We must confess that, up until recently, we always thought of Japanese theatre in terms of grim movies like Rashomon and Gate of Hell, the classic Kabuki dancers and the traditional, stylized Noh plays.
It would appear, however, that the Noh plays are no place in today's Japan, and that the most popular theatre is, rather, a kind of "Yes" play that seems to owe little to ancient Japanese drama and a great deal to American burlycue.
At the Nichigeki Music Hall in Tokyo, nubile Nipponese naiads smile pleasantly, dance, and take part in one-act plays — all of which sounds remarkably dull until we remember that the ladies under discussion are, in response to popular request, naked — or nearly naked, anyhow. The nature of the one-act plays may be inferred by a typical title: Touch Not My Throbbing Bra.
If you're interested in tracing trends and influences, we might make passing mention of the way American customs have taken hold in hitherto tradition-steeped Japan.
U. S. slang and U. S. movies have gone over big there, and our national game, baseball, has been enthusiastically clasped to the collective Japanese bosom. Which brings us right back to the ladies of the Nichigeki, and about time. One paragraph of digression is about all we can reasonably expect you to put up with.
Playboy's Tokyo correspondent has sent us reams of rich, beautiful prose describing the social significance of this vital new art form, and we fully intend to read it some day. Right now, though, let's just look at all the pretty pictures he sent along to illustrate his points.
Familiar pin-ups from American magazines decorate one theatrical marquee; U. S. N. costumes and Stateside floorshows set the pace.
Familiar pin-ups from American magazines decorate one theatrical marquee; U. S. N. costumes and Stateside floorshows set the pace.
Familiar pin-ups from American magazines decorate one theatrical marquee; U. S. N. costumes and Stateside floorshows set the pace.
A mermaid may be seductive and yet have disadvantages. In this sketch, titled Seven Peeping Toms from Heaven, an enterprising warrior solves the problem swiftly, simply and satisfactorily.
A mermaid may be seductive and yet have disadvantages. In this sketch, titled Seven Peeping Toms from Heaven, an enterprising warrior solves the problem swiftly, simply and satisfactorily.
A mermaid may be seductive and yet have disadvantages. In this sketch, titled Seven Peeping Toms from Heaven, an enterprising warrior solves the problem swiftly, simply and satisfactorily.
A far cry from the kimono of yesteryear, costumes at the Nichigeki owe much to America's Minsky.
If the caged beauty featured in this extravaganza to our left seems more reminiscent of the Folies Bergères than American burlesque, it's not too surprising. After mastering Yankee techniques, the Nichigeki staff visited Paris to complete its education.
If the caged beauty featured in this extravaganza to our left seems more reminiscent of the Folies Bergères than American burlesque, it's not too surprising. After mastering Yankee techniques, the Nichigeki staff visited Paris to complete its education.
If the caged beauty featured in this extravaganza to our left seems more reminiscent of the Folies Bergères than American burlesque, it's not too surprising. After mastering Yankee techniques, the Nichigeki staff visited Paris to complete its education.
