By R. Pikser

 

Rakugo, the Japanese storytelling art form, dates from the end of the Muromachi period, the second half of the 16^th century.  The storyteller (rakugoka) appears in the simplest of settings:  a dais to sit upon, with nothing more than a fan and a small hand towel as props.  The rakugoka’s skill in shifting the characters as they dialog with one another and his or her skill in mime are all there is.  Katsura Sunshine has been living in Japan for 18 years and has become a practitioner of this art form.  Part of the challenge he faces is to educate foreign audiences to the traditions not only of Japanese culture but of this particular art.  This is not the easiest of tasks.

 

However, once he gets into the stories and the characters and their circumstances take over, Katsura Sunshine does his teacher, Katsura Bunshi VI, proud.  The pushy child’s interruption of his father as the latter tries to tell a bedtime story is totally recognizable to any parent, especially the father’s desperation to get on with the story.  The impolite guest’s physical reaction to eating rotten tofu disguised with chili is magnificent, quite apart from any lesson in politeness.  The punchlines (ochi) are well timed and delivered in just the right way to make us laugh, even if we sometimes suspect what they might be.

 

Katsura Sunshine tells different stories on different nights, some traditional, some created by Katsura Bunshi, and one, a ghost story, originally from Germany.  They are worth a visit.

 

 

Katsura Sunshine

Rakugo storyteller

November 16^th— December 3^rd 2017

Theatre

15 van Dam Street

New York, NY

Tickets $30; Half price for returnees who order on line

http://www.sohoplayhouse.com/