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Backstage Pass |
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by Grant Lowery |
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If you were asked what form of entertainment involves prostitution, brawls, cultural critique,
and music, what would come to mind? Well, consider the theatrical spectacle of kabuki, which arose from auspicious and rowdy origins to reside in a comfy bed of cultural reverence.
In the pages of Backstage Prince, you've been watching the grand drama of Ryusei and Akari, but if you're paying attention you've also noticed the
backdrop of the tale is a kabuki theater—a theater oh-so-similar to the famous Kabuki-za Theater in Higashi Ginza. Kabuki-za has been offering entertainment to
the masses since 1889. In fact, the theater really can't be stopped—it burned to the ground in 1921, survived both a massive earthquake in 1923 and air raids
gutting the interior in 1945, during World War II. So, if you doubt the staying power of the Kabuki-za, think again. |
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"Backstage Pass" by Grant Lowery been edited for shojobeat.com;
the complete article appears in the November 2006 issue of Shojo Beat Magazine. |
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Want more articles like this PLUS six of the most addictive shojo manga from Japan delivered to your doorstep every month—before they hit the newsstands? Click here to subscribe now! |
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