TRADITIONAL KABUKI

Friday, March 12 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 13 at 7:30 pm

For over 400 years, kabuki’s onnagata actors — those who undergo years of rigorous training to master female roles —have kept a carefully guarded secret: the art of transforming a male body into a vision of ideal femininity. In an extraordinarily rare and intimate behind-the-scenes production by Shochiku company, audiences will watch that transformation unfold in plain sight — bare face to white-powdered skin, rouge applied to pouting lips, an elaborate wig set in place and a sumptuous costume assembled layer by layer. Following this live metamorphosis, an actor handpicked by Shochiku dances the breathtaking Fuji Musume (The Wisteria Maiden), one of kabuki’s most beloved onnagata dance pieces.

Performed in Japanese with live English interpretation.