The following includes reviews of various Fringe shows which were promoted as part of the 'Japan Experience' at the Edinburgh Festival.
This year most of the events were at a small venue, the Garage, near the Traverse
theatre. Audiences were much bigger than two years ago.
MARI NATSUKI - The Impressionist
"Mari Natsuki is an actress and singer who was born in Tokyo and made
her debut in 1973 (with the song Silk Stockings). Since then, she
has been active in TV, cinema and theatre and has made several recordings.
As an actress, her work includes several years with the famous Suzuki
Company of Toga, where she played lead roles in Macbeth, Dionysus
and Ivanov, and worked with the leading Japanese theatre director,Yukio
Ninagawa. Mari played the lead in Steven Berkoff's lauded production of
Metamorphosis, which opened in Tokyo in 1994. Her versatile theatre
career also extends to many roles in musicals, ranging from the Rocky
Horror Show to Nine, and, most recently, Les Miserables
directed by John Caird in Tokyo.
She has won numerous theatre awards in Japan. Recently, her fourth
album, Gorilla, made her even more popular with the younger generation.
At St Brides, Orwell Terrace: "Legendary Japanese actress Mari Natsuki
explores every aspect of theatre - song, movement and mime - through works
by Brecht/Weill, Piaf and Nyman". (programme note).
All the songs were in Japanese, but lyrics in English were provided
in the programme. Natsuki is an excellent singer and her performance of
the songs was intensely theatrical; at more than one point in the show
she sang while lying on the polished boards of the St. Brides stage. There
was a set of nets and draperies. It was well worth making the effort to
see and hear this.
I spoke to her after the show and put my name forward for a mailing
list (but haven't heard anything further).
GUMBO - Unexpectedly Yours
Formed in 1994, this group of youngsters from the wild, east end of
Osaka are sure to destroy any image of the sweet, quiet Japanese people
and culture you may have up to now. Overtly expressive and with shimmering
and gaudy costumes they will show you their expression of 'falling in love'
the young Japanese way. If you thought that the Japanese language was monotonous,
you haven't heard the Osaka-Kishiwada accent. (leaflet note)
Gumbo consists of three girls and two boys Their show, about a love
angel, is an energetic mix of theatre, dance and music, and reminded
me very much of shoujo manga (Japanese comics for girls).
YAMATO - Spirit of the Earth
Traditional Japanese Drums - Wadaiko
Taiko-Do, or traditional Japanese drumming, using drums sometimes taller
than a man, is a form that has been preserved by squads of enthusiastic
young Japanese.
In the summer of 1998 I saw a touring group of Western musicians who
had learned the style in Japan, plus their Japanese Sensei, playing
in a park in Milton Keynes. This was an interesting performance with a
variety of rhythms that had a feel of authenticity. (the best performers
were Sensei and one of the girls. I'm fairly sure though that girl
drummers are not part of the tradition).
By contrast the performance by the all-Japanese Yamato group
(also including girls) sounded to me like indiscriminate banging, a kind
of "Taiko-do for the Gaijin tourists." It could be that they know
what Westerners like and expect, for the performance was a sell-out, and
evidently the most popular of the Garage's Japanese events.
Get higher resolution image (107k)
CHIKUZAN TAKAHASHI
Tsugaru Shamisen
"Evocative music from the master of tsugaru shamisen, the 3-stringed
guitar. Her haunting voice and improvisations of such vitality, grace and
fire allures you first before she undertakes a Hendriz-style test to demolition
exploration of the limits of her instrument."
This was (I think) the same performer I saw in 1996, - note the near coincidence
of instruments and names. See also the note in the 1999 review about how Chikuzan came to adopt that name. Japanese were well represented in the audience
for this show, and some of them were clearly thrilled to have a chance
to see Chikuzan.
The shamisen sounds like a banjo and is played with a plectrum the
size and shape of a paint stripper. To a degree ( like English folk music)
this kind of music is an acquired taste, but it was an interesting
and enjoyable performance.