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4/12/2002

Kazuko Hohki

The Substation Gallery, Singapore

My Husband is a spaceman

Award-winning Japanese-born British performance artist Kazuko Hohki marries two venerable Japanese traditions into a witty, charming and totally unforgettable performance


Meet the one who introduced karaoke to Great Britain - Kazuko Hohki, in her one-woman performance piece titled "My Husband Is A Spaceman", on 5, 7 and 8 December 2002, 8.00 pm in the Guinness Theatre of The Substation.

Hohki's "My Husband Is A Spaceman" is in Singapore at the invitation of The Substation-A Home for the Arts. It is presently on its Autumn Tour which tours UK (October/November/December 2002), New York, USA (November 2002), and Singapore (December 2002), before moving on to Slovakia.

"My Husband Is A Spaceman" is a multi-media solo show, with music, songs, videos and computer animations, and it is about a Japanese office lady (OL) who has almost abandoned any expectations of meeting 'Mr Right' until she encounters Robin, an English University research fellow, in Tokyo. They get married and move to England. But married life is not what she expects as every night he locks himself up in one room. In this performance, Hohki blends two Japanese traditions - the Kamishibai Ya and the Office Lady. The Kamishibai Ya is a type of travelling paper theatre man who uses simple illustrations to complement his stories; while Hohki is the Office Lady who peppers her story-telling with video snippets and digital animation - her modern-day take on the primitive style of Kamishibai Ya.

Hohki, besides introducing karaoke to the stiff-upper-lipped British through her 1989 BBC television series, "Kazuko's Karaoke Klub", is also a leader of the cult pop band Frank Chickens which had a hit song in the 1980s titled "We Are Ninja". A performance artist and theatre performer, Hohki's solo performances are charming, humorous and witty. They juxtapose her Japanese heritage with a modern British theatre sensibility, as she blends Japanese traditions, toys, animations, video projection and songs with her trademark quirkiness, delivering original performances with panache.

"My Husband Is A Spaceman" is the final installment in Hohki's loosely autobiographical trilogy, which includes "Toothless" - a show based on the death of her mother, a religious priestess who used preaching to develop her talent as a popular entertainer, and "The Shining Princess". All three productions have received critical acclaim by the British press, and "Toothless" was selected for the influential Critics Choice section of the arts and entertainment-listing magazine Time Out (London) in 1999 and 2000.

About Kazuko Hohki
Born in Tokyo, Kazuko came to England in 1978. She founded the Japanese female pop performance group Frank Chickens in 1982, which had an independent chart hit with 'We Are Ninja' and released five albums. They toured worldwide including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Soviet Union and Europe. In 1998 they re-released two CDs ('Get Chickenized', 'Club Monkey') on the Resurgence label. In February 2000, the Ninja Tune label released a remix collection of 'We Are Ninja', including mixes by Neotropics, Fink and Pizzicato 5. The group has recently expanded to seven pieces and has been actively performing, including the National Association of Youth Theatre Festival (with workshops) and "Hause Der Kulturen Der Welt" museum in Berlin in 1999. Kazuko also made solo albums with Steve Bereford and his piano orchestra; 'Kazuko Hohki Chante Brigitte Bardot' and 'Love In Rainy Days'.

Performances: Kazuko made a multimedia solo show 'Toothless' in 1998 which was supported by the Arts Council of England and the London Arts Board. The Show is based on the death of her mother - a religious priestess who used preaching to develop her talent as a popular entertainer. This show was part of the British Festival of Visual Theatre 1999, and The Matter of Life And Death season 2000 at the Battersea Arts Centre and was chosen for Time Out Critics' Choice both times. Her piece 'The Shining Princess' commissioned by Bluecoat Arts Centre in Liverpool was also shown in the British Festival of Visual Theatre 1999. Her performance of 'My Husband Is A Spaceman' during the Japan 2001 festival in UK was funded by the London Arts Board and the Arts Council of England. She is a founder member of the Japanese American Toy Theatre of London whose 'James Bonk In Matt Blackfinger' was shown on Channel 4 in 1989/90. She has worked with Yorkshire-based IOU Theatre and also Impossible Theatre. She has been the Artistic Associate of Battersea Arts Centre since 1999.

Film & TV: Kazuko made a documentary feature called 'The Good Wife Of Tokyo' for Channel 4 with Kim Longinotto - about Japanese contemporary women in real life, featuring the Frank Chickens and her mother. The film was shown on Channel 4 TV (1993) and also at various international film festivals. She has presented her own TV series 'Kazuko's Karaoke Klub' for Channel 4 in 1989. She also made a piece 'My Husband Is A Spaceman' (directed by Rachel Davies) for "Per4Mance" - a three-minute series of performance art for Channel 4, and was broadcast in September 1999.

Book: She has published four books in Japan on her life in London - 'London No Yukasita (London Underfloor World)' in 1994, 'London KaiKai (London Joy Joy)' in 1996 and 'Deep London' in 1998. The fourth book 'Igirisujin Wa Tsuraiyo-Its Tough To Be English' was published in February 2000.

Radio: Story Reading - 1998, BBC, "As I Crossed A Bridge Of Dreams", written by Pomme Clayton and produced by Jeremy Mortimer;
Haiku Reading - 1999, BBC, "Frog Spring Jazz", written by Stephen Henry Gill and produced by Julian May;
Role of Masa - 1999, BBC, "Over The Horizon", written by Rin Takagi and directed by Hazel Castell.

Performance Details
Dates & Times: 5, 7 & 8 December 2002 (Thursday, Saturday & Sunday), 8.00 pm
Venue: Guinness Theatre, The Substation
Ticket Prices: $25 and $20 (concession and Friends of The Substation)

Tickets are on sale now and are available from The Substation Box Office on Monday to Friday, 4.00 pm - 8.00 pm. For ticketing enquiries, please call Tel: 63377 800.

The Substation's Theatre Fest 2002 is made possible through the support of The National Arts Council, Lee Foundation, The British Council and Allson Hotel, Singapore.

For more information, pictures and interviews, please contact:
§ Ms Juliana Chong
Marketing Manager
The Substation Ltd
Tel: (65) 6 337 7535
Fax: (65) 6 337 2729


The Substation Ltd, Singapore
Tel: (65) 6 337 7535
Fax: (65) 6 337 2729

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