, the speech patterns, character formation and storyline were all very much based in rakugo comic storytelling, so the piece was very easy for me to relate to.

Although the play was mounted at the Yoshimoto Creative Agency's Mugendai Hall in Namba, Osaka, the show was quite different from the kind of broad comedy that Yoshimoto theatrical works are known for. Master Daisuke is experimenting with deeper forms of theater that often have a very serious tone, purpose and message. Although some of the pieces were decidedly comical (like mine), other pieces were played very straight with emotional honesty and moving pathos.

Master Daisuke's piece itself was a true theatrical tour-de-force traversing a full range of emotions, as he transported the audience back to Japan of old in the Japanese folk tale, the legend of The Straw Millionaire (Warashibe Choja).

Members of the audience commented afterward that they were impressed and moved that comic icons like Masters Daisuke and Hanako could move so effortlessly into the world of straight theater and serious drama. It was an honor and an unforgettable learning experience to have been included as a part of this project. And the best part is, I now have a great adaptation of Aesop's The North Wind and the Sun to add to my rakugo repertoire!

Shukan ST: March 18, 2011

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