On stage, one of Japan’s biggest Kabuki stars changes roles in an instant. Offstage, it took decades

TOKYO (AP) — Onstage, Danjuro Ichikawa, one of the biggest stars of Japan’s Kabuki theater, is a virtuoso in switching roles.

In his latest production, he plays 13 parts, including a princess, a sushi chef and a fox. He hobbles offstage as a feeble old man, then dashes back on moments later as a fierce warrior. He gets in a few sword fights, dies tragically more than once, and takes flight on wires.

Offstage, he’s wondering if it’s time for the often rigid role of a Kabuki star to change.

The 13th man to bear the name Danjuro Ichikawa — which has been passed down between generations of Kabuki stars for over 300 years — he’s a household name in Japan, showing up in ads, movies and TV shows.

Kabuki, an all-male theatrical tradition that combines music, dance and acrobatics, remains popular, but Danjuro grants that it can be out of step with modern tastes. Audiences accustomed to TikTok videos and streaming don’t always have the patience for four-hour performances in archaic formal Japanese. Social distancing restrictions during the pandemic hit theaters hard, and audiences are still coming back.

Danjuro has made efforts to update Kabuki in “Hoshiawase Jusandan,” at the Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo through July 24, trimming longer scenes and modernizing some dialogue.

“Traditional culture might be hard to follow and get tiresome, but I hope people will have fun. The action moves quickly because I’m one person playing 13 roles,” Danjuro told The Associated Press.

Dapper and tanned, Danjuro, 46, can be disarmingly playful for a famous artist. Amid discussions of the future of live performance, he gamely posed for photos, striking the kind of pose you’d see on the romantic lead of a manga comic book.

The all-male theatrical style