Katsura Sunshine's Rakugo
Ends Dec 2024 1h 15m
Katsura Sunshine's Rakugo
80%
80%
(217 Ratings)
Positive
90%
Mixed
8%
Negative
2%
Members say
Entertaining, Funny, Clever, Delightful, Quirky

About the Show

The only living non-Japanese Master of the art of comic storytelling, brings Rakugo to New York.

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Critic Reviews (5)

The New York Times
October 1st, 2019

"‘Katsura Sunshine’s Rakugo’ Offers Stand-Up Comedy Without the Standing: Mr. Sunshine is one of the rare Westerners to become a master of the centuries-old Japanese comic storytelling form."
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Theatre is Easy
October 5th, 2019

"It's almost impossible to dislike Katsura Sunshine, whose presence is immediately disarming… If you question whether the funny would get lost between different cultures, rest assured because here, humor is quite the universal language and laughter never needs translation."
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Theater Pizzazz
October 27th, 2019

"I’ve seen rakugo in Japan but never in English, which made it such a delight to visit…Katsura Sunshine’s often hilarious performance…His audience-friendly act…ranges from 15-second jokes to extended narratives, always with an inevitable punchline…Just watching Sunshine’s facial and gestural contortions is worth the price of admission."
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Theater Pizzazz
November 26th, 2017
For a previous production

"The stylized telling involves a great deal of repetition, mobile facial expressions, sound effects and much exaggeration—all delightfully intimate and low-keyed...'Rakugo' may be a bit coy and small-scale in its storytelling for Americans, although it is difficult to judge by this one, singularly unconventional tale. It lacks the colorful staging of other Japanese classical theater forms, but has an intimacy and a feeling of improvisation that makes it easy to love."
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Times Square Chronicles
November 21st, 2017
For a previous production

“A funny, exciting performance of traditional Japanese stories. Sunshine is a bright and emphatic performer...He is a delightful storyteller...He talks very fast, which makes silent or pantomimed moments more entertaining than you’d expect...If you’re looking for a good way to laugh and forget your troubles, and also learn a few things about Japanese culture, this is the show for you.”
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