Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-01

ne taste through heredlGy, you
the AzuIna Kabuki Dancers anc
To coniure one up tthe flute
player apparently being the Fai
Eastern version Of the flamenco
singer. Anyhow, they get a girl
and she gets away and then they
get a yelled one who turns out
to be ugly and they can't get
away.
Masaya Fujina, Shushai Flu
jima. Haruyo Azuma, Wakana
Hanayagi and the onlookers have
a great deal of fun with this
one. The next time you see IL
it probably will be a Martin and
Lewis movie.
Some considerably more chill
ing things come to pass in some
of the other Kabuki dance
dramas. In one, "Kasani," OF
The Sure Heavenly Retribu-
tion," a couple of ill-starred
lovers go to a river to commit
suicide. Before they can get the
thing done neatly. he finds a
skull and grave-marker float
ing in the river. Both marker
and the sickle in the skulls eye
tell him that this is his dolls
father, whom he murdered.
Things get pretty wound up,
what with a policeman coming
along to arrest the hero Cor
whatever the Kabuki word Isl
for murder and with the fathers
wounds being transferred to the
girl. She gets so ugly. in fact.
that her lover decides he win
have to do her in without watt
ing for her to commit suicide.
After a great deal of dramatic
dancing he does just that, too.
Tokuno Azuma Git seems to be a
big family and Masaya Fujima
dance this with spirit and con-
theatrical impact.
You may see this in the movies.
too. if Joan Crawford ever hears
about it.
Another of the major melo-
dramas on the Nationals Kabuki
program is titled 'Hiren" t"Eter-
nal Adieu'o. In it Tsurunosuke
Bando impersonates a samurai
who makes his way through the
lines for q final visit with
his sweetheart CTokuno Azumal
It is final, too, because q couple
of enemy soldiers find him and
there is some excited swordplay
that looks as If it might any
become real. "Hiren"
winds up like the last inning Of
Hamlet" with virtually every
body on the premises stabbed.
There is more in a lighter
vein, too, during the evening.
There Is q solo performance on
the koto by Shinichi Yuize that
is a delight. There are sprightly
folk dances and charming bits
out Of Japan's past. There is
that vigorous Lion Dance
which probably is the most
widely known Kabuki number.
If you've been considering
sampling this spectacular and
highly individual branch Of the
theater art, incidentally. but
fear the language barrier. don't.
Don't let the alien tongue stop
you, that is. The Azuma Kabuki
Dancers and Musicians have
come up with an excellent solu-
ton OF this problem for APP
pearances in the United States.
The solution Is an extremely
attractive girl named Kajiko
Iwamoto. It is her function to
explain prettily what is coming
next. so you don't have to be
an old Kabuki addict to know
what's going on. Occasionally
Miss Iwamoto throws out a mys.
FERROUS orientalism. like This
is proof that a man who whistles
for a wife Is not necessarily the
piper who plays the tune" This
gets a laugh, but don't stop and
try to figure it out, for that way
lies madness.
For the most part, however.
Miss Iwamoto clarifies and a
program made UP solely Of her
explanations Of what goes on
in Kabuki dances would be en-
tertaining.