‘Fairy Interview’ is an interview column by Natori Chisato published by local magazine With Takarazuka. This one, featuring Moon Troupe member Shimon Yuriya, was published in the September 2011 issue.

Fairy Interview: Moon Troupe’s Shimon Yuriya

The performance currently being put on by Moon Troupe at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre (ending August 28th) features the excellent play The Man from Algiers, about the dramatically charged life of a young man burning with ambition, and the ‘Show Spectacle’ Danse Romanesque which overflows with energy through a variety of different dance styles. In the junior performance, talented dancer and young star Shimon Yuriya expands her horizons as an otokoyaku by playing Julien, who has a dark past and lives on by clinging to his ambitions.

She charms with machismo in The Man from Algiers junior performance

On August 16th, at 6 in the afternoon, the curtain will rise on the junior performance of The Man from Algiers with Shimon Yuriya in the leading role. This will be the last junior performance role for Shimon, who debuted in 2005’s Enter the Revue. While Shimon has had a variety of junior performance roles, such as playing Kiriya Hiromu’s role of Franz Joseph in May 2009’s junior performance of Elisabeth (when she was ken-5), playing Chauvelin in the April 2010 junior performance of The Scarlet Pimpernel, playing Ottokar in the September 2010 junior performance of The Gypsy Baron, and playing the King in the March 2011 junior performance of Prince of the Land of Roses, she says that she never expected to be this nervous about her first leading role.

“Since I’ve been given a lot of detailed roles in junior performance leading up to now, I hope to put those experiences to use in Julien this time.”

What kind of person is Julien from The Man from Algiers? While he is a talented government secretary and is called a ‘star of society’, he grew up as an orphan in the slums, and in order to succeed in life he unleashes his own ambitions.

“In the first half of the play, I portray young Julien, who is living in the slums and dreams of making a name for himself in Paris as he makes his living through crime. I had been told by different people that if I was able to emphasize toughness and machismo more than my breadth of abilities as an otokoyaku would increase. Julien is a role that really needs that sort of thing. Recently it’s become really fun to sing the songs about young Julien’s inner thoughts, so I’m doing my best to convel the atmosphere of the play and the attributes of my character through the melody instead of just singing strictly according to the sheet music.”

The Man from Algiers is an original work by Shibata Yukihiro, and was first performed at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre in August 1974, before being restaged at the Tokyo Grand Theatre in November 1983. This performance is directed by Oono Takuji. Some new songs have been added, and there have been some changes to the dialogue, but for the most part it is faithful to the restage version starring Mine Saori.

“While I was in the Music School, I performed the part of Julien in a drama recital, so I feel to be given the part of Julien now is a unique opportunity. Back then, it was only fifteen minutes and I didn’t have a costume or stage makeup, but through that chance I came to like Takarazuka and performing as an otokoyaku a lot more, and became even more interested in performing. I want to perform this part without being fixated on some preconceived idea. I’m studying by reading every line of the script carefully, and closely watching Kiriya Hiromu’s Julien in the main performances.”

Julien, who is burning with ambition, loses his heart to Sabine’s freely given love, and freezes as he suddenly realizes the vanity of all he’s been doing. “What have I been living for until now…?” That is the climax of the second half of the play. On the other hand, in the main performances, Shimon Yuriya plays Julien’s colleage Louis, who was born to the Parisian upper class. She performs two characters of wildly different birth and upbringing. Also, she shows of her charm with her skill as a dancer in the accompanying revue Danse Romanesque.

Finally the day arrives for the junior performance. After the curtain drops on the finale of the main performance, Shimon removes Louis’ makeup and begins putting on Julien’s. 5 minutes before the junior performance begins, she goes onstage as she calms her heart from pounding in nervousness. “If I went onstage without calming down, the audience would notice, so I want to calm myself down in order to moderate the high of being onstage.”

Shimon Yuriya is an excellent student who debuted at second place in the 91st Class. Now that she is graduating from junior performances, a busy life in main roles is waiting for her.