ANA “YOSE” LIVE in MANILA – a Japanese Traditional Comedy in English

Rakugo (落語 literally, “fallen words”) is a form of Japanese verbal entertainment. A lone storyteller (rakugoka) sits on the stage, called the kōza (高座), and using only a paper fan and a hand towel as props, recounts, without rising from his seat, a long and complicated comical story. The story is narrated as a conversation among two or more characters. The performer switches from one character to another, changing his voice, facial expression, mannerisms, and accent to fit the person who is speaking. The monologue typically lasts for 30 minutes and ends with a surprise punch line, a narrative stunt known as ochi (fall) or sage(lowering).

Rakugo originated from Buddhist sermons. The priests used dramatic stories to illustrate the spiritual principles of Buddhism such as the transiency of life, ephemeral reality of secular values, and others. Early rakugo performers parodied those stories to relieve people from the painful reality of life by helping them to laugh at themselves. (source: www.newworldencyclopedia.org)