Katsura Sunshine’s Rakugo (NYC) — My Review

When & Where

• Date: 18 October 2025
• Venue: New World Stages — Stage 2 (Off-Broadway), about 350 seats
• Seat / Price: Row G, Seat $25
• Time / Runtime: 8:00pm–9:30pm (about 1h 30m)
• Frequency: Sunshine plays monthly at New World Stages when in NYC.

Note: “Katsura Sunshine” is 桂三輝 in Japanese. I use the kanji when referring to him below.

First thoughts

This was my second time seeing 桂三輝. I last caught him in Asakusa a month ago. Tonight’s programme also featured his deshi (disciples): Sunny, Moonlight, and Sunflower — a welcome addition I hadn’t seen in Asakusa.

Good Points

1) “Jugemu” gets laughs in New York

I assumed a classic like “Jugemu” might not land with international audiences. Wrong. From the name-giving gag at the start, the room laughed steadily to the end. Credit to Sunflower’s delivery and timing, but the lesson is bigger: if you tell it clearly, even very Japanese material travels.

2) The will to communicate beats perfect English

Moonlight, Sunshine’s second disciple, speaks with a strong Japanese accent. I worried at first for a word-driven art form. Then she told a story about acting like a tiger at the zoo — mixing clean physicality with simple words — and the audience laughed hard. It reminded me: skill matters, but the intention to reach people matters more.

3) A first disciple with Japanese craft spirit

Sunny (a native English speaker, Asian heritage) felt faithful to form: steady build, clean set-ups, reliable pay-offs. There’s a craftsman quality there — a respect for 師匠（Shisyo） and for rakugo itself — that made me quietly happy as a Japanese theatregoer.

Afterthought

I respect how 桂三輝Family carry Japanese culture to a full New York house. The disciples are learning the core form yet adding their own colours — an evolution that still honours the roots. I’m keen to see where this family goes next, and I want to grow with the same pride and discipline.

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