Utazo Katsura, a master of the traditional Japanese entertainment
Rakugo, will perform in Hanoi at the Dance and Light Music Theatre and
the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities on October 19 and
20.
The events, held by the Japan-Vietnam Culture
Exchange Centre, will offer Vietnamese audiences the opportunity to
explore Japanese traditions as well as watch a Rakugo performance.
Rakugo stories such as “Time Noodle” (Toki-sob), “Gonsuke’s Fish”
(Gonsuke-zakana) and “The Tree-Head Man” (Atama-yama) will be told with
rock music playing and a combination of traditional and modern features.
Rakugo consists of a solitary storyteller, sitting on stage,
equipped with only a paper fan sensu and a small cloth tenugui as props,
as they recount stories while sitting down.
Utazo Katsura,
who has practiced the art since 1991, is one of the two leading artists
of this kind in Japan. He also tells funny stories in English or in
Japanese with English sub-titles, helping foreigners to fully enjoy
Rakugo performances./.
