Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-13

at the National Theater last nj
prepared to report that he was f
Kabuki represents one of t
forms and returnees from Jap
especially Americas drama spe-:
cialists, have unanimously voiced
their ecstasy about it. 1t was
this that inspired Impressario
Sol Hurok to add Kabuki to his
list of cultural imports. The
addition is another that teStifles
to Mr.. Hurok's excellent taste
and his canny judgment OF the
universally popular in the arts.
Kabuki is as enhancing as the
Paul Greens, Josh LoganS-and
more recently the New YORK
critics and public-have insisted.
1t manifestly represents CEN
turtles of development in the
composite expressiveness of pan
tomlme, dance. song. speech,
and simply Instrumental music
Its purpose is at once the
dramas most basic and most
noble. that of telling a story and
to shed light-humorous, sor-
rowful, mischieviouS, etc.-on
life. In the accomplishment of
this aspiration, it achieves its
most dazzling effect in a vast
wardrobe that stuns the specta-
tor and no doubt would drive
the most reckless of American
producers to poverty or suicide,
or both.
Kabuki, in short, is excellent
entertainment and while the
long conditioned Japanese ma
tive, who speaks it's language,
must get greatly more out of
It than a WeSterner, the latter
will have every reason to be
delighted with it. And, to dis
cover in it. that his presumably
lost childish innocence has not
entirely disappeared.
1t is a special program of
eight dances. and two musical
interludes, that has been put
together for the two-months'
road tour of the visiting Azuma
Kabuki group.
For repertory balance. variety
of plot, mood, movement and
music, it is admirably arranged
not merely to display the COM
pany's high merit but that
Kabuki is peoples Cor have the
Russians made that a dirty
word?) theater. The dances
range from the story of crea-
ton to heroic legends, romantic
slapstick, and sheer fantasy, all
as far removed in movement
from the classical ballet as
Tokyo from Broadway. It is
much closer to simple panto-
mime, mans oldest and most
universally eloquent form of
communication. The sum total
of its effect is to reveal that in
their make-believe nations are
close whatever their differences
politically and otherwise.
AS might be expected. Ka-
buki is at its most winning if
not it's most majeStically i'm
pressive, in its comedy dances
the conniving of a country
pumpkin in quest of a wife, the
spirit of carnival it injects into
Festival Day which ends with
the appearance of the century's
most amiable dragon. These
may represent the lower level
of the repertory artistically, but
the latter reflects the canny
ShoWmanShip of the company
In turning up as the programs
climactic finale.
First of the major items on
the program being danced here
is the Dojoji, a Kabuki adapta-
ton of one of the classics of
Japan's Noh drama. This is the
narrative of woman's escape
from the shackles imposed upon
her by the national religion. 1t
is danced by Tokuho AZuma,
premiere ballerina and one of
the few members of her sex to
lead a Kabuki group, and it
represents a complete display of |
the dance-drama style.
An equally impressive item in
the first portion of the bill is
the groups now famous Lion
Dance. another Noh fable in
which the dancers manipula-
ton of their gigantic lions
names is piece of superb rhyth-
mic acrobatics.
More Japanese in it's mysti-
cism than the other items on the
program, but usually one of it's
most spectacular features is the
second act Spider Dance. The
symbolic line of this number be-
comes more obscure to the West
ern mind but the Western eye
cannot fail to be dazzled by the
effect of a stage converted into
a gigantic spiders web which
threatens to strangle the lordly
hero. The principal figure in this
is danced by Kikunojo Once.
the Azuma company's busiest
and most talented male per-
former.
While Dancer Once and Nine.
Tokuho Azuma. are the most
aWeSome artistic performers in
the company at the National,
1t is the clown. Masaya Fujima
who will just as definitely leave
his mark on audiences. 1t is he
who makes a masterpiece of
pantomimic comedy of the
pumpkin who wants a bride
(but not THAT one) and who
plays the fore part of the dragon
in festival day. He is assisted
in both the courtship folly and
the dragon act by KitsuSaburo
Bando, another Kabuki with a
profound fair for slapstick.
The two musical interludes.