Kazuo Kikuta

Japanese: 菊田一夫 - きくたかずお

Born: March 1, 1908 in Yokohama
[Died] April 4, 1973. Tokyo Playwright, director, producer. Real name Kazuo. After a difficult childhood, he wanted to be a poet, and in 1927 he became a disciple of Satō Hachirō. In 1930, his debut work, Ahogishi Mayimeiden, was performed at the Asakusa Tamakiza Theatre, and he became active as a playwright. Based in Asakusa at venues such as Kinryūkan, Opera Za, and Tokiwaza, he continued to write so-called hilarious comedies for Enomoto Kenichi, Furukawa Ryokuha, Tokugawa Musei, and others. In 1936, he was invited by Roppa Ichiza to work on a contract basis at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (now Toho), where he performed many excellent plays, including Hanasaku Minato. In 1955, he was invited by Kobayashi Ichizō to become a senior executive in charge of theatre at Toho, and in 1957 he founded the Toho Art Theatre. His play Greedy Guy, which opened in 1959, became the first long-running play in Japanese theatre history. As a result of his work, he received the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1980 and the Arts Encouragement Prize in 1981. He also produced and performed "My Fair Lady" at the Toho Theater in 1983, sparking a musical boom. In 1966, he dramatized and performed the world's first version of "Gone with the Wind" at the newly opened Imperial Theater. In 1970, he produced a musical version of that work, "Scarlett," which was performed at the same theater, and then in London and Paris. Other notable works include "Horobiki" and "Gashintare." He created an era in Toho theater. He was also active on radio, and his serial dramas "The Hill Where the Bell Tolls" and "Your Name" became unprecedented hits.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1908.3.1. 横浜
[没]1973.4.4. 東京
劇作家，演出家，プロデューサー。本名数男。恵まれない少年時代をおくったのち，詩人たらんと 1927年サトウハチロー門下となる。 30年浅草玉木座における処女作『阿呆疑士迷々伝』の上演をきっかけに以後，劇作家として活躍。金竜館，オペラ座，常盤座など浅草を本拠に，いわゆる爆笑喜劇を，榎本健一，古川緑波，徳川夢声らのために書き続けた。 36年ロッパ一座に招かれて東京宝塚劇場 (現東宝) の嘱託となり，『花咲く港』など多くの佳編を上演した。 55年に小林一三の招きで東宝の演劇担当重役に就任，57年に東宝芸術座を創設。 59年に開幕した『がめつい奴』は日本演劇史上初のロングランとなった。その成果により 60年菊池寛賞，61年芸術選奨受賞。また，63年東宝劇場で『マイ・フェア・レディ』を制作・上演し，ミュージカル・ブームに火をつける。 66年には新装開場した帝劇で『風と共に去りぬ』を世界で初めて劇化，上演。さらに 70年それをミュージカル化した『スカーレット』を同劇場で，次いでロンドン，パリで公演した。代表作はほかに『放浪記』，『がしんたれ』など。東宝演劇の一時代をつくった。ラジオでも活躍し，連続放送劇『鐘の鳴る丘』『君の名は』は空前のヒットとなった。

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