Mansai Nomura, the 37-year-old kyogen supremo who has also enjoyed success in contemporary theater and film and TV dramas, is embarking on yet another a new enterprise in Tokyo this month. At Setagaya Public Theater (SEPT) where he is artistic director, Mansai is presenting his first "Kyogen Gekijo (Kyogen Theater)" program in collaboration with his prominent kyogen actor-father, Mansaku Nomura. His uncle Mannosuke Nomura and Mansaku's six disciples are also participating.
Mansai opens the event with a spirited rendition of the auspicious dance "Sanbaso," celebrating a good harvest. He shows his remarkable skill in this powerful mai dance, performed on a noh stage specially installed in the theater, which has no less than three hashigakari (bridges) extending from the rear.
The three kyogen plays of medieval origin Mansai has chosen for this inaugural season are short (they run for 30 to 40 minutes each) and simple in plot. Audiences will be delighted to find, however, that they are dramatic and surprisingly modern in nature.