Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 7:30PM
General Admission: $25; Five College and 17 & Under: $10; Five College Faculty & Staff: Please call the Box Office
Witness the unique tradition of Japanese Kuruma Ningyo (cart puppets) in this story of two wandering travelers along the great highway from Tokyo to Kyoto, whose paths intersect time and space. Created by American puppeteer Tom Lee and Japanese Master Puppeteer Koryu Nishikawa V, this work fuses traditional Kuruma Ningyo puppetry, video projection and live music to explore themes of life and death, and how traditions are passed on.
It was very interesting. I got there early to get a good seat. 4 rows were reserved and then 10 min before show time opened up to the crowd. I did not appreciate that at all. Not sure I will go to more offerings in Bowker. Even in the fifth row it was hard to see.
Unfortunately, Bowker is not a great venue for something like this. It is very hard to see action right at the level of the stage floor or just above. As already mentioned we got there early to get a good seat and found the first few rows reserved. I am not sure why regular subscribers would be relegated to the back.
This show was phenomenal. The dedication to creating as pure of a puppet production as possible and the efforts of both Tom and Nishikawa-san to cross cultural boundaries and create such an impressive collaboration are very appreciated. From the intricate details of the puppets, to the mixed media presentations, this show is one I would definitely recommend to others. Who knew that a puppet show could be so expressive even without the spoken word? Powerful experience.
Loved it. It was excellent. Much more complicated a production than other Japanese puppetry than I have seen in the past, and wonderfully done. Yes, it was REALLY important to be sitting close to the stage, in order to appreciate it and enjoy it.
Yeah, venue not ideal. Partly why it’s affordable.
But Koryu sen sei was a revelation. He was one with his puppet–so expressive, so nuanced and assured. Joy to watch. I liked the action of the traditional puppets best. The stories were secondary, for me, to the music and movements of the puppets, though related. I took a chance on this and the Turkish opera and so glad that i did. The opera was especially beautiful and another revelation! That was the theme this season. Thanks!!!