For our first headline event of Noh Reimagined 2024, Mu Arts and Kings Place were proud to present a rare performance of ‘Sumidagawa’, one of Noh Theatre’s greatest masterpieces. British storyteller Xanthe Gresham-Knight’s ‘A Tale of the Sumida River’, adapted from ‘Sumidagawa’, preceded the Noh performance, offering an introduction to the play’s timeless narrative of love, loss, and the river that carries us all.
Sumidagwa (Sumida River), written by Kanze Motomasa (c.1394 – 1432), the eldest son of Zeami Motokiyo (c.1363 – c.1443), stands as one of the most renowned Noh plays of all time. It is a story about a mother whose son has been kidnapped. The mother embarks on a journey which ends in despair as she finds that her son died a year previously. The play’s timeless narrative of love and loss, famously inspired Benjamin Britten to compose Curlew River. For this rare performance of the play in the UK, Mikata Shizuka – one of the most esteemed Noh performers from Japan – performed in the lead role as the mother.
Sumidagwa Cast:
Shizuka Mikata, mother (shite)
Seigo Mikuriya, ferryman (waki)
Gasho Yamanaka, jiutai chorus
Kohei Kawaguchi, jiutai chorus
Yasuki Kobayakawa, jiutai chorus
Yasumitsu Kobayakawa, jiutai chorus
Yasuhiro Sakoh, nohkan flute
Tatsushi Narita, kotsuzumi shoulder drum
Tetsuya Yamamoto, otsuzumi hip drum
Monet Hirai, kokata (child)
The performance of Sumidagawa was preceded by a newly written English re-telling of the story “A Tale of the Sumida River” performed by Xanthe Gresham -Knight.
“A Tale of the Sumida River” team
Xanthe Gresham-Knight ( Co-writer and storyteller)
Gareth Mattey ( Co-writer and dramaturgy)
Carlos Davy ( Sound design)
Akiko Yanagisawa ( Creative Producer)
Read the synopsis for Sumidagwa provided by the-noh.com ‘Noh Plays Database’.
