AMERIQUES

June ~ July 1960: first Kabuki tour in the USA, in New York at the City Center (2~22 June), in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre (27 June~10 July) and in San Francisco at the War Memorial Opera House (12~16 July). Here are the plays and the casting:

plays Roles Actors
Kanjinchô Benkei Onoe Shôroku II
  Yoshitsune Nakamura Tokizô IV
  Togashi Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
Tsubosaka Reigenki Sawaichi Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
  Osato Nakamura Utaemon VI
Kagotsurube Sato no Eizame Jirozaemon Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
  Yatsuhashi Nakamura Utaemon VI
Musume Dôjôji Hanako Nakamura Utaemon VI
Kanadehon Chûshingura En'ya Hangan Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
(act I ~ act IV) Moronô Onoe Shôroku II
  Yuranosuke Onoe Shôroku II
  Kaoyo Gozen Nakamura Utaemon VI
Migawari Zazen Yamakage Ukyô Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
  Tamanoi Onoe Shôroku II
Takatsuki Tarôkaja Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII
  The princess Nakamura Tokizô IV

July ~ August 1985: special Kabuki tour in the USA, which celebrates the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô XII; 38 performances in New York (Metropolitan Opera House, 8~20 July), Washington (Kennedy Center, 23 July~4 August) and Los Angeles (UCLA Royce Hall, 7~11 August). This is the first time in Kabuki history that a shûmei is staged abroad. The 22nd July, the troupe enters Washington by boat via the Potomac river and parades from the wharf to the theater in traditional ceremony costums. Here are the programs (program A includes a kôjô) and the casting:

Program Plays Roles Actors
A Shibaraku Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa Ichikawa Danjûrô
    Kamo no Jirô Kataoka Takao
    Katsura-no-Mae Nakamura Shibajaku
    Kiyohara no Takehira Onoe Shôroku II
    The priest Shinsai Onoe Tatsunosuke I
    Teruha Bandô Tamasaburô
    Kamo no Saburô Bandô Yasosuke
    Narita Gorô Ichikawa Sadanji
  Tachi Nusubito The thief Onoe Tatsunosuke I
    The countryman Bandô Yasosuke
    The magistrate Ichikawa Sadanji
    Tônai Onoe Shôkaku
  Kasane Yoemon Kataoka Takao
    Kasane Bandô Tamasaburô
B Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô Princess Sakura Bandô Tamasaburô
    Gonsuke, Seigen Kataoka Takao
    Zangetsu Ichikawa Sadanji
    Nagaura Nakamura Mannojô
    Akugorô Bandô Yasosuke
    Iozaki Nakamura Shibajaku
  Tsuchi-gumo Priest Chichû (in reality the spirit of the ground spider) Onoe Shôroku II
    Hirai Yasumasa Onoe Tatsunosuke I
    Minamoto Raikô Ichikawa Danjûrô
    Watanabe Tsuna Ichikawa Sadanji
    Usui Sadamitsu Onoe Shôkaku
    Sakata Kintoki Ichikawa Ginnosuke
    Urabe Suetake Ichikawa Unosuke
    The medium Sakaki Bandô Yasosuke
    Kochô Nakamura Shibajaku

April 1986: tour in South America, in Rio de Janeiro (1~3 April, Municipal Theatre), Brasilia (7~8 April, National Theatre), Sao Paulo (11~14 April, Sergio Caldosso Theatre) and Buenos Aires (18~21 April, San Martin Theater). The program is made up of "Kenuki", "Tachi Nusubito" and "Ninokuchi-mura". The troupe includes Nakamura Matagorô II, Sawamura Tanosuke, Bandô Yasosuke, Ichimura Manjirô and Nakamura Matagorô.

June ~ July 1990: Kabuki tour in the USA, 26 performances in Columbus (Ohio), San Antonio (Texas), Atlanta (Georgia), Indianapolis (Indiana), Iowa City (Iowa), Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis (Minnesota), Costa Mesa (California), Los Angeles (California), Berkeley (California), Portland (Oregon) and Seattle (Washington). Here are the plays and the casting:

Plays Roles Actors
Migawari Zazen Yamakage Ukyô Sawamura Sôjûrô IX
  Tamanoi Nakamura Kichiemon
  Tarôkaja Nakamura Kashô
Narukami Saint Narukami Nakamura Kichiemon
  Princess Taema Nakamura Kotarô V

July 2004: Heisei Nakamuraza tour in the USA, the first tour for this troupe abroad, in Boston (8~10 July, Cutler Majestic Theatre), New York City (17~25 July, Lincoln Center) and Washington DC (28 July, Warner Theater). "Natsu Matsuri" is staged in New York City, while the dances "Bô Shibari" and "Renjishi" are staged in Boston and Washington DC. Here are the plays and the casting:

Plays Roles Actors
Natsu Matsuri Danshichi Kurobê, Tokubê's wife Otatsu Nakamura Kankurô
  Issun Tokubê Nakamura Hashinosuke
  Tsuribune Sabu Bandô Yajûrô
  Mikawaya Giheiji Sasano Takashi
  Danshichi's wife Okaji Nakamura Senjaku
  The keisei Kotoura Nakamura Shichinosuke
  Ôshima Sagaemon Kataoka Kamezô
  Tamashima Isonojô Nakamura Shinobu
Bô Shibari Jirôkaja Nakamura Kanzaburô
  Tarôkaja Nakamura Hashinosuke
  The master Bandô Yajûrô
Renjishi Lion Father Nakamura Kanzaburô
  Lion Cub Nakamura Shichinosuke
  A priest Nakamura Senjaku
  A priest Kataoka Kamezô

June 2005: Chikamatsuza tour in the USA, in Seattle (Paramount Theater, 11~12 June), San Francisco (Berkeley Zellerbach Hall, 17~18 June) and Los Angeles (Cerritos Center, 21~24 June). Here are the plays and the casting:

Plays Roles Actors
Bô Shibari Jirôkaja Nakamura Kanjaku
  Tarôkaja Nakamura Kikaku
Sonezaki Shinjû Hiranoya Tokubê Nakamura Kanjaku
  Tenmaya Ohatsu Nakamura Ganjirô
  Aburaya Kuheiji Nakamura Kikaku

July 2007: second Heisei Nakamuraza tour in the USA, in New York (Lincoln Center, 16~22 July) and Washington (Warner Theatre, 26 July). Here are the plays and the casting:

Plays Roles Actors Day/Place
Renjishi Lion Father Nakamura Kanzaburô Lincoln Center 07/16
  Lion Cubs Nakamura Kantarô
Nakamura Shichinosuke
 
Hôkaibô Hôkaibô Nakamura Kanzaburô Lincoln Center 07/17~22
  Okumi Nakamura Senjaku  
  Jinzaburô Nakamura Hashinosuke  
  Eirakuya Gonzaemon Bandô Yajûrô  
  Shôhachi Kataoka Kamezô  
  Yôsuke Nakamura Kantarô  
  Princess Nowake Nakamura Shichinosuke  
Kanjinchô Musashibô Benkei Nakamura Hashinosuke Warner Theatre 07/26
  Togashi Saemon Nakamura Kanzaburô
  Yoshitsune Nakamura Senjaku
Migawari Zazen Ukyô Nakamura Kanzaburô
  Tamanoi Bandô Yajûrô
  Tarôkaja Nakamura Kantarô
Nakamura Shichinosuke

October 2010: Kabuki tour in Central America, to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Japan's Relations with Mexico [more details]. The tour goes through Monterrey (8th of Oct.) and Mexico City (12th and 13th), San Salvador (16th) and Santa Ana (18th) in Salvador and Tegucigalpa (21st) in Honduras. The program is made up of lectures about the art of Kabuki and two dance-dramas, "Sagi Musume" and "Shakkyô". The troupe is led by Nakamura Kyôzô, Nakamura Matanosuke and Ichikawa Kinosuke.

July 2014: third Heisei Nakamuraza performances in New York City. The summer kaidanmono "Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki" is staged from the 7th to the 12th of July at the Rose Theater (in the Lincoln Center). Based on a rakugo story by Sanyûtei Enchô, this is a showpiece for the zagashira (Nakamura Kankurô) who will play multiple roles, culminating in a thrilling fight scene in a waterfall where he switches rapidly from one to another. An artist named Hishikawa Shigenobu (Nakamura Kankurô) is killed by a handsome samurai named Isogai Namie (Nakamura Shidô) who wants Shigenobu's wife Oseki (Nakamura Shichinosuke). He carries out the murder with the help of Shigenobu's honest, but simple minded, servant Shôsuke (Nakamura Kankurô) and the tattooed villain Uwabami no Sanji (Nakamura Kankurô).

USA Kabuki Tour (1982)

 
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