Takarazuka〜!! (≧▽≦)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated anyone about my actual life here in Japan! My recent shenanigans have included going out to nomihodai, ice skating (damn, those Granpas are amazing skaters!), karaoke, sharing wine in the park, discovering new restaurants in my town (blue cheese burger?! SCORE!), and hanging out with all the friends I’ve made on this program. (Is it possible I’ve only known these people for six months??)

But the real focus of this post is Takarazuka. Today my host mom and sister took me to see Takarazuka Revue, a theater comprised of five troupes (Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos) who rotate every month to perform a new play for their wide reaching fan base. They perform things from famous Western style productions (such as Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, etc) to stories taken from popular Manga and Japanese folktale. They perform all their productions in Japanese (of course) in a Broadway style, which makes it completely different from traditional Japanese forms of theater (thank god...). But out of everything, the biggest kick is that all of the performers, dancers, and singers are women who play both the male and female roles. This androgyny is amazing when you consider the extremely sexist views that remain in Japanese society even today. And even more amazing when you take into account the fact that the theater was created so long ago when surely Japan had even more stereotypical sentiments.

The Takarazuka Theater has encompassed these five troupes performing a new number every month for eighty years! (If you do the math, the number of shows is staggering!) The current cast of just the Flower Troupe, which I saw today, includes some 83 women performers who all have an amazing ability to act, sing, and dance. And within these talented actresses the main characters have a fandom like you wouldn't believe! Well, when you consider the amazing productions they put on and the fact that they have their own photobooks, songs, and several famous character roles they jump into and pull off with elegance, it’s no wonder they have girls lining up for a mile to await their appearance!

Main image for the play! Also the cover of the
pamphlet my host mom bought me!!  -^^-

The show I saw today was called Prelude of Love (愛のプレリュード), adapted from the story of Santa Monica. It’s a love story between the daughter of a famous inventor who’s on the verge of completing a revolutionary device and a bodyguard her father has hired to protect his daughter until its completion. At first Kathy, the daughter, greatly objects to having Freddy (the bodyguard) around, and they both act very coldly to each other. But one day, Freddy finds out that she’s been funding a group of orphans, a project she has undertaken without her father’s knowledge and she begs him not to speak a word of it. But surprisingly, the seemingly indifferent and unemotional Freddy acts warmly towards the boys and offers to teach them baseball. Seeing this, Kathy is taken back at how friendly he acts and she begins to develop a liking for him. He tells her that he has always wanted to protect people and reflects while feeling the breeze on his face that the wind brings wonderful opportunities to people and that one should act to the best of their ability to do whatever they are capable of doing. She says that he is like the wind, going from place to place, protecting people. But we find out when he suddenly collapses that Freddy has a disease that makes him prone to attacks. His friend asks, “Why the hell did you become a bodyguard if you have a disease and a weak body?!” And he answers that he as always wanted to give protection to people.

Meanwhile, a group of thugs are after the coveted invention and they show up several times to attack those surrounding it. These scenes bring back the memory of how Freddie became ill. In his younger days he was protecting his friend and got shot in the head. But the bullet entered grey matter of his brain and still remains, as the doctors are unable to remove it. This is why he falls and why, since he could die any day, that he has vowed to live his life by doing things to the best of his ability.

After several encounters, the police are finally able to track down the gang and put a stop to them. Kathy confesses her love to Freddie as he is preparing to leave but he says he cannot accept her love because that would put a huge burden on her. But just as he turns to leave, she runs after him and is so overwhelmed by his love for her that he throws down his bags and sweeps her into a passionate kiss. ;)

It was like watching a dramatic anime but performed by real people! Not only were the actors highly capable and entertaining, but all the other aspects of the play were also impressive. The stage was complex involving a large revolving circular platform (which they used mid performance for dramatic effects), several backdrops of the views of Santa Montica and on stage sets, and really neat platforms that would rise and sink from the main stage. These moving platforms sometimes were just to give various level changes but also sometimes rose a completely separate section that the performers would be in, ready for the next scene. It was like looking into a rising box (or a rising bar which is actually what it made me think of as my family used to have one in our old house). The stage also had a few parts that reached out into the audience (kind of like a kabuki stage) that would allow the actors to perform in front of the stage while the larger sets were being changed.

The costumes ranged from classic suits and party dresses to elaborate, even gaudy ensembles complete with sparkles, glitter and huge feathers. The orchestra was also amazing and one of my favorite parts. The music was really beautiful and included sounds that I couldn’t pin down to any instruments I was aware of. I thought maybe these could be computer generated but I think they were actually all live sounds so it remains a mystery to me.

So the story comprised the first part of the whole show. After the intermission they put on another part that incorporated not a specific story but several different dances and musical numbers that showed off their skills as performers. It was really cool and the audience got really into it by clapping a beat for their favorite actresses.

At intermission, my host mom guided me down to the restaurant on the first floor and surprised me with a reserved lunch that she had arranged. (such yummy tomato soup!)  She said that the lunch and the performance was a present to me for helping her with her English lessons so many times! ^^ So nice!!

Me and Aya at Takarazuka Theater!

While we were sitting there, my host sister pointed out an extremely ritzy family who looked like they could be part of a royal family. (Their words xD) They told me that several extremely rich people, actors, and TV stars are huge fans of Takurazuka and some even come every month to see the new shows being performed, sitting at the front in the most expensive seats you can buy. Admittedly after seeing the performance I actually can’t blame them and I definitely want to go again as I am now a diehard fan! (could you tell? =P) Maybe I'll even buy one of their performances on video one day! When the performance month is done, they put the whole thing on DVD/Blu-ray so you can buy it (you can imagine how many there were!!!) But they were like 100 dollars for one play! Insane! Maybe when I'm rich? lol

Words of the Day: These are the names of the 5 Takarazuka groups in Japanese followed by the performance aspects that individualizes each one.

花　はな hana – Flower. Known for shows that have larger budget and more lavish stage and costume designs. Their material often comes from operatic material.

月　つき tsuki – Moon. Known to be strong singers and to have a focus on music. They tend to perform drama, Western musicals with modern settings (such as Guys and Dolls!)

雪　ゆき yuki – Snow. This group is considered the upholder of more traditional Japanese drama but recently has been moving towards the style of the previous two.

星　ほし hoshi – Star. This group is thought to be the home of Takurazuka’s biggest stars/most popular performers.

空　そら sora – Sky/cosmos. This is the newest troupe, which is more apt to be experimental. They are more likely to put on Western derived plays (such as Phantom) and tends to involve taller members.

If you add “gumi” to the end of all these words they transform into the meaning of “~troupe.” =)

FUN FACTS! (These have nothing to do with anything but my host mom told me and I thought they were awesome…^^)

1. The word “iya kimochi” (jealousy) was developed from the word Yakimochi (fried mochi) because when yakimochi is cooked, it puffs out really big. They compare this puffing to when a girl gets angry from jealousy and her cheeks puff out big and round! xD

2. There are two words for rice: “kome” which refers to the uncooked rice grains and “gohan” which refers to rice that is already cooked. When a Japanese mom notices the rice is done she will say “gohan ga taita!” (The rice is done!) But the verb “taku” which means to cook is only supposed to be used with grains that aren’t already done, which means they should say “kome ga taita” instead. So if the kids are teasing their mom they’ll say “chigau! Gohan wa mou taite aru yo~!” (No, the rice is already cooked!)

それではまた次回！