Lyrics: Le Balcon (Romeo et Juliette)

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English translation of lyrics from the Takarazuka production of the French musical.

Juliette:
The stars in the night sky are all smiling
As if in celebration of our meeting
His name is Romeo–but why must it be Romeo?
Cut ties with your father and throw away your name
Or if you cannot, then as long as you love me
I will throw away the name of Capulet

Romeo:
Call me ‘lover’: let that be my new name
I am no longer Romeo now that I love you

Juliette:
How did you get here? If you are found they’ll kill you!

Romeo:
I flew over everything on wings of love

Both:
Even if the rose were to change its name
Its scent wouldn’t change: there’s no real meaning to a name

Romeo:
I’ll swear by the moon!

Juliette:
Don’t swear by anything! Like the moon changes shape
So might your love change

Romeo:
Let’s create an unchangeable love together

Both:
This seed of love will surely bloom beautifully
We have been blessed by this love

Backstage Journal: Kitori Mariya (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

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Backstage Journal is a short Kageki feature where very young cast members write anecdotes about what’s going on behind the scenes of the productions. They’re not very deep, being full of emojis and more like blog entries than articles, but they are a good way to get to know the newest actresses in each troupe.

This one is by Star Troupe member Kitori Mariya (of the 91 Class), and was published in the August 2008 issue.

Backstage Journal: The Scarlet Pimpernel – Kitori Mariya

Hello everyone! Kitori Maya, writing a Backstage Journal for the second time!
Here I’m going to present some fun episodes from the performance of The Scarlet Pimpernel which started on June 20th.

The too-mischievious Sir Percy ❤️❤️

In this production, Touko-san [Aran] plays an elegant ✨ British gentleman, but every day she would do tons of ad-libs onstage. One of them was a scene where Percy would offer to loan Chauvelin, played by Chie-san [Yuzuki],some of his clothes. Of course!! Touko-san ✨ would do really fun adlibs every day!

One day she said “you should wear a bunny suit~” and hopped towards Chie and Asuka-san [Toono] (who were already on stage) in a bunny pose ❤️❤️ she’s so mischievous 😍
Another time, she said “you should wear a disco ball on your head~” while spinning round and round!!1 Even when she was heading into the wings she kept spinning like a disco ball ❤️
Everyone, make sure you don’t miss out on the rest of Touko-san’s wonderful adlibs!!

M. Grapin is from Kansai!?

In the Miquelon scene in Act 2, there’s a part where Touko-san, who is disguised as Grapin, is kicked away by the captured Marguerite. From opening night, Grapin’s adlibs gradually escalated!
She started out on opening night saying “What are you doing! Hold on to her!” but this changed day by day to things like “What are you doing! That’s scary!” or “If she actually kicked me that would really really hurt, you know!” or “Ahh! Scary!” so they kept becoming more intense. But where would a Belgian spy employed by the French embassy have learned Kansai dialect!? That sort of incongruity is the best! Don’t you think? 😆
Everyone, don’t miss out on seeing Touko-san like this!! Perhaps you’ll end up thinking “Isn’t she like that comedian, ______-chan?”

Everyone’s idol ❤️ Mr. Jessup (Tenju)

I can’t talk about this production without writing about Tenju Mitsuki-san, who played the butler ❤️ One day, Mr. Jessup was working on something really intently in the wings. Then she came near where I was on stage. While we were singing “Tralala~ 🎵 Tralala~” she was raising her hands alternately. After doing that a few times suddenly she had flowers in both hands! That’s right, Mr. Jessup can also perform magic. But she had been working so hard to hide the flowers so her secret wouldn’t slip. It was so adorable ❤️ After that all the junior actresses raced to catch her and made her perform until they were satisfied!!

The Scarlet Pimpernel was so much fun, both onstage and in the wings. Did you all have fun too? Well, now it’s ‘adieu’ until we meet again ✨

1 – This adlib is on one of the recordings.

Looking Back on 2015: Ryuu Masaki

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One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Snow Troupe Top Star Sagiri Seina.

Looking Back on 2015: Ryuu Masaki

My first show of 2015, Gone With the Wind was a restaging of the production from January of last year, so it was the first time I was challenged with taking the same role and starting over from a blank for a restaging. In order to give the show a fresh atmosphere once again, I threw out all the feelings I had absorbed from the first time and worked on creating new ones. It was even harder than making a new role from scratch, but it was a good experience for me as a performer.

Then in April was the opening of 1789: Lovers of the Bastille. Looking back on it now, I feel honored at being able to perform in such a masterpiece, and to be honest I’m glad I did it. But at the time I was working so hard on it that even saying I poured all my energy out on stage wouldn’t cover it. I didn’t have enough left over to even think about anything else. My role of Ronan was rather unusual for a Top Star as he is a commoner, and it seems that a big topic was how I would establish myself among everyone else on stage while handling the challenge of putting together this new kind of role. Another major thing was Director Koike giving me one of the show’s themes as my own song, so I was even more aware than usual of how I was presenting myself while singing.

Dragon Night!!, in September, was my first concert-style performance, and while making sure the audience enjoyed themselves was the main goal, I of course enjoyed myself as well! I let myself run free and enjoyed myself from the bottom of my heart.

The last performance of this year is Manon and Golden Jazz. My role in the play, Charles, has a really complex life, and I feel like it might be the first time I’ve encountered a character like him. It’s the kind of role where I think afterwards I will have grown as a person. Director Inaba wrote the revue show Golden Jazz for me since he said jazz suits me, so I’m really happy about that.

When I think about all the characters and shows I encountered this year, it makes my heart beat fast. It was a year where I confirmed once again how strong the support from the rest of Moon Troupe is. Next year I’ll make sure not to forget to let myself enjoy things, and I hope it will be a year that challenges me even more.

Looking Back on 2015: Asaka Manato

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One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Cosmos Troupe Top Star Asaka Manato.

Looking Back on 2015: Asaka Manato

This year I received a lot of things and I feel a sense of accomplishment. At the beginning of this year was the Tokyo performance of Oath of the Midnight Sun and Phoenix Takarazuka!!. This was Rika’s [Ouki Kaname’s] retirement show, and a lot of other Otokoyaku who were close to my year were retiring, like Oozuki Tooma and Kazehane Reia. It created a really strong feeling in me that I had to take over the Cosmos Troupe that Rika had put together. Despite his limited scenes, my character of Carl feels real, perhaps because his conflict is connected with everything else. It was a long time since we’d had an original revue show, so everyone was really into it. I felt a lot of responsibility as nibante.

In Top Hat there were a lot of things I had to do, especially tap dance, which I was basically a beginner at. It was really hard to get a feeling for it, but somehow I managed in time (laugh). Perhaps because they could tell that while I was enjoying myself I wanted to surpass my own limits, all the troupe members worked hard to put me at ease.

At the pre-event festivities before the opening of A Song for Kingdoms, I felt all the love the OGs had for the work, and once again felt I had to be worthy to take over those feelings. I was really nervous that day, but on opening day I was able to concentrate on performing. While I was performing as Radames I had a really odd feeling, like I wasn’t able to tell any more if I was myself or Radames. While I had some concerns since there were some confusing songs, I felt like everyone else in Cosmos Troupe supported me. I’m really glad that I had this work as my introductory performance.

In September, I appeared in the Takarazuka Japanese Dance Recital, and it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to participate in Japanese dance.

The national tour performance Melancholic Gigolo was another show by Director Masatsuki after a long while, and besides that my character’s relation with Yurika’s [Makaze Suzuho’s] and Misaki’s characters felt really fresh. In Citrus Breeze when we were performing “Energy for Tomorrow” I felt like the intensity and power of everyone backing me up was actually entering me.

Next year we open on New Year’s Day1, and I hope we are able to be a splendid highlight to the start of the year. Since the play is about Shakespeare, it’s a topic that people from many different areas are particularly interested in. For both the play and the revue show, we want to put together a good performance without making any compromises.

1 – This was the 2016 production Shakespeare and HOT EYES!!.

Which Side are you On? (August 2008)

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Kageki’s monthly feature for 2008 asked each Top Star which they would pick of 2 different options. This issue asked about summer fireworks and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Which side are you on? August 2008

Q1: Which do you prefer when enjoying fireworks?
A: Firework displays
B: Handheld fireworks

Q2: How will you experience the Olympics?
A: On TV
B: On location

Matobu Sei (Flower Troupe)

Q1: B (Handheld fireworks)
When I was little, I really liked the fireworks that looked like octopus legs. When I set the one firework stick alight, bam! it would split into tons of different parts. But recently I haven’t really had the time to play with fireworks.

Q2: A (On TV)
I guess I’ll be watching on TV. I feel like we have similar mindsets with athletes. Especially in women’s volleyball, where the players are chasing after their dreams in a world of only women… I think their dedication and lifestyle is really cool. I’m fascinated by how intense the pressure must be since it’s a world where getting medals depends on how the game goes.

Sena Jun (Moon Troupe)

Q1: A (Firework displays)
I want to watch big fireworks being launched from a multi-story building. When I’m in town at the time of the Takarazuka fireworks display, I always watch from a high place. Since I don’t do well in crowds, I find a deserted spot in a multi-story building and have the fireworks all to myself.

Q2: A (On TV)
To be honest I’m really not that interested (laugh) but if I was going to watch it would be on TV. I watch figure skating since it’s pretty (laugh). I like watching TV documentaries about how it’s not just the results of a match, but in what way each person is striving, and the mentality they use to deal with the competition.

Mizu Natsuki (Snow Troupe)

Q1: A (Firework displays)
I want to watch fireworks being launched at a firework display. Recently, of course I really enjoyed the firwork display at the Muko river1. While I was watching it from a dressing room of the theatre, the noise and the synergy were so intense…I was really moved. I also feel like fireworks create a really good atmosphere, where people passing through who have never seen each other before come together to share the excitement over one thing.

Q2: A (On TV)
If I went to the stadium, all I would be able to watch was the soccer matches, so I’d rather watch on TV where I can see the highlight scenes that summarize a variety of events… This year I’ll enjoy myself just watching the good bits of the Beijing Olympics (laugh).

Aran Kei (Star Troupe)

Q1: A (Firework displays)
Handheld fireworks are fun, but of course I want to see big fireworks… When I’m watching fireworks being launched, I don’t care how far away I’m watching from as long as there’s only a few people there (laugh). When I was an upper student2 I went to see a firework display in Yokohama that was really amazing… It’s left the largest impression on me of any firework display I’ve ever seen.

Q2: B (On location)
Since I’ve never been able to watch the Olympics on location, I really want to experience what that feels like. My favorite event is gymnastics. While of course this goes for all the events, it’s something I absolutely couldn’t do, and it seems like for gymnastics the level of physical ability required is especially high… I’m most interested in the women’s floor exercises.

Yamato Yuuga (Cosmos Troupe)

Q1: B (Handheld fireworks)
For ages I’ve loved buying a big set of different kinds of fireworks and have tons of fun with it. When I was in elementary school I went to play with fireworks after a scary test of courage… I really like the kinds of fireworks where you’re not sure what it’s going to turn into and it ends up being something wonderful you couldn’t have predicted.

Q2: A (On TV)
While the idea of cheering from the stadium is appealing, it seems like it would be really time-consuming, and since on TV there are easy-to-understand explanations of what’s going on that would be better. I really like doing sports myself as well as watching them, so I want to gather a whole bunch of people in front of the TV to cheer.

1 – The Muko River runs directly past the Takarazuka Grand Theatre.

2 – Students in their second year at the Takarazuka Music School.

Looking Back on 2015: Sakihi Miyu

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One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Snow Troupe Top Musumeyaku Sakihi Miyu.

Looking Back on 2015: Sakihi Miyu

In Lupin III–Chase the Queen’s Necklace!, which blended Takarazuka with Lupin III, I played Marie Antoinette, who is a frequent character in Takarazuka, but that show looks at her from a very different angle from Rose of Versailles, as a woman with her own human weaknesses, so my impression of Marie Antoinette really changed. In Fancy Guy! every scene had different themes so I was challenged with different songs and dances and learned a lot.

For the part of Tamayuu in the Hakataza production Man of Starlight, the biggest challenge at the beginning was the Kyoto dialect. I played a woman older than Sagiri’s character of Okita Souji, and I had a lot of people teaching me how I should act and the atmosphere I should have. I really gave it my all. While it gave me a lot of trouble, it’s a part I’m very fond of now. Also, I feel like I was more deeply into Fancy Guy!, perhaps because I’d been performing it a long time starting with the Takarazuka Grand Theatre performances. It was wonderful to be able to spend time performing in my beloved Kyuushu.

The character of Sen in One Night of Stars changed the ideas about musumeyaku roles that I held until then. It was a role I had to take on as a new woman. Director Ueda [Kumiko] told me a lot about the things she thought were important while putting the show together. La Esmeralda has a really escapist feeling so it was a show that was very fun to perform.

The national tour performance “Sorrowful Cordoba” that I’m rehearsing for right now is really a struggle. I’m fighting to display burning passion not just on the outside but from my core. La Esmeralda is a complete change from that so I really want to show everyone what a real Takarazuka revue show is like.

For next year’s Rurouni Kenshin we’re working to not just reproduce the visuals of the manga, but to show its deeper aspects in our performance.

Lyrics: A Wicked Man (Ernest in Love)

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English translation of lyrics from the Takarauka production of the Off-Broadway musical.

Cecily:
Perhaps I shall be so frightened
That I faint!
Perhaps he will just kiss me
Without a word!
But I still want to meet him,
This stimulating
Man I’ve dreamed about:
A wicked man!

I want to meet a wicked man!
I’ve dreamed about a wicked man!
He’ll make all my dreams come true:
A wicked man!

I wonder if
He’ll fall for me?
What if he carries me off
Somewhere by force?
No matter who, any girl
Would admire him.
I’ve been waiting so long for
A wicked man!

I want to meet a wicked man!
I’ve dreamed about a wicked man!
He’ll take me away from this place:
A wicked man!

Take me away!
No matter where!
You’re the real thing!

A truly wicked man!

Looking Back on 2015: Sagiri Seina

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One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Snow Troupe Top Star Sagiri Seina.

Looking Back on 2015: Sagiri Seina

To be able to perform on New Years’ with the first show of Takarazuka’s 101st year, as well as have the first Grand Theatre show for new Yukigumi, and have so many people come and enjoy the production of Lupin III/Fancy Guy! is, I think, the best start we could have asked for. Since everyone was so familiar with the original work, pressure was high, but I feel like I was able to adapt to the setting and to the character of Lupin. Everyone in Snow Troupe joined in with ideas to make a show with a strong comedy element.

Fancy Guy! is a really grown-up, dramatic revue. Since this production was Daimon’s [Nozomi’s] first show as a member of Snow Troupe and also my classmate Yumeno Seika’s retirement performance, I thought it was a performance that could only have happened at that time. And during the Hakataza performances, everyone from Kyushu was very happy to see a lead couple who were both from Kyushu.

In Man of Starlight I was able to play the Shinsengumi swordsman, Okita Souji, which I was really happy about, of course. Fancy Guy! was very different as at times it seemed like I was pushed really close to the audience, so I think it had a fresh kind of sensation.

One Night of Stars clearly emphasizes the emotions of the characters, so starting with putting together the character of Haruoki it all felt really difficult. But I think I learned a lot from it. Completely different from the play, La Esmeralda expresses the energy of the performers through song and dance. I feel that having such a difference between the play and revue must have been fun for the audience.

The national tour performance that started in November, Sorrowful Cordoba, had wonderful songs, and I hope Elio was memorable to the audience. La Esmeralda gave all the performers a chance to display their appeal to the audience, and I hope that it will make some of them want to see us in the Grand Theatre.

Next year’s production of Rurouni Kenshin is based on a manga. While I think we will live up to the audience’s expectations for the visuals and the story, I want to surpass that in satisfaction, and I’m giving it my all to not lose to a man* in my performance.

* Potentially a reference to Satoh Takeru, who played Kenshin in the films and at that point was the only man to portray the character.

Lyrics: C’est Pas Ma Faute (Romeo et Juliette)

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English translation of lyrics from the Takarazuka production of the French musical.

Tybalt:
I had a dream when I was little
Where I became a brave hero
I fought a dragon
And rescued a princess from a tower
But the adults planted in me
The bitter seed of hatred
They warped my sense of justice
I had no way to escape how they changed me
Who knows what my heart is really like?

This isn’t the real me
Whatever I do
The adults drove me to it
The real me is different
I never wanted to become
To become the took of their vengeance

Hatred pushes me into action
By the time I realize it
I’ve already raised my fist–a war is starting
And no-one can stop it

I can’t return to my childhood
The adults were the ones who changed me
The only one who can save me now
Is you, my beloved Juliette

Takarazuka Revue Snow Troupe’s new Top Combi’s introductory performance is The Count’s Daughter

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This article about Sagiri Seina and Sakihi Miyu’s first show as Top Stars was written by Harada Junko [approximate reading] and published by Ticket Pia on August 26, 2014. (Archived link here.) Some paragraph breaks have been inserted.

Takarazuka Revue Snow Troupe’s new Top Combi’s introductory performance is “The Count’s Daughter”

Snow Troupe’s new Top Combi, Sagiri Seina and Sakihi Miyu, take their position on September 1. Their introductory production The Count’s Daughter – Je T’aime; I can’t live without your love begins performances at the Nissay Theatre in October.

It is based on the popular manga of the same title by Hosokawa Chieko. The story is set in Paris at the end of the 19th century, and is about the young heir of a Duke, Alain, who is also called ‘The King of Journalism’, and an innocent young girl named Corinne, who was raised in an orphanage. They overcome many barriers in order to be together.

Sagiri Seina plays Alain, who has a strong sense of justice but will sometimes use force to get what he wants. “I haven’t had a part like this before, so I have a bit of inner turmoil at taking on such a formidable role,” she said. “But because of that, the process of getting into character is a lot more interesting, and due to my struggles I feel attached to him. It’s a performance where I will try to show different aspects of my appeal as an otokoyaku.”

Ever since the first promotional performance, Sakihi has turned completely into the adorable Corinne. “I want to make a fully fleshed-out character based on the original work,” she said. “I’m still inexperienced but I want to take on this role as an actress. Corinne is a wonderful girl, so I think the most important thing is that I understand her.

As this work is set in the lovely time period in Paris called “La Belle Epoque”, the visuals such as costumes and sets are made with all the splendour Takarazuka can provide. Furthermore, the finale will be reminescent of a Parisian revue, with a French can-can number.

Sagiri said “it’s a work that incorporates so much of the charm of Takarazuka, isn’t it? Since Flower Troupe is in the middle of performing Elisabeth at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre next door, it’s a great chance to see two really different Takarazuka shows both in Hibiya District.”

“In the Takarazuka version, Alain, played by Chigi-san [Sagiri] becomes the main character, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Sakihi said hopefully.

The new Top Combi charmed the audience excellent acting and beautiful appearance onstage, proving themselves worthy inheritors to “Drama’s Snow Troupe”.

Sagiri said “like those who said ‘we want you do to this kind of show, we want to see Snow Troupe put it on’ I want to keep looking ahead and work together with everyone.”

Sakihi also declared that “as a member of Snow Troupe I want to give it my all as I follow Chigi-san’s lead.” Her attitude is already perfect.