Asumi’s first post-Takarazuka stage performance, the co-ed revival of Koike Shuuichiro’s The Poe Clan, opened today (January 11th, 2021) in Japan. Asumi did this promotional interview with anan on January 7, 2021. The original interview, written by Mochizuki Risa [estimated reading] can be found here. (Archive link here.)

Asumi Rio challenged again with musical The Poe Clan – ‘I was uncertain at first’

She has a stunning aura that steals the eye the moment she steps onstage. Her fine-tuned acting skills express how deeply she digs into her characters, and her vocal skills are impeccable. And on top of all this, she has a power that lets her exude unimaginable energy from her dainty body and sieze the hearts of the audience. There must be many who are focused on what Asumi Rio’s movements, to see what she might do after her retirement from the Takarazuka. What was finally announced was that she would appear in the musical which was called her masterwork while she was still in Takarazuka, The Poe Clan, as well as in the currently running TV Serial Novel Ochoyan.

anan: I hardly even have to say it, but The Poe Clan is a stage adaptation of the famous manga by Hagio Moto. You are challenging yourself again with the role of the protagonist, Edgar, who you played before while you were still in Takarazuka, but to you personally, what place does this show have to you?

Asumi: Though I have an emotional attachment to all the roles I’ve performed in the past, The Poe Clan was a very special show for me. The production took place right during the time when everyone in Flower Troupe had discovered their own individuality and learned how to present it, and they all had roles perfect for them, so we were all able to bask in the world Hagio created while we were performing. While playing Edgar myself, there were moments where the sense of it came naturally into my whole body, all the way to my fingertips… Director Koike, who also wrote the play, said that even Hagio herself said she wanted it to be staged again. I think that if anyone else had played Edgar I would have been frustrated to miss out. In this production, the other male roles besides mine are played by men, so it’s a bit of an unusual version, but I think I’m lucky to be in an era where that sort of thing can happen to.

anan: To be honest, when I first heard about the stage adaptation a lot of people were uncertain about it. But on first seeing you in costume as Edgar at the press conference, all of that changed into eager expectation in a moment. Did you feel anything significant about the timing personally?

Asumi: Director Koike has a very strong personal attachment to this production, and there are so many fans of the original work, so at first I was uncertain as well. However, I was even more conscientious than normal in the poster photoshoot, and the makeup and wig tests, so I gradually won Director Koike’s approval which made me more comfortable. For press conferences, a lot of the time they happen before the script is completed, so I’m given the songs, told the situation surrounding my character, remember the lyircs and go right out on stage, is how it feels. But at that time, it was strange…it felt like not just me, but everyone there, was naturally pulled into the world of the story.

anan: What was it like during the performances?

Asumi: I felt like I was transported further and further into the show… Therefore, every performance was really exhausting.

anan: After becoming a vanpanella…especially in the end, Edgar seemed like he’s floating a few centimeters off the ground, and his body seemed half transparent, he had an inhuman presence.

Asumi: I didn’t even feel alive myself when I was performing it somehow…I felt like I was weightless, that was how it felt. I guess I slipped completely into [the performance].

anan: How did you want to perform Edgar?

Asumi: At first, since Edgar is a human boy, I didn’t want to look like ‘someone playing a child’, so I was dedicated to on looking like a real boy. After becoming a vanpanella, I wanted to look inhuman, and I wanted to express the beauty of the original comic, so I was focused on my movements and sightlines, and extending my awareness all the way to my fingertips. When he first becomes a vanpanella, he feels some frustration and longing for companionship deep inside, but as time passes he seems to have given up on things somehow and is just watching, and like Edgar, I also felt like I was watching the course of events from some far-off place… I think that’s thanks to the power of Hagio’s vision, and Director Koike’s efforts as he put together the show together so that it flows along emotionally without any stress. Personally, I wish I had entrusted myself to the show completely.

anan: The previous production was in Takarazuka, so in a way it was performed in a fantasy world, but this time the male roles are played by men, et cetera, so it is being performed with more reality, correct.

Asumi: This time, since an adult is playing a child…a woman is playing a boy, if I don’t really put the heart into it I feel like it will look very unnatural. I think I’ll be onstage in closer to my natural face, but besides that I think I will need to keep pursuing something that lets the audience sympathize. But on the other hand, since around me the male roles are played by men, and everyone is performing age-appropriate roles, it will give more weight to the production, and I think that the numbers will all be satisfying to hear and see.