A writes words about shows after half a bottle of wine .. part 1 / ??? 


So I snagged tickets to Elisabeth. Or should I say that S snagged tickets to Elisabeth for us.. Really NICE tickets. Which means she didn't look at what cast we would be seeing, which originally had me disappointed. We had tickets to see B cast, but they turned out to be GOLD tickets leading to the biggest problem I've had since Madoka circa 2k15. Yeah... that Big. Why, you may ask yourself. Well, our day just happened to be one of the days Miyaruri was out sick.

Here is the cast I saw:
🌙
Franz Joseph... Tsukishiro Kanato
Lucheni... Kazama Yuno
Rudolph... Akatsuki Chisei
Elemer...Ren Tsukasa
Stephan... Sena Ayaoto
🌙

I have to say that overall this production was lukewarm for me. But, if I am completely honest, Elisabeth is always lukewarm for me, especially in the fall. Mostly because I think Takarazuka has overdone it to death, and because it has a lot of unpleasant associations with it due to a good friends death. But this production, despite having NO time to rehearse the understudies, was still really good. If you didn't know that CALAMITY had struck, then you would have never guessed that this was a hobbled together emergency cast. 

Anyway, Tamakichi was a solid Todd. I have such a hit/miss relationship with Tamakichi. Some shows I find her young, endearing and the golden retriever-esque boyfriend I wish I had. Other times she lands so flat and misses so many notes, but just the barest smidge... so close that I want to scream " ARE YOU EVEN TRYING!!! FOR FUCKS SAKE!!". But this show was a solid middle ground. Her Death was nothing to write home for me, although I adore the costume choices they made. She wears it well, when she misses those notes by a smidge you can forgive her because singing her heart out as Death every day has lent her a husk in her voice, which makes it work. Even with the husk lending her its power, I do have compliment the clear amount of work she has put into her voice for this show. You can hear it. I hope she uses everything she learned for ON THE TOWN. Oh she also gave up on the curls on the side of the wig. Which like, made me like it more. I knew from the promo shots that those 

Chapi played it better than expected. It has a different vibe than the previous versions because when it opens you don't have the overplayed, overacted child-like Sisi setting the stage for the play. You watch an older, but more charming and wistful young adult come out. I am 200 percent behind this change. Elisabeth wasn't 12 when she went off to get her sister married off. She was 15, and I think it makes her desire to run off and join the gypsy even that more compelling, not childish fantasy, more a teenagers desire to escape the world prescribed for her by her position and her mother. At first it felt jarring, and I had a knee-jerk reaction of NO, which is ingrained from knowing Takarazuka's Elisabeth intimently. But the farther into the scene it went the more I liked it. She showed the power and poise of a musumeyaku of her power and her rank throughout the entire production. She had the ending to a wonderful career that I wish Mirion would have taken. Something WORTHY of her. But I can't fault Mirion for doing what she did, even if it surprised everyone. 

Reiko. Reiko as Franz was just so... boring. Like, I don't find Reiko particularly enthralling on a good day, and without her playing Lucheni (which I was excited for, btw) she lacked any real -vague hand gestures-. Franz is boring. Reiko still remains boring to me. I think she played it a cool cucumber in terms of not showing her nervousness, although it came out in a few bits of Franz's more iconic songs. . I still am waiting for her to impress me. So far no luck. 

The MVP for me was def Lucheni, with Kazama Yuno reprising her shinko role in the honkouen. Holy shit, this child is an attractive human shaped lump of RAW TALENT. She sings, she dances, she acts. If you wouldn't have known she was a ken 5 playing a role normally played by a ken 11 you would have never guessed. She has stolen my heart. I can't pinpoint when it happened either. During Act I, I was solidly impressed by her skills, but somewhere at the end of act II she just... leapt over my expectations. And then she came down the stairs in the finale in a place she normally would NOT be and ROCKED the FUCK out of the otokoyaku dance. I just... -heart eyes-  her floppy hair. I have spent the last week slowly consuming all media with her in it, and every time I think I will find something that will kill how attractive and into her whole thing I am. I haven't yet. We are not acknowledging the douki thing. We just aren't... okay? okay.  

Ari was Rudolph. Solid choice. Solid dancing. Lukewarm acting. Much the same I have come to expect from her. I keep wishing she would hit a point and raise the bar, instead of just jumping over the mediocre bar she has set up for herself. Maybe next time. 

I wasn't a fan of Touka Yurino as Sophie. Which is 200 percent to do with her voice, not her acting or her choices. In fact, she brought a sense of indulgence to Sophie which I found new and refreshing. When Franz shoots the statue and shows it to her nods, but then when he turns around she smiles indulgently and walks away. It brings a side of Sophie I would like to see more of. I think Sophie often gets played as the bad guy, all for the sake of the country. But I think she could be played just as forceful because the success of her country is the success of her beloved son. 

Oh. Last big thing here, before I give up any attempt at continuing this. This was The Worst Finale Remix I think I have ever heard. The 1970's called and they want their Barry Manilow remix of Elisabeth back. Which is such a fucking SHAME, because the choreography is rocking and everyone gave it 200 percent more than usual. Like, Musumeyaku with thigh slits up to... shameless... while groping Tamakichi?? yes??? A pair dance which starts with a little bit of a passionate hate-fuck vibe. I am very here for all of it. My new Problem coming down the stairs and ROCKING it... My problem coming down in the Parade??? Yes... I am so here for it. 

Oh lord. I'm falling into tsukigumi so hard. Help.. please. somebody. 

I was having lunch with an old friend of mine this weekend, and it struck me how I miss LJ as a way to talk about Takarazuka. I don't want to say I miss The Old LJ Days because I stayed away from that special circle of hell that was it during it's heyday. But I viscerally miss having conversations about the politics, the troupe dynamics, actresses... the thing that makes Takarazuka hold my attention even after 10 years of being around. I love twitter, and I have a love/hate relationship with tumblr. But I miss words, I miss conversations not limited to 240 character or tumblr, where any interaction is painful and unnecessarily complicated.

I wish there was someway to bring back a dreamwidth renaissance...

I'm holding my breath until tonight. In case anyone is wondering.

Kano: You are always busy, so thank you for specifically making time to talk to me.

Asumi: It’s like you are reading off a script (laughs)

Kano: Now that my dream of doing Manzai with you has come true, let’s look back on our memories

( Read more... )

Reporter: Nana Kurara

It's time for this month's troupe report 🌸
Thank you for all your questions!!
I'll get your answers quickly✨
( Read more... )

Having slowly and steadily worked herself to the position of Top Musumeyaku, Flower Troupe's Senna Ayase assumes the title with her debut performance in the national tour production of “Romanesque Mask” and “EXCITER!! 2017” (March 18-20, Umeda Arts Theatre Main Hall in Osaka) This year, she enters her tenth year with the revue. "My parents said to me, 'You've done your best until now'. It's taken a lot of time, but it wasn't all in vain" she said, reflecting back.

Senna is from Miyagi Prefecture. When she was creating her stage name, one kanji was taken from Sendai and Natori City. "Until entering the Takarazuka Music School, I hadn't ever seen Takarazuka live. I want Takarazuka to be more known in my hometown too." she said. While in the middle of returning home in 2011, she felt the Great East Japan Earthquake. She was unsure about whether she should immediately go to perform at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre. "Acquaintances who survived the earthquake said to me 'I want to see your performance', and I realized that if you can take time to dream, especially in times of suffering, then your heart can be put at ease. It's really striking when everyone stands on stage holding the same feelings in their heart." she said looking back on the experience.

After assuming her new position, Top Star Asumi Rio said to her, "Don't do it alone. Let's have fun making our roles together." "I think our fans are looking forward to our synergy. Using all my experiences up until now, I want to believe in Asumi-san and follow her" she said with sparkling eyes.

Written by Tanaka Hiroko. Mainichi Newspaper. Osaka Evening Edition. (Original article)

“Showing a new side of myself” Tackling the role of a Superhero | Flower Troupe - Serika Toa

The person considered to be the first to tackle the role of a superhero in Takarazuka history is Flower Troupe otokoyaku star, Serika Toa. She’s starring in My Hero in Osaka at the Umeda Arts Theatre Drama City April 2th through April 10th.

“This is a show unlike any other before. I want to receive strength from this role myself and show you a new side of Takarazuka” she said enthusiastically.

This is the story of a leading actor Noah, played by Serika. His life is rocked by scandal and he is given a fresh start playing a superhero in a special effects drama. As a masked hero, he’ll dare to be moved into action. “It feels good to unleash my special move and knock out my enemies,” she said laughing. It has lines that read like something from a manga, and ones that are a tad embarrassing. “With the magic of Takarazuka, if I can get a reaction from the audience, I'll be happy”.

This spring, Serika will be entering her 11th year in Takarazuka. “When I was an underclassmen, I was desperate to get the otokoyaku form down that my head and my body were stiff. Recently I've been able to relax onstage so I look forward to working with my partners and act with a real, raw feeling” she said.

Mainichi Newspaper. March 6th, 2017. Osaka Evening Edition (Original Article)