Kanagawa Standing Drinking Culture Talk Vol.6 “Transformation and Entertainment”
Text: Akiko Inoue Photo: Masamasa Nishino Published on July 14, 2015
Chikara Fujiwara | Chikara FUJIWARA
Editor, critic, director of BricolaQ. Born in Kochi City in 1977. At the age of 12, he moved to Tokyo and started living alone in Tokyo. After that, he moved around a lot, and after working for a publishing company, became a freelancer. Responsible for editing Musashino Art University's public relations magazine "mauleaf" and Setagaya Public Theater "Caromag". Co-edited with Riki Tsujimoto, ``Book Guide as Architecture'' (Meigetsudo Shoten). Co-authored with Kyoko Tokunaga, ``The Strongest Theory of Theater'' (Asuka Shinsha). Currently living in Yokohama. A member of Theater Center F. In addition, he has created ``Geki Quest'' in various places where you walk around cities and peninsulas with game books in hand. http://bricolaq.com/
Kimio TAKETANI
While attending Senshu University, he joined the Waseda University Theater Company Mori and began his theatrical career. After that, he worked for an insurance company for a while, but resumed theater activities in 2007. He has appeared in major roles in small theater companies that will be responsible for the future of the theater world, including Okazaki Geijutsuza, Kinoshita Kabuki, Sample, and Hanchu Yusei. In addition to his ability to do anything, his humorous expressions are appealing. He won the CoRich Performing Arts Festival 2013 Actor Award for his overwhelming performance in the Kinoshita Kabuki play "Kurozuka" (directed by Kunio Sugihara) where he played the role of a demon woman.
It's already been two years since I interviewed Kimio Takeya, who won the Actor Award at the Corich Performing Arts Festival 2013 . Mr. Takeya, who is more active than ever as an actor, reappeared on MAGCUL.NET as a guest on "Tachinomi Bunka Dandan".
During the previous interview, he performed his specialty impersonation show , but this time we recorded "Kimio Takeya Impersonation Show Vol. 2", which further refined his mania. After completing a 2-hour recording session, I headed to "Kokumin Sakaba Asahiya Jientoruman Kamiooka Branch" for lunchtime...!
*If you would like to watch the impersonation video "Kimio Takeya Impersonation Show Vol. 2" first, please click here .
Chikara Fujiwara (hereinafter referred to as Fujiwara) : Well, this situation feels immoral even during the day.
Kimio Takeya (hereinafter referred to as Takeya) : No, but I worked really hard on the impersonation recording earlier. lol
Fujiwara : Well then, let's order first.
Recommendations are written on the blackboard in the back. Also, there's a showcase in the middle, so let's go pick some food.
Fujiwara : Can I order bonito and shimesaba?
Oh, and I ate the mentaiko mayo pizza the other day when I came here, and it was delicious.
Takeya : (pointing to the inside of the showcase) Is this it?
Clerk : That's grilled tofu with mentaiko cheese.
Fujiwara : Oh, that's good. Well, that's it!
So let's get started...
cheers! ! !
Fujiwara : For now, let's eat, let's eat.
Takeya : Huh, I don't know. There are places like this in Kamiooka.
Kimio Takeya The origin of impersonation
Fujiwara : The theme this time is "transformation and entertainment," but in short, it's "impersonation." lol
Takeya : It's an impersonation. lol
Fujiwara : I believe it was about seven years ago that I first saw Mr. Takeya imitate him, but when I saw today's recording, I thought, ``My repertoire has expanded.''
Takeya : This is the second impersonation (note: the first one is here ), so I tried to make it more manic. However, I don't think I'm an impersonator comedian...
Fujiwara : Regarding that, what do you think about balancing impersonation and acting?
Takeya : When I was a student, I was told that I might be able to perform as the opening act for an impersonation live show featuring Makita Sports, Michiko Shimizu, Oniya Tsubaki, and others, so I asked Makita to look at the material in advance. There is something that happens. (For details, see the 2013 interview .) However, it seems that there is a certain area for comedians who impersonate others, and the only one I was told that I could impersonate was Masao Kusakari. At that time, I realized that impersonation comedians are amazing! So...
Because of that experience, I decided to leave impersonation as a hobby and concentrate on acting. But now that I'm being interviewed like this, I feel like there's a demand for impersonators (lol), so I thought it would be a good idea to show off my late-blooming impersonations.
Fujiwara : That's good.
Takeya : At Kinoshita Kabuki , where I have performed several times, when we perform a Kabuki play in a modern production, the first thing we do is completely copy the body language and vocalizations of Kabuki. It's difficult because I've never done Kabuki before, but I guess it's because I've been watching trendy dramas since I was little and imitating them all the time, so it went surprisingly smoothly...
Fujiwara : I see, it's something you can handle. lol
Takeya : It's the result of many years of independent training. lol
Nowadays, many people imitate Masakazu Tamura's Furuhata Ninsaburo, but the first time I imitated him was in ``New York Love Story'' (1988 drama) .
Fujiwara : Speaking of Masakazu Tamura, the comparison between ``Masakazu Tamura 20 years ago'' and ``Masakazu Tamura now'' in the ``Series of Picture Books Recited by Actor Impersonations'' that was recorded just today is great (lol). Also, with ``Koji Yakusho Reading the Three Little Pigs'', as you repeat it over and over again, a mysterious tension develops, and both those who play it and those who watch it get addicted to it.
Takeya : I love Koji Yakusho's very straightforward acting.
Fujiwara : I feel like I'm angry about something...lol
Takeya : Yes. Anger towards society? Like.
Fujiwara : This is completely unrelated, but Takeya-san looks like Mikijiro Hira.
Takeya : That's often said. When I appeared in ``Kurozuka,'' people said, ``Mikijiro Hira and Kayoko Shiraishi were there.'' If you think about it that way, in the end it's just impersonation. lol
* "Kurozuka" = Kinoshita Kabuki's work. Takeya won the Actor Award for this work in 2013.
2 shots of Mikijiro Hira and Kimio Takeya
Fujiwara : Today, I saw Mr. Shiraishi's impersonation, and I thought that he really put that to good use in the role of Onibaba in "Kurozuka."
Takeya : When preparing for the role, I watched ``Trojan Women'' many times. lol
*“Trojan Women” = A stage play starring Kayoko Shiraishi, composed and directed by Tadashi Suzuki. The first performance was in 1974.
Fujiwara : Today I was also doing an impersonation of Tatsuya Nakadai, and when I saw that, I thought that Nakadai's acting is perfect for film. On the other hand, Kayoko Shiraishi's acting perfectly uses the space of a play. You can feel the quality of the acting through impersonation. .
Takeya : Kabuki actors also copy and inherit their father's acting, so I think they are close to impersonation.
Modern drama has no pattern.
Takeya : Last year, Kabuki actor Shingo Bando, myself, and Yuichi Kinoshita of Kinoshita Kabuki performed in a project called ``Kabuki Lab'' at Gakushuin Women's University. During the event, Kabuki and modern drama were shown competing against each other based on several themes. For example, for the theme of ``Onnagata,'' we had Ms. Bando, who is actually an onnagata, perform part of a Kabuki performance, and I performed Mikijiro Hira's ``Princess Media,'' and the theme was ``Animals.'' Then, Mr. Bando did ``Sagi Musume'' and I did ``Yuzuru'' by imitating Yasuhide Yamamoto.
Fujiwara : Huh. It is interesting.
Takeya : Lastly, Mr. Bando and I performed a Kabuki performance together, and Kabuki actors have a lot of experience, so they can do anything. If I ask you to do this or that, you can do it right away. Compared to that, I can't do that. In modern dramas, you have to change your acting depending on the direction, so it's like the actors don't have a lot of experience.
Fujiwara : There is no common pattern in contemporary theater.
Takeya : Yes. That's why I have no choice but to do it with enthusiasm...
Fujiwara : Spirited...lol
Takeya : What I realized after working with Shingo Bando at Kabuki Labo is that even plays from the 1960s and 70s can be traced back to Kabuki. The way he uses his body, the way he speaks his lines, and the way he slides his feet, for example, makes me think that there's already Kabuki and there's SCOT...
Fujiwara : Kabuki and Noh, right? Kabuki in particular has been more popularized than Noh. That's why I think I can relate to the snobbishness of impersonation.
I think there are various ways of inheritance.
Takeya : That's right, I personally run a group to pass on the traditional arts of the Showa era through imitations.
Fujiwara : With whom?
Takeya : No, by myself.
Fujiwara : Lol. But it's rare. I wonder if there are people out there today who are trying to pass on that kind of thinking.
Takeya : I think it would be difficult for Bungakuza to carry on the tradition of Ms. Haruko Sugimura if she passed away. Actors like me, who don't belong to a theater company, are acutely aware of the inability to pass on the legacy of modern drama. First of all, there's no one to inherit it, so it's just a temporary thing...
Fujiwara : Each director has their own way of doing things.
Takeya : Yes. So, on the other hand, if an actor has too many types, it becomes a hindrance.
Fujiwara : That's how Takeya-san has been working with various directors for about 10 years. I think there is also the issue of what to do with the ``shapelessness'' and ``lightness'' of contemporary drama. Kabuki can be inherited to some extent by practicing kata.
Takeya : Come to think of it, when people in the dance field were directing a play, it was really easy to do it when they set the pattern first and told the actors to create the feelings themselves.
Fujiwara : For example, who is the person in the dance field?
Takeya : My name is Momoko Shirakami. Mr. Shirakami would say things like, ``Lower your center of gravity more,'' ``Wiggle more,'' or ``Please turn your head towards me when you say this line.'' He starts from the beginning.
Fujiwara : Rather than emotions, they give you instructions on things like specific physical forms and vectors.
Takeya : That's right. If you think too hard about how to use your body, it can be difficult to decide on an acting plan because you wonder, ``Which direction should I go?'' But Shirakami-san uses visual command. I feel like I can keep up with my feelings because of that. The difference is interesting.
Fujiwara : I see. However, in some ways it can't be helped that modern drama has no type. There's no way we can go back to the Stanislavski system now. If you think about it, it might be a good idea to input various acting styles into your body at once, like Mr. Takeya.
*Stanislavski System: An acting theory devised by Stanislavski, a Russian actor and director born in 1863, that had a great influence on theater and acting techniques in the 20th century.
By the way, would you like to add some food? How about potato salad?
Takeya : That's good. Topped with tuna too!
Fujiwara : I also want to try mentaiko mayo pizza...
Explore a person's thoughts by transforming
Takeya : But I guess there's also a sense that you can get closer to humans through impersonation. I think that what I do in theater derives from impersonation. It's not a desire to transform, but a desire to know what that person thinks. For example, in today's recording, I imitated Mr. Toshinobu Saburi, and Mr. Saburi has rheumatoid arthritis in his left hand. That's why my hands look weird. That being said, I wonder why people pound their stomachs with their hands when expressing anger. I find that kind of thought process that I don't have interesting, and I want to know more about it.
I don't know what ``real'' means in theater, but directors often ask me to do nothing. It means not doing anything unnecessary. In the end, it means exposing yourself. If it were me, I would put out the story exactly as I have lived my life for 35 years. Even if I expose my useless life like this... I feel like I don't understand it yet...
Fujiwara : Ah, they say that doing nothing means showing your true self.
Takeya : Also, there are a lot of other people living inside me.
Fujiwara : As a result of your many imitations, Mr. Takeya has many different people living inside him. Lol When I hear that, I think that everyone, not just actors, may be thinking too much that they have to compete on their own. I think that borrowing from others is an ability or talent. I'm also an editor, so in a sense my job involves borrowing material from others: requesting manuscripts, editing the collected words, and putting them into a package. It may be similar to the feeling of taking someone else's words into your own body. In the end, the person I am today was created as a result of the accumulation of many different people. I don't think that necessarily means that originality is lost.
In the meantime, the mentaiko mayo pizza was baked.
Fujiwara : Actually, I was here the other day and ordered some mentaiko to go with my sake. Then, the lady at the store seemed to have misunderstood, and with a big smile she said, "It's Mentaiko Mayo Pizza!" But he smiled so much that I couldn't say "No"... So, I accepted that big smile and tried eating pizza while drinking sake, and it turned out to be unexpectedly delicious...lol
Well, try it.
Takeya : Ah, delicious! !
Fujiwara : It's delicious, isn't it? So I thought I understood the meaning of the big smile. I'm sure it's a work I'm proud of. lol
Learning from the performing arts about the “popularity” of theater
Fujiwara : Come to think of it, Takeya-san's connection to the theme of ``entertainment'' actually began when he went to Beppu several years ago.
Takeya : Is that so? I'm from Oita.
Fujiwara : Oh, I see!
I was shown a theater called Eien Beppu Theater, which was a former strip hut that had been renovated. For example, chelfitsch is also a place where ``The Soul of an Actress'' is performed. At that time, I thought that doing it in a place like this might bring me closer to the world of entertainment rather than art. The person that immediately came to mind was Kimio Takeya. If it were over there, I'd be able to imitate Sadanji Ichikawa's dirty jokes with ease...
Takeya : Lol. I want to do it!
Fujiwara : Also, when I went to Aijima in Kitakyushu, by chance I met a local child and ended up visiting her home. When he entered the house, the sliding doors opened and an old man holding an accordion said, ``Welcome!'' and suddenly started performing.
Takeya : Huh? ! That's really interesting, isn't it? lol
Fujiwara : It's like playing with your whole body, using an accordion and castanets...
Takeya : I might have seen that person on Takeshi's show...!
Fujiwara : Ah! If I remember correctly, he said he appeared on Takeshi's show. lol
Takeya : Eh! Are you seriously that person? ! amazing!
Fujiwara : Yes, he was a celebrity on the island. At that time, this is what entertainment is! Or rather, I felt...
Takeya : I really want to do something like that. I think it's interesting on stage when the actors and roles overlap. Hundreds of years ago, Kabuki actors were also called riverside beggars, and Kabuki was performed on riverbanks and in public entertainment venues. Even when I actually read Kabuki scripts, I find that the characters have a low human standard, perhaps because of their humanity or sense of duty...lol
Fujiwara : In Kinoshita Kabuki's ``Sannin Kichizo,'' which Takeya-san was performing in the other day, there are many scenes that make you want to say, ``Hey, wait a minute!'' lol
Takeya : Yes. I wish I hadn't said "I'll drop 100 ryo"... However, I think there are a lot of strange, flawed, and missing parts of people who go out of their way to say that they're proud because they have a hundred ryo, not just in Kabuki.
I like actors who are able to express the inadequacies of human beings, but I think that when they're doing it on stage, their acting tends to be stilted. I'm interested in how to eliminate that loftiness and make it useless...
Fujiwara : Being sophisticated also means cutting off the relationship with the audience. I don't want to deny that art has a certain strength, and because I have been exposed to such works of art, I believe that finely honed artistic expression is necessary in life. However, relying on existing artistic styles and sitting cross-legged with the elegance that will emerge if left alone feels like closing your body in a shell, and I don't find it interesting. I think it's difficult, but not impossible, for the performer to maintain a high level of artistry while also having an artistic mindset that involves interacting with the audience.
Also, the term "riverside beggar" came up earlier, and I think that's part of the strength of the entertainment industry that has survived in this way. Perhaps the entertainment industry is something that people who are a bit out of touch with the world are doing to survive. By the way, the old man who played the accordion in Aishima that I saw seemed to have reached the ultimate level of entertainment. lol
Takeya : I love that kind of vulgar feeling.
Fujiwara : As expected. You can understand this by watching Takeya-san's performance. I like people who put their bodies on the line, not only actors, but also people who express themselves.
Takeya : I want to push myself too. I want to bend over more, lower my center of gravity, and say my lines while sweating.
After this, regular customer Kentaro Yoshida appears! ?
Fujiwara : Well, the reason I like bars is because they're full of snobbery.
Takeya : I also want to play more worldly roles, but I don't have many opportunities to do so. However, the ``old man'' role I played in Okazaki Art Theater 's ``My Neighbor Jimmy's Absence'' was my favorite role. I don't know what he's saying, but he says he has a fever. lol
Fujiwara : I love that old man too. But that's the kind of person you meet at a bar.
Takeya : I have a lot of impersonation costumes today, so I might be able to play the bar guy too... lol
Fujiwara : Oh! I want to see that! Let's do it!
So,
Bonus video = “Drinking with Kentaro Yoshida (an ordinary person played by Takeya)”
Fujiwara : Well, thank you for your hard work. LOL Oh, by the way, did you try the stew recommended by the manager?
Takeya : I was really interested. I'll enjoy having this!
Fujiwara : It's great to have a restaurant that does good stew.
The impersonation video is finally released!
Fujiwara : The impersonations we recorded today focused on the great actors of the Showa era, as Yoko Ono said at the beginning, but there are few people today who have as much interest in the great actors of the Showa era as Mr. Takeya. Isn't it...
Takeya : That's right. Lol But that's why I think we have to pass it down as a traditional performing art.
Fujiwara : Anyway, today I saw the possibility of something coming out of Mr. Takeya's imitation.
Takeya : That makes me happy. thank you. Actually, the impersonator was sealed away. However, I learned from the last MAGCUL.NET project that there is a surprising demand for it, and since many actors are passing away, I really feel that we need to pass this on to the next generation. That's right. That's why I'm thinking of doing impersonation as a traditional performing art, not as a comedy. lol
The second part of the whole thing! Click here to view “Kimio Takeya Impersonation Show Vol.2”.
From here on out is the store information.
The food we had this time was...
And today's recommendation...?
Kokumin Sakaba Jientruman Kamiooka Branch
http://tabelog.com/kanagawa/A1401/A140307/14015158/
Kamio 1F, 1-15-1 Kamiooka Nishi, Konan-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL : 045-843-5964
Regular holidays : Irregular holidays (approximately twice a year, such as during Kamio building inspections)
Business hours : 10:00-22:00
Access : 2 minutes walk from Kamiooka Station on Keikyu/Yokohama Municipal Subway
Related article
Kimio Takeya's next appearance
She will appear in director Tsuyoshi Toshige's 8th short film series , ``Name of Flowers,'' set in Yokohama.
Appearing on KUNIO12 "TATAMI". Please see the related events below for details.
