Japanese Plays: Classic Noh, Kyogen and Kabuki Works

by A.L. Sadler, Paul S. Atkins (Foreword)

Classic works from Noh, Kyogen, and Kabuki theaters

Nothing reflects the beauty of life as much as Japanese theater. It is here that reality is held suspended and the mind is filled with words, music, dance, and mysticism. In this groundbreaking book, Professor A.L. Sadler's translations come alive, bringing the mysteries of Noh, Kyogen, and Kabuki to modern readers worldwide. This influential classic provides a cross-section of Japanese theater that gives the reader a sampler of its beauty and power.

Sadler includes 40 plays spanning the following three

Genres: Fiction, Japanese Literature, Theatre, Japan, Plays

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2010

About the author

Full name: Arthur L. Sadler.

Reviews

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know very much about this part of Japanese culture and it was really interesting. I wish the intro would have explained more but otherwise it was great.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

the translations are ok, but I would have liked a lot more notes and commentary on each work.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of translated plays for Japanese theatre. Now I want to see them live as I missed out on my trip to Japan.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To a Westerner, Japanese classical theatre feels something like Philip Glass music- a little strange, a little unearthly, playing with the space between what is said and what is not, motion and stillness, words and silence. Sadler's volume of classic Japanese Noh, Kyogen and Kabuki plays reads differently than it is performed, thanks to the highly physical staging conventions of these forms, but the overall effect is immersive and seductive.