Young Kabuki actor’s debut breaks Japanese theater traditions

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Ten-year-old Maholo Terajima Ghnassia is breaking conventions as one of the biggest emerging stars in Japan’s Kabuki theater tradition. Kabuki is passed from father to son and Japanese men typically play every role. Debuting with the stage name Maholo Onoe in a monthlong run in Tokyo, the young actor came to Kabuki through a different route. Famous Kabuki actor Kikugoro Onoe is Maholo’s maternal grandfather. Maholo’s father is a French art director, and his mother a Japanese screen actor. Japan has been known for discriminatory attitudes toward foreigners and outsiders. But Maholo’s mother hopes her son’s French cultural background will give him a unique edge in the world of Kabuki.