FEATURE｜If you are in Tokyo and don't see a play, you are missing out. Three "funny" theater companies that Seiichi Amaku, a genius, admires.
If you are in Tokyo and don't see theater, you are missing out. Here are three "funny" theater troupes that the genius Seiichi Amaku admires.
Recently, or rather, a few years ago, I started to hear about how interesting "theater" is. If you are one of those people who, despite all this talk and media excitement, are not quite ready to take the plunge, or perhaps you just don't know what to see, then you are in luck! Seiichi Amaku, who is active in a variety of genres such as manga, music videos, novels, and even stage productions with his overwhelming creative power, selected three theater companies that you should see now. I asked him to choose three plays that are not serious like Shakespeare, but more light-hearted and genuinely interesting! In this issue, we also have a conversation with Eito Ohkita, who runs one of the companies, "Ar of Tomorrow. . We also asked him to recommend local spots where each theater company is active. From beginners to theater addicts, this article will help you find the theater companies you should see now.
I didn't go to see the show because I liked it , but because I felt it had cutting edge laughs.
Masakazu Amahisa
Manga artist/director/writer/filmmaker born in Kagawa, Japan in 1968. He has written and directed music videos for Denki Groove, Yurayura Teikoku, and others, as well as stage productions such as City Boys Mix's "Motionless Ants" (2011) and Japan Tragedy Association's "Adultery Detective: The Last Mistake" (2015). His books include "The Baka Drill Series" (1994-), "Butchukun Zenkyu Encyclopedia" (2011), "Introduction to Aji Shashin" (2010), "Children's Ideas" (2011), and the novel "Little Wonder." (2013).
. Please tell us why you chose Mr. Ohkita as your interlocutor among the three theater companies you selected for this interview.
Seiichi Amaku ("Amaku"):We have a performance just at the end of October. Ohkita-kun was originally fromDaily Portal ZI'm a writer for , and I'm the author offickle detectiveHe came to see me when I was involved in Matsuo-san's play called "The Last Time I Saw You", and he said he wanted to do a comedy. I said, "Well, why don't you do it? And after a while, he came to ...... Oh, you just came.
(Mr. Ohkita arriving)
Tenkyu:Now, just now, in the context of what we talked about during the "Adultery Detectives". When was it that you launched it , again? Recently, right?
Eito Ohkita ("Ohkita"):September 2015. We had Tenhisa-san come and do the same thing in February of this year, since he was well-received. At that time, we also went to Kyoto and Osaka, and from there we went to one music event.
Eito Ohkita
Writer/video creator. . author of numerous hit articles for Daily Portal Z and other publications. . For his video, he won the runner-up prize at the Shitamachi Comedy Awards 2016 , and the Audience Award.
─ Mr. Ohkita, have you always been a theatergoer?
Great North:I didn't like it that much, but I did watch it . In a different context, I liked comedy and funny things. When I was in high school and college, I was in the Satoshi Miki era of "City Boys," and I liked it a lot.
. - the main thing is laughter rather than theatricality.
Great North:. yes, I did. I thought theater was interesting, too, because it was, like, "You know what?adult planning," and then there's the rest.chelfitsch." I guess.
Great North:I thought it was interesting to read the novel and the play, and I also enjoyed watching the DVD, so that's how I got into theater.
... I guess it depends on the work, but I have an image that theater itself is difficult to understand, or is somewhat difficult to approach.
Tenkyu:Our generation came after the small-theater boom of Hideki Noda and others. I moved to Tokyo from the countryside just as the boom was cooling down, and it was right at the counter of the "City Boys," "Radical Gajiberibimba System," "The City Boys," "The Radical Gajiberibimba System," "The Radical Gajiberibimba System," and "The Radical Gajiberibimba System.Tokyo ElectrolyteI was beginning to see something different, something like "a cooler, quieter kind of laughter," or something that showed a more relaxed, quiet laughter, or something that showed a more spaced-out approach. So, I did not go to see a play because I like theater, but because of laughter. I was interested in culture. I felt like I was seeing the cutting edge of laughter there.
. Do you feel that cutting-edge laughter is different from the kind of comedy you see on TV, for example, in that it is live and free of self-imposed restrictions?
Tenkyu:From the way I was feeling at the time, the manzai boom was forming, and it was about time for something like theatrical comedy to come out to compete with it. Being young, I guess I thought that the newer types were edgier. . So, I think the current theater scene is the same. But rather than laughter, they are focusing on something else. I don't think laughter is so important nowadays, and when I saw "Mugoto" and "Marm and Gypsy," they were more dance-oriented, more like devices for sharing space than so-called plays.
. I think that's more of a general trend than your own.
Tenkyu:Yes, that's right. I am also from outside the theater, but Ohkita is also a member of a comedy unit. Some of the performers are from the theater, but others are dancers, writers for "Daily Portal," etc., so there are all kinds of people in the group, and I like that. I think that's what I like about it. Did you consciously choose these people?
Great North:Yes, that's right. For the time being, I don't know any actors, but I said, "He's funny, so let's just put him on the stage.
...You don't tell the actors how to act?
Great North:I do some detailing, but basically it's just the person himself.
Tenkyu:We also use actresses and other talented people in important places.
Great North:."Gotanda TroupeJunko Miyabe of "The Renaissance", isn't it? She is very funny. She seems to be very famous in the world of small theaters.
Tenkyu:I didn't know much about it (laughs).
Great North:The actress who performed in the previous show said that we should definitely invite them. . So she came to the audition, and I went straight to .......
...I see that there is an audition. By the way, how many people participated?
Great North:About 8 people.
Tenkyu:It doesn't seem like much, but I think we've had a great turnout. We just started, and we are not a theater company. So, have all of you seen the show at least once?
Great North:Yes, I have. I had one acquaintance who came, but about 80% of them had seen the show once. About 20% of them came because they thought it looked interesting.
Tenkyu:What kind of audition did you do?
Great North:What was it? I was asked to "divide this cake into 7 equal portions" or something like that. I thought I might say something like that, but Sumi, the actor who was standing next to me, stopped me and said, "No, you guys don't have to do that.
Tenkyu:. you'll have to make up your mind. You'll make it look like there are two directors.
Great North:After that, we would end up chatting. I would ask them to read the script, and even I could tell the difference in acting experience between them. From that point on, it was just a feeling of "Oh, if it's these people, I'm sure they'll be fine. Since it was my first time auditioning, I was told that I should choose people based on their personalities that I would feel comfortable spending a long time with, and that is how I chose them.
Tenkyu:It doesn't feel like theater.
Seiichi Amaku's recommended theater company #1 Ar, tomorrow."
Flyer for the performance "Cat's Future Vision II" from Tuesday, October 25 to Thursday, October 27.
Ar, tomorrow." Ar tomorrow ( tomorrow ). A unit in which actors, writers, and other friends perform a comedy written by Eito Ohkita, a writer/video creator who works mainly on the Internet. *Ar is a reminder ar. http://asunoah.tumblr.com/
AR of Tomorrow vol.2 (2nd performance) "Cat's Future Vision II
Period: Tuesday, October 25 - Thursday, October 27, 2016
Time: 8:00 PM (Doors open 30 minutes before the show starts)
Place: VACANT
Address: 3-20-13 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Price: 2,500 yen + 1drink (500 yen) in advance , 3,000 yen + 1drink (500 yen) at the door
The restaurant that will support tomorrow's ar stomachs.
One of the performers in "Ar of Tomorrow," Taiyou Tochiaki, runs a nightclub called Kromon Cafe by himself, and we all go there often. He used to be a dancer in Sankai Juku and traveled all over the world, so he knows the cuisine of many countries. We can have a leisurely drink with European home cooking and wine, which is not expensive. There is a kotatsu (a table with a kotatsu under the table), no air conditioner, and we eat turmeyer, or fava bean croquettes, in a place that is almost like a relative's house. . It is strange in many ways. The shopping district in Kita-Shinagawa was originally an inn town on the Tokaido Shinagawa Road, and it has an interesting atmosphere, with many new stores run by young people. There are also many people involved in the theater industry. After Shoin Shrine, Kita-Shinagawa is the next stop," says Ohkita.
Kromon Cafe
Address: 2-2-7 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Seiichi Amaku's recommendation theater company No.2 Nacago."
I went to see Nakago through an acquaintance, and I was impressed by the presence of its leader, Mr. Kamata. I have seen him as an actor, but he has a destructive power. It's amazing that he doesn't give off any unnecessary blandishments. That is a miracle. He is now working as a maniac, but I wish he would come out more. (Amaku)
Photo of the play "Leading" in this performance. The show was staged in Tokyo and Nagoya in August 2015, and was the first time it was performed solely by company members.
Nacago." In 2006, the Tokyo-based company was launched by playwright/director Junya Kamata and others. The company's "what are you doing?" ideas and "what are you going to do? The company won the Oji Little Theatre's "Sakichi Sato Award 2012" for the best work, "Mayuzumi-san, Here She Comes! (Mayuzumi-san, here we come!).
It seems that the Kajiwara branch is the only place where you can order "white" (mazesoba). I got hooked on it and for a while, it was the most delicious food in the world . . I was so impressed. Once I took him there, he got hooked on it, and he sometimes goes there with other actors. It's fattening, but it's very impressive.
Ramen Fuji Maru, Meiji Street Toden Kajiwara Branch
Address: 3-18-1 Kaminakazato, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 18:00 - 24:00
Closed: Monday
Seiichi Amaku's recommendation theater company No.3 From New York."
In a stylish space with three chairs and three men, we deviated from the daily conversation and piled up a lot of nonsense that cannot be analyzed at all. They deviate from everyday conversation and pile up nonsense that cannot be analyzed at all. There are some crude jokes, but they are miraculously chic and somehow fashionable. It's funny in a way that is extremely popular. I like the fact that neither Nakago nor From New York is at all flirtatious.
The Short One" from the previous theater performance "Acting with a Coffee Cup"
From New York." From New York (Blue & Sky, Kunimutsu Ichikawa, Takashi Nakamura) is a group that has come to Tokyo from New York in search of missing producer Steve, and is performing skits to get him to notice them.
From New York TOKYO Performance 2017 It's about time for a second bag.
