By Yuki Kobayashi and Misako Takeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers17:22 JST, December 9, 2024More than a year after the aged National Theatre in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, was closed to be replaced with a new building, there are still no prospects for its reopening, as no contractor has been chosen for its construction and post-completion operation.The National Theatre, which houses a large theater and a smaller theater in the same building, was opened in 1966. As it is a venue for various traditional performing arts, its continued closure may jeopardize their preservation for future generations.On Sept. 2, the popular kabuki play “Natsumatsuri Naniwa Kagami” was performed at the midsize theater of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, in Shibuya Ward, where ballet and contemporary plays are usually performed.At the theater, a shortened hanamichi raised runway, similar to the ones typically found at kabuki theaters, was temporarily set up. The hanamichi merged with an audience aisle in the middl...
