| Description |
Program notes from the 1990 performance of Eliza (1989), a Noh play in English written by Allan Marett, at the Umewaka Noh Theatre in Tokyo, was shot and edited by Mitsu Takahashi. The shite role was performed by Richard Emmert, who also composed the music. The waki role was performed by Joseph Houseal. The ai-kyogen was written (in Japanese) and performed by Yasushi Maruishi. The musicians were Yukimasa Isso (fue), Hiromi Koga (ko-tsuzumi), Shonosuke Okura (o-tsuzumi) and Gentaro Mishima (taiko).The head of the chorus was David Crandall.
Text: Allan Marett
Music/Direction: Richard Emmert
Choreography/Direction: Richard Emmert
Story: A traveler to Fraser Island in Australia meets an old woman who tells the story of Eliza Fraser, the wife of the captain of a ship shipwrecked years ago. The woman begins to tell fantastic stories about Eliza’s experiences and how these were used to satisfy the beliefs of white society. The traveler questions her story full of exaggeration and in so doing the woman’s true nature as the spirit of Eliza is set free. The spirit then reappears and dances in an aboriginal festival as she relives her experiences of aboriginal culture and the truth of her harmonious stay with aboriginal peoples.
2018 Note
Further written documentation including drafts, correspondence, lectures and reviews are held at the NLA. |
