Grand Kabuki Troupe

On a scorchingly hot Saturday afternoon in Hondo, Tex. (pop: 6,000), a dozen guys were knocking back a few beers at the ramshackle College of Knowledge. A fan made out of a beer can whirled lazily over the bar. Although this homespun watering hole hasn't been a grocery store for quite some time, no one ever bothered to remove the wooden shelves lining the walls.

For a quarter of a century, Baiko Onoe VII has been one of Japan's "living treasures," an officially certified master of the multiple arts of Kabuki and one of the best onnagata (performer of women's roles) in the all-male Kabuki. Yet, he says, he still hones his skills by practicing body movements, nude, before a mirror. "My father was a hyper-critical man. Even in the winter, we did rehearsals in the nude before a mirror.

Costa Mesa will be among 12 U.S cities to be visited by a 65-member Grand Kabuki company this summer--the largest Grand Kabuki American tour in history--Shochiku Company Ltd. of Tokyo has announced. The Grand Kabuki will appear June 30 and July 1 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, according to the company's tour director in Seattle. Center officials, however, insist that negotiations are not yet concluded.

The Grand Kabuki of Japan returns to the Japan America Theatre this week for seven performances that mark the troupe's last West Coast visit for an indefinite period. Domestic demands in Japan leave the Grand Kabuki little time to tour outside the country, according to Japan America Theatre officials. The only other U.S. visit planned by the troupe is an appearance at the Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta in 1996. The Grand Kabuki's performances Thursday through Sept.

The Grand Kabuki of Japan returns to the Japan America Theatre this week for seven performances that mark the troupe's last West Coast visit for an indefinite period. Domestic demands in Japan leave the Grand Kabuki little time to tour outside the country, according to Japan America Theatre officials. The only other U.S. visit planned by the troupe is an appearance at the Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta in 1996. The Grand Kabuki's performances Thursday through Sept.

For a quarter of a century, Baiko Onoe VII has been one of Japan's "living treasures," an officially certified master of the multiple arts of Kabuki and one of the best onnagata (performer of women's roles) in the all-male Kabuki. Yet, he says, he still hones his skills by practicing body movements, nude, before a mirror. "My father was a hyper-critical man. Even in the winter, we did rehearsals in the nude before a mirror.

On a scorchingly hot Saturday afternoon in Hondo, Tex. (pop: 6,000), a dozen guys were knocking back a few beers at the ramshackle College of Knowledge. A fan made out of a beer can whirled lazily over the bar. Although this homespun watering hole hasn't been a grocery store for quite some time, no one ever bothered to remove the wooden shelves lining the walls.

Costa Mesa will be among 12 U.S cities to be visited by a 65-member Grand Kabuki company this summer--the largest Grand Kabuki American tour in history--Shochiku Company Ltd. of Tokyo has announced. The Grand Kabuki will appear June 30 and July 1 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, according to the company's tour director in Seattle. Center officials, however, insist that negotiations are not yet concluded.