Japanese Theatre by Faubion Bowers

Japanese Theatre by Faubion Bowers

Author:Faubion Bowers
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781462912186
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing


2.

Actors. Actors advanced together with the development of the role-types. Dozens of great actors, each with his specialty of role, arose during Genroku. Villains were always played by actors of villain roles. The player of heroic roles was always the hero. It was thought that a player of women's parts would ruin his acting if he played male parts frequently. It is said that when the Genroku actor of villain's parts, Nakamura Heikuro, once attempted an heroic part, before he could speak his opening lines the audience had already begun to hiss at him. Confinement to one role-type led to constant development and growth within the particular sphere. Only after this development reached a maximum depth, did the actor turn to versatility as a substitute for specialization. This took place in the late 19th century and unfortunately at the expense of some of the finish and polish. Today a number of actors pride themselves on the variety of role-types they can perform.

Actors of the various types of roles trained their own children and adopted students. Actors' families became known for their special role-types. Vestiges of this remain today. The Ichikawa Danjuro family stands for aragoto and heroic actors. The Nakamura Utaemon family implies players of female roles, although the actors no longer, as they did in Genroku, live as women even in their daily lives. The Onoe family is famous for its ghost plays. Many of these families hold exclusive rights to the plays which typify their traditionally favored roles.

Another characteristic of Genroku actors and their families which has continued in present day Kabuki circles is the system of family names. This was still another example of the power of the actor in Genroku and the defiant spirit of the commoner in his pursuit of pleasure. At that time it was forbidden by law for any other than the warrior or noble to have more than a first name. Kabuki actors, however, arbitrarily took last names and flagrantly advertised them outside the theatre-houses in defiance of the authorities.

One precaution was taken, however. If the authorities were to object to the two names, the long thin boards on which the names were written could easily be removed and the yago substituted. The yago (literally, house-name) is an appellation ending in ya which identifies the actor as to birthplace, trade, or some other characteristic. Yago applied to the specific actor as well as to any other member of the same family. These yago have remained in effect until today, although in the 19th century all Japanese (except the Emperor who still has only the one name) were ordered to take two names, and actors were no longer exceeding their right.

In Japan when spectators wish to express enthusiasm for an actor's performance, at his entry or exit, or even in the middle of a climactic scene, instead of applauding, they shout out. Sometimes they call out, "I have waited for that!" (matte imashita) or "That's it!" (soko da yo), and personal cries of approbation in a mixture of enthusiasm and proper theatre etiquette.



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