Kabuki "Little Red Hen"

[Mulboyne]

Oregonian: The Little Red Hen goes kabuki
The Little Red Hen of fable usually doesn't make ohagi, Japanese rice balls covered with sweet beans. The hen doesn't address the cat, dog and pig by their names in Japanese. Nor does the more familiar version include a tanuki, a Japanese animal often depicted in mythology and statues. But the version being rehearsed by Sally Collins' fourth-graders at Sherwood's Archer Glen Elementary School also has a few other alterations: The class will perform the play in the manner of kabuki, a highly stylized form of Japanese drama...Some aspects of kabuki surprised the students. The makeup -- solid white, with strong accents for the eyes and mouth -- was unexpected and "kind of freaky," said 10-year-old Kelsey Wood. Kelsey will perform in a dance segment featuring several students who carry drumsticks and imitate Japanese drummers.