Here¡¯s a sight you may not expect at a kabuki performance: A blue-haired boy bolts toward a massive snake that writhes menacingly on stage. He brings his sword down on the beast, slicing it into sections that fall apart dramatically. I thought a kabuki performance would¡¯ve been a bit less extravagant, but actor Nakamura Hayato says a scene like this isn¡¯t entirely out of place.
¡°Giant snakes definitely appear in kabuki,¡± he says, adding that there are many different styles of the traditional Japanese performance art. The kind that he and co-star Bando Minosuke are currently acting in? Pop culture kabuki, more specifically the tale of ¡°Naruto.¡±
¡°I did wonder how they were going to express some parts of the script in a kabuki fashion,¡± Hayato says. ¡°Then I watched videos (of the rehearsals) and I was able to see how the characters and scenes I knew from the manga were being interpreted for a kabuki setting. It was exciting.¡±
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