An Actor's Revenge (1981)

Prologue

In a Zen monastery, a sutra is being chanted; it is concerned with the futility of love and revenge. The subject matter disturbs one of the monks, Yukinojo, and his concentration is lost as he thinks of his past with remorse. He has a vision of his beloved Namiji and this conjures up his past life. In the convention of Nagauta- narration in the kabuki and bunraku theatres – Yukinojo and the monks take up positions from which they will narrate the story, supplying the words and thoughts of the young Yukinojo, who from here on is represented in dance and mime.

Scene i
Yukinojo has been brought up and trained as an actor by Kikunojo, the leader of the company Yukinojo is an onnagata, one who specializes in female roles. He appears on the stage of a kabuki theatre, dancing pensively in falling snow as the maiden in The White Heron Maiden, a kabuki dance-drama in which a girl crossed in love first goes mad, then turns into a white heron. The heron cannot fly away and dies in the snow. Suddenly, Yukinojo observes Lord Dobe, a corrupt magistrate, and his henchman Kawaguchiya in a stage box; these are two of the men responsible for the madness and death of his parents. Namiji, Dobe’s daughter, is with them. Yukinojo’s dance and concentration are broken by the encounter.

Scene ii
After the performance, in his dressing-room, Yukinojo is reminded by Kikunojo that he has been brought up to foster the idea of avenging his parents’ death. He suggests that Namiji’s attraction to Yukinojo will surely provide the actor with the spring-board for his revenge. Yukinojo does not want to involve an innocent girl but Kikunojo strengthens his resolve he gives him a trick fan from which springs a knife. Yukinojo receives an invitation to Lord Dobe’s house.

Scene iii
On the way to Lord Dobe’s, Yukinojo’s sedan-chair is waylaid by a disreputable samurai-without-master (a ronin], Heima, who has vowed to kill Yukinojo for imagined wrongs suffered when as young men they trained together in the martial arts. Yukinojo defeats him, even with the small dagger-fan, and Heima runs off.

Scene iv
Later that night the rascally trio of Lord Dobe, Kawaguchiya, and Hiromiya wander in Lord Dobe’s garden Namiji has been promised to the Shogun: the magistrate and his confederates hope to benefit by this marriage. Namiji, however, has fallen under the spell of Yukinojo. The three men cast aspersions on the actor’s virility (even in private life, an eighteenth-century onnagata would dress as a woman): they are certain that his imminent visit will shatter Namiji’s illusions.

Scene v
Yukinojo is led secretly to Namiji’s apartments He observes her approach with interest, not only because she is to be the unwitting tool of his revenge, but because, for all her youth and charm, she is not as graceful as Yukinojo on the stage! It is clear that Namiji has fallen in love with her idol, and this closer contact strengthens her attachment and arouses Yukinojo’s own interest, against his will, as he sees his path of revenge leading to complications.

Scene vi
While Yukinojo prepares for the performance, Kikunojo revives his determination. Kikunojo urges him both to use Namiji in order to ruin her father’s favor with the Shogun and to stifle any other interest he may have in her. Kikunojo also sows seeds for the betrayal of the other wrong-doers.

Scene vii
Hiromiya is counting his ill-gotten gains when Yukinojo pays a surprise visit. Hiromiya has been hoarding his rice supplies (as have his confederates) in order to create an artificial famine so to benefit from the resulting high prices. A crowd is heard shouting angrily outside and Yukinojo persuades him to let them have the rice very cheaply, thus undercutting his colleagues and making a quick killing. He agrees and urges Yukinojo to use his popularity with the crowd to stem their anger.

Scene viii
Namiji plays her koto and reads a poem Yukinojo has sent her (the “morning-after” poem). Her pleasant musings are interrupted by her father’s angry demands that she forget Yukinojo and prepare to marry the Shogun Dobe’s anger at the hindrance of his plans is increased when Kawaguchiya announces Hiromiya’s treachery. They resolve lo burn down his store-house before he can sell the rice. Yukinojo joins Namiji, and with him feelinq guilty, they affirm their love. Namiji has written Yukinojo a love poem on her fan in answer to his letter: her request to exchange it for Yukinojo’s fan cannot now be denied. Shouts of “Fire” break in. Yukinojo exults at h’s success and leaves Namiji abruptly She is distraught when she considers that Yukinojo may be using her to harm her father. Her grief intermingles with the crowd’s cries for vengeance.

The count’s jealousy gets the better of him. He questions her about going out alone, but she cleverly reprimands him in turn for even doubting her fidelity for an instant. Repenting of his unworthy thoughts, the count rhapsodizes about their love and is about to embrace her when he smells cigarette smoke on her clothes. He now forces her to admit that she’s hiding something; she acknowledges an uncontrollable “vice… a desire” that keeps her from getting lonely while he is enjoying himself at his club, and though not saying what vice, she insists he should not be so concerned. Surely many wives do it. Losing his temper, he smashes everything in sight and overturns the furniture, while she runs into her room weeping, perplexed.

Sante attempts to straighten up the room. After a while, Suzanne brings Gil his coat and hat, presuming that he will go to his club as usual, but he interprets her action as a ruse to get rid of him. She pleads for forgiveness, which he gives her in spite of himself because her sweet voice charms him. As soon as he leaves, she lights a cigarette, puffing it with immense enjoyment. Suddenly there is a great banging at the door. Gil has forgotten his umbrella. The delay in opening the door and the strong odor of smoke prove her infidelity to him. This time he devises a plan to catch the seducer. Again he departs; she immediately relights her cigarette; he jumps through the window I have caught her, he thinks. Grabbing the hand she has hidden behind her back, he is shucked to burn himself. The secret is out: she begs his forgiveness for her “vice” while he begs hers for his jealousy, then lighting two cigarettes, he looks over to their bedroom and she nods.

Jeffrey Kuras

Scene i
Outside Hiromiya’s house, the crowd drags in Kawaguchiya, who has been caught setting fire to the storehouse. Hiromiya has betrayed him to the people and now assures them ‘hat he will take charge of the miscreant’s punishment. The crowd disperses as Kawaguchiya is hauled into Hiromiya’s house.

Scene ii
Fear, hunger, and bondage have already taken .heir toll on Kawaguchiya when Yukinojo appears to him that night as the ghost of Matsuuraya, Yukinojo’s father murdered by Kawaguchiya. The rogue is terrified: his sanity snaps and he gibbers into madness. Hirorniya enters, without seeing the “g1ost” and throttles Kawaguchiya to death. Hiromiya, rapist of Yukinojo’s mother, now lusts after Namiji, who has run away from her father’s house. He resolves to find her. Yukinojo is left with his doubtful and ironic triumph.

Scene iii
Namiji has run away and Hiromiya has seen to it that the Shogun has heard of her flight. Dobe insists that she is at home but ill. The angry Shogun gives Dobe a short time-I mil for her discovery, or recovery. Dobe blames Yukinojo for the defection of his daughter and arranges to have him murdered.

Scene iv
Namiji is wandering distraught by the Sumida River hoping to find Yukinojo She is certain he has betrayed her. Hiromiya attacks and attempts to rape her. Namiji kills him with Yukinojo’s dagger-fan but loses her wits at the sight of blood on her hands.

Scene v
Ones again Heima waylays Yukinojo who is this time at his mercy. Heima tells him that his murde· has been commissioned by Dobe. Fatalistically Yukinojo prepares for death, praying that his parents will forgive his failure to avenge them. The sutra preaching against love and rever ge is heard in the distance Heima finds he cannot bring himself to kill Yukino]o: before running off he confesses that he has always loved and admired Yukinojo, and .hat his feelings have driven him to this state of jealous revenge.

Scene vi
In the wings of the theatre, Kikunojo watches him perform. He muses on the tragic necessity o” destroying his protege’s young life for the purpose of revenge but he feels that his own fatherly love must insist on it for the sake of the parents. The drama of life now competes with the drama of the stage and threatens to overwhelm Yukinojo’s emotions. He no longer has heart for per- formance in life or on the stage. A message from Heima reveals that Hiromiya has been slain and that Namiji has been found in a hovel near the river. The pattern of revenge is almost complete.

Scene vii
Namiji is dying in the wretched hovel, her heart broken by Yukinojo’s betrayal His protestation of sincere love comes too late- he is left with the bitterness of revenge and the destruction of innocent life and love. With the help of Kikunojo, the body is carried towards Dobe’s house.

Scene viii
Dabe curses Heima for his failure to destroy Yukinojo and with further murderous demands dismisses him. He expects the actor to visit him that night, so he prepares poison in case of Heima’s further defection. He calls for his servants but the house seems to be deserted. Suddenly Yukinojo is there and reveals to the old man at knife point that he is Yukitaro, Matsuuraya’s only son, that he is aware of the identity of his parents’ murderers, and that he has been responsible for the deaths of Kawag uchiya and Hiromiya, albeit by proxy. When Dabe dies, Yukinojo will be dead too, for in destroying Dabe through his daughter, Yukinojo has destroyed himself. Her body is brought in Dabe takes the poison Yukinojo ‘s empty revenge is complete He turns his back on life.

Epilogue ~ While the monks continue to chant the sutra, Yukinojo imagines Namiji to be in paradise and himself with her.

Reprinted by permission of English Music Theatre and translated by David W Hughes