HUNTINGTON BEACH SISTER CITY : JAPANESE TROUPE WILL PERFORM SUNDAY

As part of festivities celebrating the fifth anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Huntington Beach and Anjo, Japan, the Mikawa Manzai Japanese Comedy group will present two plays at 2 p.m. Sunday at Huntington Beach High School.

The two works are “Goten Manzai,” a good luck dance, and “Sangyoku Manzai,” a love story.

The performances will be the first appearance outside Japan by the Manzai players.

The troupe is dedicated to preserving an art form of comedy and entertainment that is about 500 years old.

The form combines dance and comedy and was created by farmers who performed for samurai warriors before they went off to war.

Troupe members dance and speak their lines without musical accompaniment. In comparison to forms such as Kabuki dance drama, Mikawa Manzai is considered a very plain art form.

The visiting Japanese troupe is made up of non-professional volunteer actors-dancers and is headed by Shuji Iwatsuki, the mayor of Anjo. Although Iwatsuki attended the Huntington Beach festival last year, he will not be present on Sunday, organizers for the cultural exchange event said.

The cities of Huntington Beach and Anjo participate yearly in two programs. The first is an exchange program involving four students, ages 13 to 18, from each city. The second is the art exchange program.

Tickets for Sunday’s performance by the Japanese comedy troupe are $10 and will be available at the door. Translations will be provided.