Tamasaburo Bando performs Yôkihi
Featuring
Tamasaburo Bando III, Kabuki’s
greatest performer of female roles.
Part fairy tale, part ghost story, Princess Yôkihi (Yang
Kwei Fei) is one of the most beautiful love stories in Chinese
history. Set in eighth-century China, it tells the story of Gen
Sou (Huan Tsuang), the last T'ang emperor, who falls in love
with a servant girl and makes her his empress. The incredibly
moving final scenes show Gen Sou losing his Cinderella, then
regaining her in a mystical embrace from beyond the grave.
Yôkihi was personally commissioned
by Tamasaburo and first
performed in 1991. He traveled to China to study with famed Peking
Opera star, Mei Baojiu and has incorporated
what he learnt into a modern Japanese work where the influence
of Peking
Opera can
also be seen.
This DVD features an excellent, comprehensive English
language commentary by Oxford University scholar
Paul M. Griffith explaining the history and details of the
play and of the performance.
YÔKIHI is part of a
six part series of DVDs featuring Tamasaburo.
“…who will forget Tamasaburo, with hands like
long translucent carvings?” New York Times
“ …one of Japan’s greatest stars,” Maurice Béjart
“ I have just seen a great actor…” The Guardian
For More Information
Contact Marty Gross Film Productions, Inc. 416.536.3355 or
email videos@martygrossfilms.com for
more information about purchasing or licensing this film for broadcast.
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