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Yellow Man Group - Tokyo
Mainstage, Athenaeum Theatre
Friday, April 5, 2002
Reviewed by Jeff Catanese

It's hard to review Yellow Man Group again. This critic has now seen them three times and I hate to be redundant. I love them. Their exuberance alone might be enough to sustain an improv show if bricks performed it. The relationship they build with their audience is almost jarring when compared with a lot of the we're-almost-too-cool-for-our-fans attitude adopted by many American troupes. It is a blessing that the improv they do perform has an abundance of attraction alone.

Yellow Man is not flawless. Especially on this night they seemed to have some problems listening, to the point that genders were confused and kittens became puppies. Some scenes overstayed their welcomes while others were clipped before it was even discovered what the scene was about. This was more than made up for by the extraordinary physical prowess (especially by Masahiko Iino, a great acrobat and dancer) and teamwork they displayed, especially during the game Sing About It, in which the songs were somewhat pedestrian, but the dancing that accompanied it was complex and well coordinated.

Occasionally the actors got tripped up on their lack of English, but the real joys of a Yellow Man Group performance come from the ideas that are truly Japanese. Performing kabuki in a styles scene is like a lesson in an ancient art form, and a story scene turns poignant and plays out like a beautiful folktale.

Yuri Kinguawa, the director of the troupe, makes no bones about her desires to tour the United States. If they come to your town, don't miss the opportunity to catch this fun and unique group.