Kabuki

On Saturday I went to a performance of a type of traditional Japanese theater. From what I could tell, the main act was about a down-and-out sumo wrestler who goes on some sort of mission and fights off some other guys. Basically, I watched a play that I didn’t understand a single word of. (The physical comedy parts of it were quite fun). Attending theater productions in languages I don’t understand are not a usual hobby of mine. In this case I went entirely for the opening act.

The opening act was a short kabuki production done by five foreigners. A few of these guys are my friends, so I came out to cheer them on/laugh at them. Their performance was fantastic. They all wore pretty purple kimono, geta (traditional wooden shoes that are very hard to walk in, tons of make-up, and wigs. After the show, they posed for funny/scary pictures.

And just for fun, you can watch a couple minutes of the main play. I don't understand a word of it except when the little girl cries "Mother Mother". Also, her mother is played by a man.