Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – KANZE NOH THEATRE quietly mesmerizes, courtesy of this year’s Lincoln Center Festival

• By drediman
• July 22, 2016
• No Comments

This past week, I had the great pleasure and privilege of immersing myself in Noh, a centuries-old form of Japanese music and dance theater – complete with elaborate masks and costumes – courtesy of the masterful Kanze Noh Theatre. This series of Noh performances at the Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center was a part of this year’s indispensable Lincoln Center Festival (unfortunately, the Kanze Noh Theatre’s run ended last weekend), which does a fabulous job of importing world-class international companies to the city each summer.

Over the course of five days, the company performed five haunting Noh plays, of which I caught four – Okina, Hagoromo (The Robe of Feathers), Sumida Gawa (Sumida River), and Shakkyo (The Stone Bridge). The storytelling in each of these short plays was characterized by intense stillness and introspection, combined with passionate bursts of movement and vocal tantrums. Admittedly, these performances required patience on my part, but once I familiarized myself with the rhythms of Noh, I was spellbound. In many ways, fascinatingly, the performance style mirrors the demeanor of the Japanese people themselves.

The Kanze performers are clearly masters. Not a step was out of place and the musical accompaniment was ravishing in its unadorned simplicity and visceral impact. All-in-all, the Kanze Noh Theatre’s visit to New York was a mesmerizing introduction to a soulful and ancient form of theatrical storytelling.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

KANZE NOH THEATRE
Off-Broadway, Play/Dance
Lincoln Center Festival (Rose Hall)
Each program is approximately 2 hours (with one intermission)
Closed