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Keeping it in the family 家傳絕學
Sunday, Mar 25, 2007,Page 14
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From left: Danjuro Ichikawa, Danshiro Ichikawa, Ebizo Ichikawa and Kamejiro Ichikawa in Tokyo, Mar. 6, 2007. 左起：市川團十郎、市川段四郎、市川海老藏及市川龜治郎三月六日在東京合影。
PHOTO: AP
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Kabuki star Ebizo Ichikawa is convinced Parisians won't have any problem understanding the emotional drama of Japan's traditional theater that he says goes beyond language barriers.
The 29-year-old actor, now appearing with his father Danjuro Ichikawa and others at the Paris Opera house, says foreign audiences usually come more prepared to his performances and are more attentive.
"Even Japanese don't understand it," he said about Kabuki's arcane language at the Foreign Correspondents' Club. "It is more about the spirit, and that gets communicated."
Although young performers like Ichikawa have revived interest in Kabuki by tackling TV shows and other works outside their genre, the audience still tends to be old people.
Originating in the 1600s, Kabuki is a stylized all-male theater that combines music, dance and acting to tell stories about samurai vendettas, love suicides and everyday city-life.
The Paris program includes Kanjincho, a tale of sacrifice and loyalty that has long been loved as a symbol of this nation's self-effacing, stoic culture. Translations in French and English will be shown as subtitles, and the actors will deliver their lines in French in one act.
Kabuki actors wear outlandish makeup and elaborate costumes. Their skills are handed down over generations, and training starts when the stars-to-be are toddlers.
That means an actor's love interest is a topic of intense interest for fans because the raising of sons becomes a closely watched family and artistic project.
Some marriages are between Kabuki families — not far-fetched in a nation where, even today, some marriages are arranged.
But Kamejiro Ichikawa, 31, who will also be performing in France, isn't about to listen to his father when he picks a wife.
"It's individual freedom," he said with a laugh.
(ap)
日本知名歌舞伎演員市川海老藏確信，巴黎民眾可以跨越語言的藩籬，欣賞並了解日本這項強調內心表演的傳統戲劇。
現年二十九歲的市川海老藏與父親市川團十郎及其他劇團成員一同現身巴黎歌劇院，他表示，前來欣賞演出的外國觀眾多半「有備而來」，觀賞時也比較投入。
他在外國特派員協會談及歌舞伎艱澀難懂的語彙時說：「即使是日本人也不了解，但歌舞伎偏重心靈層面的表現，透過這樣的交流產生共鳴。」
儘管像市川這樣的年輕演員已藉由電視節目及其他演出方式，讓日本民眾重燃對歌舞伎的興趣，但觀眾仍以老年人居多。
起源於一六００年代的歌舞伎，演員清一色為男性，是一種結合音樂、舞蹈及演藝的戲劇方式，主題多和武士間仇殺、殉情及市井小民生活有關。
這次在巴黎演出的劇目也包括《勸進帳》，這個描述犧牲與忠誠的故事長久以來廣受喜愛，被視為日本謙遜、堅忍文化的象徵。表演將搭配法文及英文字幕，演員們也將在其中一幕以法文對白演出。
歌舞伎演員臉化怪妝，身穿精緻戲服，技藝也代代相傳，這些明日之星早在蹣跚學步時就已經開始接受訓練。
也就是說，培育下一代的過程成為大眾密切關注的家族藝能計畫，因此演員的感情生活備受粉絲們注意。
歌舞伎各世家有時會相互聯姻，省去千里覓佳偶的麻煩，即便到了今日，日本仍存在父母媒妁之言的婚姻。
但現年三十一歲、也將參與法國演出的市川龜治郎並不準備依父親之意擇偶，他笑著說：「這是個人自由。」
（美聯社／翻譯：林倩如）
| Today's Words 今日單字 |
| 1. arcane adj.
晦澀難懂的 (hui4 se4 nan2 dong3 de5)
例:This letter is written in arcane French. I don't understand it.
(這封信是用艱澀難懂的法文寫成，所以我看不懂。)
2. genre n.
類型 (lei4 xing2)
例: Although his prefered genre is film, he occasionally performs on the stage.
(儘管比較喜歡電影，但他偶爾也會參與舞台表演。)
3. stoic adj.
堅忍的 (jian1 ren3 de5)
例: He was known for his stoic courage in the face of danger.
(他以臨危不亂聞名。)
4. outlandish adj.
古怪的 (gu3 guai4 de5)
例:The clothes Sarah wore in her teens were outlandish to say the least.
(含蓄一點地說，莎拉青少女時期穿的衣服有點怪。) |
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