Kabuki Plus
Unique pre-play opening
Ten minutes before the show opens, there is a special greeting derived from the original puppet play, which gives the opening added weight.
Puppet greeting
Prior to the opening of the show, a puppet appears before the curtains, an event unique to Chushingura. The puppet is dressed in formal kimono but is a humorous character. It calls for the audience’s attention and introduces the actors with comic gestures. This warm-up act enlivens the atmosphere and smoothes the way into the grand drama.
Grand Prologue
When the puppet exits, the wooden clappers sound, and a Noh flute plays a high-pitched melody known as “The Heavenly King Descends” as the curtain slowly opens. This is known as the Grand Prologue, and the melody is unique to this show. The number of claps accompanying the music is set at 47 beats, reflecting the number of warriors in the revenge scheme.
Puppet Bodies
As the curtains gradually open, the characters are sitting motionlessly with eyes closed as if under a spell. This sequence, called the Puppet Bodies, reflects the show’s origin as a Bunraku puppet play. The narrator, chanting to the accompaniment of Bunraku takemoto music, announces each character’s name, to which they raise their heads one by one and come to life.
Stylization and ritual
Over the centuries, Kabuki developed a unique stylized beauty that is a particular joy of Chushingura. This is notable in the Grand Prologue as well as the bribery and sword-drawing scenes in Act III and Hangan’s suicide in Act IV. The relentless solemnity of the ritual suicide ceremony, for example, was compared in a UK tour to a formal banquet. It takes considerable skill for actors to optimize the power of this stylized acting vocabulary as their theatrical language and deliver something more than a naturalistic portrayal allows.
