Anyway, I'll write about one of my experiences from last weekend with the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female musical troupe based in the city of Takarazuka in Hyogo Prefecture, near Osaka. My friend Mieko arranged a trip with a group of friends to go see Takarazuka, and although I had not previously known anything about it, it turned out to be really interesting.
The Takarazuka Revue was founded in the early 1900's as a tourist attraction and a response to the old elitist Kabuki Theater that employed strictly men only. Since its founding, another branch has opened in Tokyo, but the one near Osaka is the original. They perform for a mostly female audience, and usually select from Western musicals that they translate into Japanese, and are particularly notable for extremely flamboyant costumes and sets. Within the organization, there are 5 troupes titled Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos (not sure which one I saw).
Apparently they have a really intensive training process of 2 years in the Takarazuka Music School, which is incredibly competitive to get into, and then are signed for 7-year contracts. By the end of their first year of training, they are divided either into otokoyaku, or the male role, or musumeyaku, or the female role. Once their contract ends, at least traditionally, they are expected to get married and become good housewives. (psh.)
More about the Takarazuka Revue here. (It's a pretty interesting read.)
Attempted photograph of a flier for The Scarlet Pimpernel
The musical that we saw was The Scarlet Pimpernel, originally a 1997 Broadway musical based on the book by Baroness Orczy. It is set in the French Revolution during the Reign of Terror, and tells the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel, a mysterious man who tries to save innocent victims before they can be beheaded. It was a little expensive--we payed 3,500 yen for the cheapest tickets, but the better ones ran at well over $100 (although I guess that's the same as for any musical).
The Takarazuka Grand Theater
It probably would have been more useful if I had read up on the plot before I went to the musical since I couldn't understand a lot of the dialogue, particularly when they were singing, but the whole production was really impressive. The women playing male roles had a good kind of masculine presence, and even though their voices weren't that deep, the singing didn't really seem to be a problem. There were a few parts where characters were supposed to kiss, but they always just did a fakey turn away from the audience.
The European-style lobby
All of the actresses were really attractive. Afterward I saw pictures of both the male and female roles without their stage makeup and clothes, and all of them were very beautiful. Of course on stage they had really extravagant makeup and costumes. (The theater was attached to a sort of shopping center, and in one place you could get your picture taken with Takarazuka-style makeup and costume, but it cost upward of $55 for the most basic photo packages.)
The theater itself
Personally, my favorite part came at the end, after the musical had ended. They tacked on a good 15 minutes or so of Las Vegas-style dancing, completely unrelated to The Scarlet Pimpernel, including a section of Rockette-style high kicks. I have to say, the dancing was pretty flawless--I have seen the Rockettes once before, but even they couldn't compete with the perfect synchronization of every last dancer. They had the woman playing the Scarlet Pimpernel come back out a few times in glittering outfits and sing the theme song again. In the end, every cast member walked down a giant staircase in the middle of the stage and sang and danced, culminating in the lead actress coming out with a giant feather thing on her back (I can't even describe it--see the picture below) and a disco ball came down and it was crazy.
The feather thing.
In sum, I recommend that anyone go see their performances, if just for the spectacle. I asked my host mother if she had ever gone to see them, but she said that she thought it was too weird, so she didn't want to go, and another girl at Kansai Gaidai that I spoke to felt the same way. Still though. It was good.
Who the heck is Justing Bieber?
ReplyDeleteGreat write up and suggestions. Interestingly, I just started The Scarlet Pimpernel. Its a very fun story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful time, it'll be great to hear about your adventures.