Theatre of Yugen Presents A NOH CHRISTMAS CAROL

Based on the Charles Dickens classic, the reimagined story in Meiji era Japan is told using a combination of noh, kyogen, kabuki, and butoh, bringing this classic story to life in a fashion unlike any production you have seen. Ebezo Sukurooji [Ebenezer Scrooge] receives a visit from his deceased business partner Jakube Mashima [Jacob Marley] warning him to change his miserly ways or be doomed to linger forever as a hungry ghost. Sukurooji is next visited by 3 Ghosts - of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-To-Come who take him on a wondrous journey through life and time in a profound attempt to remind him of the value of life beyond business and profit.

Theatre of Yugen is delighted to be bringing this thoughtful, intricate, magical play back to the stage as part of their 41st season. At its core, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is not just about one man remembering the joy of one day of the year, but as he proclaims, "I will hold Christmas in my heart throughout the year!" His lesson is that we must always care for one another; always value our human connections beyond the trappings of the world. Salvation is found by accepting one's place in the human race; community must be embraced to escape eternally wandering the Earth as a hungry ghost. This powerful story of redemption, with its moments of otherworldly magic and mystery, make for a perfect parallel to classical Noh drama; the living and the ethereal coexist in a delicate and beautiful liminal space that so perfectly evokes Yūgen, or profound grace.

Artistic Director, Nick Ishimaru says, "The world of Noh is unlike anything we get to experience in Western theatre. It is a liminal space where spirits come and go, and the corporeal interact freely with the phantasmal. As a theatre form, it relies on physicalized conventions to contain this liminal space. As my teacher Yuriko Doi always says, Noh and Kyogen are about the art of the internal, rather than the external. The word "Yugen" itself describes an ephemeral beauty that is felt, not seen. It is often described in imagery, like a flight of geese appearing and disappearing behind the clouds, or the sun sinking behind a flower-clad hill. Utilizing Yugen's signature Japanese theatre styles and vast stock of traditional costumes, we present a visual and musical spectacle that gives new life to this classic Christmas story."

For more information visit www.theatreofyugen.org/carol-2019. Tickets available at https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html e=c6ae471dce120dddffdc0755c48a79b0&t=tix. For info call: 415-621-0507.

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