Either title may be used when you present this comic madness, a modification of a Kabuki farce from 15th century Japan. It's a delightful taste of Oriental theatre for Western audiences. Ukyo, a badly henpecked husband, wants a night away from home. He wraps himself in a heavy blanket and tells his harridan of a wife that he is going to spend the night praying in their garden. When she goes to bed, he forces his servant to take his place under the blanket, and Ukyo slips out. Discovering the ruse, the wife takes the servant's place and awaits her husband's return. Everybody enjoys what happens next except poor Ukyo—and even he gets a "kick" out of it. A frequent contest winner for adult and young adult theatres. The Kabuki is the traditional theatre of the Japanese middle class; but, although many Americans have heard of the Kabuki, few have ever seen even a sampling. The Undercover Lover is an attempt to help fill this void.

The Director's Script gives suggestions for simulating an Oriental staging of the play as well as details for producing an Americanized version. Since the intricacies and costumes of an authentic Japanese performance are beyond the experience of most American theatre groups and theatregoers, the Americanized version is likely to produce a more enjoyable product for both cast and audience, with many of the conventions retained in modified form:
The Chorus and Orchestra may or may not be made up of the same groups of performers. The Chorus sings, speaks in unison, and provides one solo speaker, the Chorus Leader. The Chorus sits on the floor in the Down Left area of the stage. The Orchestra accompanies the songs of the Chorus as well as mimed actions by the principal cast members. The "accompaniment," however, is not the kind that Western audiences think of in terms of musical plays. The Orchestra uses "found" instruments—e. g., a ratchet wrench, a tennis raquet, a bird call, a file and spoon, a string of bells. The Director's Script includes a musical score for the songs, with indications of rhythm for these unusual instruments. However, each producer is welcome to improvise original music if desired. All the songs given in this script may be sung by the Chorus while the actors pantomime the words or the cast member may sing the song himself.
The Prop Men, in the Kabuki tradition, are a group of three or four stage assistants dressed in black. They are, by convention, considered to be invisible and may walk into the middle of a scene to place furniture or give an actor a needed property. Groups with limited personnel may let Chorus members double as Prop Men.
Makeup in the Kabuki is highly stylized. This feature should be retained in performing The Undercover Lover. However, rather than attempting the complex authentic Oriental makeup, the author recommends the traditional white face of the mime or the clown. Illustrations for suggested makeup are given in the Director's Script.
Costumes should also be exaggerated. There are many options, ranging from the costly and symbolic kimono of the authentic kabuki to a sort of clown costume. The director may want to design his own costumes or use those illustrated in the Director's Script.

Other Grote plays: Help, The Medicine Man

See also: Plays with a Foreign Flavor