Original Kabuki stories were often rebellious and dramatic versions of sensational events, from lovers' suicides, to public vendettas and scandalous murders -- a kind of living newspaper performed by the river. By adding modern references to the classics, Nakamura hopes to appeal to a younger generation reared on Hollywood films and comic book anime.
The tradition of the original Kabuki is innovation, Nakamura likes to say -- but the other tradition of that early, populist Kabuki is scorn from Tokyo's upper-class tastemakers. And Nakamura, like his predecessors, has faced criticism for departing from the classical scripts.
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII and his Heisei Nakamura-za troupe aim to give Kabuki a 21st-century feel. Their efforts to push the art form's traditional boundaries have drawn raves from some, criticism from others.
In traditional kabuki theater, performers wear heavy makeup and act out stories with dramatic, highly stylized flair.
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, 18th in a line of Kabuki masters, performs at the Lincoln Center in New York. He and his company infuse the Japanese art of Kabuki theater with contemporary elements, from electric guitars to English-language asides.
Original Kabuki stories were often rebellious and dramatic versions of sensational events, from lovers' suicides, to public vendettas and scandalous murders -- a kind of living newspaper performed by the river. By adding modern references to the classics, Nakamura hopes to appeal to a younger generation reared on Hollywood films and comic book anime.
The tradition of the original Kabuki is innovation, Nakamura likes to say -- but the other tradition of that early, populist Kabuki is scorn from Tokyo's upper-class tastemakers. And Nakamura, like his predecessors, has faced criticism for departing from the classical scripts.
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII and his Heisei Nakamura-za troupe aim to give Kabuki a 21st-century feel. Their efforts to push the art form's traditional boundaries have drawn raves from some, criticism from others.
In traditional kabuki theater, performers wear heavy makeup and act out stories with dramatic, highly stylized flair.
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, 18th in a line of Kabuki masters, performs at the Lincoln Center in New York. He and his company infuse the Japanese art of Kabuki theater with contemporary elements, from electric guitars to English-language asides.
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