JAPANESE PUPPETRY : at the Little Angel Theatre, Islington
Directed by: Yoriko Iwata (general producer, Prof. Chukyo University)
When: 8pm Thursday 10 May 2012
Tickets: £8 and £6 (concs)
Punch by Ito Shiro
(27 min.)
Biography
It was in 1988 when Percy Press II came to Japan that Uncle Shiro started his Punch show in and
around Tokyo. It was intended that before Percy’s performance, Uncle Shiro would introduce what
Mr. Punch is like to the Japanese audience who knew nothing of it. Ito did it very well, so much so
that Percy accepted him as a Punchman. In addition to his career
as a dexterous puppeteer for more than a quarter of a century, he
has played Punch for another quarter of a century. His Punch acts
smoothly and his voice is superb. He is full of entertaining spirits.
The text by Collier and Cruikshank was translated into
Japanese in 1972 by Nan-e Jiro.
Ito adopted and changed it to
tooment
some extent so as to be loved by Japanese children and their parents. He uses Punch, Judy, Toby,
Policeman, the Devil, Mary ( instead of Pretty Polly), and Daddy of Mary (Doctor Figure). No Joey
the clown nor Beadle nor Crocodile appear in his show. The most characteristic part in his show is
that no one ever dies; nor a baby appears. And so therefore, in Ito’s shows, Punch and Judy are not
man and wife - Judy is his next-door neighbour. Ito says he is always tempted to perform a body
counting scene, but it is impossible, for his show never brings out any bodies….
Ito believes no parents would admit his show unless he
restrains from killing any characters.
In Japan, too,
entertainments for children are expected to be clean and
healthy, to say more, educational and moralistic. Not
Punch, but a stick is to be blamed says Uncle Shiro.
Furthermore, his stick saves Mary and her dad by
throwing the Devil away—a happy ending with a good
Punch – even with a stick! This situation is quite original
of Ito’s, applicable to Japanese circumstances
Stall and Puppets
His stall is not so high as British ones. He kneels down during his performance, which is a
The Little Angel Theatre; Home of British Puppetry
14 Dagmar Passage, Cross Street, London, N1 2DN
0207 226 1787 : [email protected] : www.littleangeltheatre.com
traditional way of performance in Japan. His puppets made by Saito Toru, a leading puppet maker
in Japan, are comparably small for him to slip his hands from the slits made in half-way of figures.
This is also a traditional Japanese style of hand puppets. Ito is a very dexterous artist, so he plays
the musical instruments at the same time.
Punch in English by a Japanese Performer
Some say it is unnecessary for a Japanese Punchman to do his show in English, for one’s native
language is most suitable and effective in performance to express emotions of any kind. Uncle Shiro
sticks to doing his in English as far as possible, because he is keen on entertaining audience in front
of him. So in London, he is eager to do his in English. He works out a mixed English-Japanese
version of his scripts.
“Kugutsu” by Katami Eimei (20 min.)
Once upon a time in Japan, on the street corners of Kyoto, there appeared puppeteers,
“Kugutsu-shi,” with portable box puppet theatres hung from their neck by a cord. The shows may
have changed with the times, but they were a familiar sight in the fashionable metropolis.
Katami revives what “Kugutsu” must have looked like in those days
and, at the same time, enjoys audience responses in modern times.
The characters are “O-Hana-chan,” meaning “Flower” and a
“Man,” without any particular name, looking like a fatigued Samurai
warrior. “O-Hana-chan,” introduces herself as an eighteen-year-old,
shy maiden.
She is, however, very aggressive towards “Man,”
demanding a series of tasks. Fortunately, her demands are funny,
childlike; such as hide-and-seek, sumo-wrestling, and a tug of war.
Adult-looking puppets humourously play parts of children in Katami’s World. You will surely
imagine what “Kugutsu,” the origin of Japanese puppetry, would be like by Katami’s performance.
Snow White by Ito Shiro (23 min.)
The well-known fairy tale in “Kugutsu” Portable Box Puppet Theatre version. Ito adopts other
stories into Box theatre but chooses Snow White for this special occasion. A popular tale
throughout the world, both by Disney Animation and various picture books, Ito enjoys
communicating with audience to fullest extent.
You will most certainly remember the Witch selling her apples; or the general confusion of the
seven dwarves. It is marvelous that only two hands deal with such a complicated narrative on a
stage the size of a small box!
The Little Angel Theatre; Home of British Puppetry
14 Dagmar Passage, Cross Street, London, N1 2DN
0207 226 1787 : [email protected] : www.littleangeltheatre.com