Tag Archives: Mag: Kageki

TAKUMI – Artists’ First Steps (Nov. 2015)

Posted on by
Reply

In this feature from Kageki, several of the younger senior actresses talk about things that affected them early in their career. The November 2015 issue features Mana Haruto, Yumeki Anru, Junya Chitose, and Tenma Michiru.

TAKUMI – Artists’ First Steps

Mana Haruto (Snow Troupe): The phrase that prepared me to work hard in Takarazuka

In the Bow Workshop Frozen Tomorrow I was given the role of the lead’s henchman, which seemed like a big part to me since I was only just ken-3, so I was really excited. However, Director Shibata and Mirai Yuuki told me “getting a bit part in a little theatre doesn’t mean the same thing will happen right away in the Grand Theatre,” and that’s really stayed with me. Everyone wants a good role so they’re doing their best, but in each work there are those who get those roles and those who don’t…their words made me realize that each production is put together with everyone’s varied feelings. That became the basis of my thinking from then on, so that no matter what occasion or part I have the same motivation to put forth my best effort: this is what prepared me to do my best as a member of Takarazuka. Another thing from that time was overcoming my nervousness about performing in front of the director and the senior actresses during rehearsals. I learned that the most important thing in rehearsals is to give it your energy, even if you don’t do so well.
What I’d like to say to the current junior actresses is that no matter what role you get, it’s vital to see what you can learn from it, give it your best, and work hard.

Yumeki Anru (Star Troupe): The song that made me like singing

When I was ken-3, I had my first Grand Theatre solo song in BOLERO, and because of that I started to like singing. After that I had more chances to sing in the smaller theatres. There was an audition for that part and I was really nervous, thinking “can I really sing such a grown-up song while I’m only ken-3?” But the composer, Takahashi Kuni, told me “you should go for it”. It was an adult love song during Chie-san [Yuzuki Reon] and Nene-san’s [Yumesaki Nene] pair dance, and it was very difficult, but I was determined to make it passionate so I practiced while listening to the original song over and over. Some of the senior actresses, such as Otohana Yuri and Kawai Mizuho, taught me a lot, and gave me advice like using an otokoyaku singing style in the song as well. I’m so grateful to all the senior actresses.
The recent production of Catch Me If You Can was difficult, but from now on I want to work on ‘singing as my part’.

Junya Chitose (Cosmos Troupe): The first time I experienced an mysterious sensation

Among the roles I’ve had up to now, there are some that have affected me really deeply. Recently, in Top Hat, my part of Madge Hardwick was so enjoyable that it made me think “I wish I could play this role again.” However, even more than just performing, the role that allowed me to experience a mysterious sensation was my part in Sanctuary of Catherine de Medici. Since she was a real person, I read a lot of historical information, and while my approach to taking on a role wasn’t any different than usual, but when it became time to go on stage I realized that I’d never entered so deeply into a character ever before. I was nervous, of course, since it was the real performance, but on the other hand I didn’t feel like I was actually performing: it was mysterious even to me. Since it was a difficult play set in 16th-century Europe, I was naturally wiped out at the end of each performance, but I think it was really special to have such an experience as an actor.
I hope to learn from all the experiences I have from now on and improve on stage as well as becoming stronger in women’s roles1.

Tenma Michiru (Flower Troupe): When my attitude towards roles changed

When I was a junior actresses, there was a time when it seemed that all my classmates were appearing in Bow Hall shows one after the other and I was the only one left out. It was a really depressing, dark time, and I felt like retiring even before I got a chance to show what I was capable of. When I was thinking ‘if things are no good this way I need to take on some new challenge,’ an substitute was needed for a full-show part in Rose of Versailles Side Story: Andre. It was only a small part, but I was totally energized. “I’m going to get a part,” I was determined, and the next day, when Director Ueda Shinji saw the character creation I had done, he said “You’re pretty interesting.” I learned that if you perform with all your energy and try to get a part instead of waiting for one to be given to you, there are those who will take notice. The feeling of strength I gained then have helped me ever since and stopped me from being overcome by anything.
Right now I’ve been recognized for my individualities a lot more, although there are still areas where I need to work on adhering more to ‘the legacy of Takarazuka.’ Also, I want to become a senior actress who can speak out to junior actresses who may be going through the same struggles that I did back then.

1 – While Junya debuted as an otokoyaku, she switched specialties to musumeyaku after a few years.

Looking Back on 2015: Hinami Fuu

Posted on by
Reply

One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Star Troupe Top Musumeyaku Hinami Fuu.

Looking Back on 2015: Hinami Fuu

While Like a Black Panther/Dear Diamond!! was the retirement performance for the Top Combi, I tried not to be too conscious of that and I remember it as an enjoyable show. Nene-san [Yumesaki Nene] is so lovely and cute…of course, I learned a lot of things about being a musumeyaku during rehearsals for this show.

Next was the national tour performance. I was really worried about taking the position of Top Musumeyaku, but Michiko-san [Hokushou] looked after me all the time and lent me her strength. I feel like without that I would have lost the determination to battle on as a performer.

The role of Elaine in Great Pirates I felt was a great one to advance as a musumeyaku, so I put together a really detailed image of how I wanted to perform as Elaine. Amour, That is… was the show I debuted in, so when I think about that time I’m really deeply moved. Having the chance to encounter it again made me really happy.

I had a lot of difficulties with Guys and Dolls in rehearsals, but when the curtain opened I felt the warmth of the audience and the rest of Star Troupe around me, and it made me really happy… It was so fun that I would feel lonely every day after the performance was over, so it was a very happy performance for me.

Since I was conscious of the fact that I am poor at Japanese dance, I practiced up to my limits for the Takarazuka Traditional Dance performance. By the time it came to perform I was looking forward to it, and on the day of the show I was able to enjoy myself through the dancing.

This year I had a lot of valuable experiences and met a lot of different people through each performance, but among all those people the meeting that most affected me was with Michiko-san. Next year I will keep working hard to increase the feeling of improvement I have now.

Looking Back on 2015: Kano Maria

Posted on by
Reply

One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Flower Troupe Top Musumeyaku Kano Maria.

Looking Back on 2015: Kano Maria

Ernest in Love was full of firsts for me, but Asumi-san and all the other senior actresses guided me kindly, and the whole performance had a warm atmosphere.

I felt like the character of Alicia in Embraced by the Seas of Calista was very charming, but as it was the first time I played the same role for a long time I was able to see my own bad habits and weak points. It was a performance where I really struggled and worried about things but in the end I learned a lot.

Takarazuka Fantasia was a very hard show, but because of that our sense of unity was strengthened and I feel like I was swept up in a great wave.

Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie-Antoinette is a show that I love and have a lot of strong feelings about, so I was able to pursue my own ideals as I played Marie Antoinette. I dug down to find the deepest facets of the character, and realised even more how wonderful the show is. During the Taiwan tour, I was worried about how the audience would see ‘the Japanese Takarazuka Revue,’ but the cheering and applause overwhelmed me. That feeling will become a wonderful memory I can never forget.

The Takarazuka Japanese Dance Recital was a learning experience for me, and the more experienced Top Musumeyaku taught me a lot.

In the show we’re performing in right now, New Tale of Genji, my role of Fujitsubo is quite difficult, but I feel it has a lot of worth for me as a performer. Melodia has a lot of grown-up and passionate scenes, so I want to display a new side of myself to the audience.

Next year I will continue performing in happy musicals with Ernest in Love and Me and My Girl. I hope it will be a fun year for the audience as well.

Looking Back on 2015: Manaki Reika

Posted on by
Reply

One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Moon Troupe Top Musumeyaku Manaki Reika.

Looking Back on 2015: Manaki Reika

I’ve improved so much all through this year that looking back on my first role of Melanie, it feels like it was from quite a long time ago. Sometimes I think ‘have I really come so far just since then?’ Gone with the Wind, in February, was a restaging after a year, and while it was a difficult challenge performing the same role again after so much time had passed, as a musumeyaku I really love the part of Melanie so I enjoyed being able to take it on again.

In 1789: Lovers of the Bastille the part of Marie Antoinette was a big challenge for me. The show was a completely different style of musical than I’d done in Takarazuka until then, and I had to sing rock songs as Marie Antoinette… It’s definitely not a typical Takarazuka heroine role, and while I had a lot of different concerns while getting into character, now I’m grateful to Director Koike for the chance to challenge myself this way. I learned a lot about how to consider things as my own performer.

After that came Wonder of Love which was the first performance where I was the focus, so I was worried about it. But Director Koyanagi arranged everything I wanted to try performing so beautifully, and all the other members of the show helped me out a lot, so when the day came to perform I really did enjoy myself.

The Grand Theatre performance starting in November, Manon, is a very subtle and simplistic show, so I want to honestly portray all the emotions deep inside my heart. In the revue show, Golden Jazz, I want to get caught up in the themes and enjoy myself together with the audience.

Ryuu-san always says “I want to keep dreaming,” which is a phrase I love. I’ll hold on to my dreams and fearlessly challenge myself next year too.

Stage Turning Points: Nanami Hiroki (Star Troupe)

Posted on by
Reply

In this feature from Kageki, Nanami talks about some of the roles she finds most memorable and how they’ve affected her.

Stage Turning Points: Nanami Hiroki (Star Troupe)

Nanami’s Turning Points

April-May 2003: Takarazuka Floral Diary – Debut

June 2005: Le Petit Jardin (Bow) – Paul
This was the first time I had the same part through the whole show1, so during this performance I learned a lot about how important it is to inspire the audience while still enjoying myself.

November 2007: THE SECOND LIFE (Bow) – Mark White
I’d never had a part that was so important to the overall story before, so I was really happy that I was allowed to have a chance at performing this role. In any case, I decided I’d really give it my all, but by the time rehearsals were over I still hadn’t managed to grasp his character… At that point, Michiko-san [Hokushou] said “If you don’t just go for it you’ll never get it, so why don’t you try it once the way you want to do it?” Those words gave me a lot of courage, and when I tried performing without overthinking it it became much more fun, and as a result that was a very memorable performance for me.

May 2009: Raindrops Fall on Roses (junior performance) – Justin Belzac
My first junior lead
This was my first junior lead, so even while I was struggling with the large amount of lines, of course this role also required me to do more dancing and singing: it was a performance I almost felt I wasn’t going to survive. To make it through performing for 90 minutes I knew it would require tons of concentration, so I respect the Top Stars from the bottom of my heart for managing to do that and then perform in the revue show afterwards. On the day of my performance, I was somehow defiant and thought “This is everything I’m capable of at this point,” so I wasn’t really nervous and just had fun with it.

March 2011: Valentino (Drama City) – Natacha Rambova
Aiming to communicate my performance
I learned a ton of things from Director Koike. In particular, I learned that just thinking on the inside won’t come across to the audience, so I felt like I had to work hard on studying ways of showing and communicating my performance. I wasn’t really prepared for a female role, and I’d never had a very feminine life, so understanding a woman’s heart was difficult (laugh). But Yuuhi-san [Oozora Yuuhi] gave me a lot of advice about how important it was at this stage to experience both male and female roles and such, so it was a performance where I really expanded my horizons!

August-October 2012; January 2013: Legend of Galactic Heroes – Wolfgang Mittermeyer; Paul von Oberstein
A performance without which I feel I wouldn’t have made it here now
I feel like without this performance, I wouldn’t be at this point now, because of all the experiences I gained from it. I really liked the original work, so I wanted to perform in a way that would satisfy both Takarazuka fans and fans of the original work. While performing I also worked on how to show how cool the main character Reinhardt was. And then when I received the role of Oberstein in the Hakataza production, I thought, “I’m definitely going to do it like this!!” and had a furious discussion with Director Koike about the image I had for it (laugh)—I was aiming for an interpretation of the character that was faithful to the original work. During that performance, I realized that if I were to do things the way I wanted them I had to take responsibility for that, so I decided to keep myself together and take the stage with confidence.

July-August 2013: the WILD Meets the WILD (Bow Hall) – Benjamin Northbrook
First Bow Hall lead
Putting together the double-lead production with Hasumi [Yuuya]-san was really fun, and our parts allowed us to let our real selves go so we were able to perform cheerfully on stage without many concerns. While it was my first Bow Hall lead role, I really felt like I was living as my character onstage, and to tell the truth I didn’t really feel much pressure. Even as I enjoyed having the chance to perform on center stage, I also had to consider during each performance how, as the lead performer, I would please the audience.

October 2013: Gone with the Wind – Scarlett (switch role)
Performing the part of Scarlett in “Butler Version”2 is always difficult, and in this production I had so many things to do that I was constantly wondering “should I do it this way? Should I do it that way?” That was all I could think of when it came time to go onstage. The first day as Scarlett, I was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. If I ever became any more nervous than that I think I’d die. I also had to do a pair dance on the Grand Stairs so I was feeling more pressure than ever before, but I decided “in any case I’ll follow along with Rika-san [Ouki Kaname]”. As that thinking came through on stage, I think my performance made Butler seem even more appealing.

June 2015: Catch Me If You Can (Akasaka ACT Theatre) – Carl Hanratty
First performance after moving troupes
Although this was my first performance since moving troupes, Sayumi-san [Kurenai] and I have similar personalities and ways of dealing with things, so from the very start I felt like I could perform naturally. This impression might be unrequited, though (laugh). When I’m with Sayumi, it’s really easy to communicate “this is how I want to perform” so during this performance I really enjoyed my self as an actor while seeing those cues and responding to them. My feelings about changing troupes was that, no matter what troupe I’m in, I want to perform in a way that entertains the audience, so I’ll take on any challenge in order to accomplish that. Thanks to that I was able to dive into this role just after joining Star Troupe and be really happy every day of this production.

1 – Junior performers start out playing multiple background roles.

2 – There is a variant script to Gone With The Wind where Scarlett is the lead role, though it is no longer performed..

Introduction of New Moon Troupe Members: 101st Class

Posted on by
Reply

These are some brief statements from the 101sts who were assigned to Moon Troupe. They’re perhaps a little formulaic but very sweet. I included links to all their TakaWiki pages so you can see who they are.

Introduction of New Moon Troupe Members: 101st Class

  • Self-introduction
  • One phrase that sums up their current self

Amashi Juri
“I’ll push forward!”
I’m Moon Troupe’s Amashi Juri! Since I had the privilege of debuting at a Moon Troupe show, I’m really happy to become part of Moon Troupe.
I’m aiming to be a splendid otokoyaku and carry on the traditions of Takarazuka I’ve inherited from the upperclassmen. I will keep the sun in my heart and a sparkle in my eyes as I push forward, only looking ahead!! Please be good to me~

Yui Karen
“Like a piece of pure white drawing paper…”
I’m full of happiness every day. The wonderful upperclassmen have taught me so many things, and I’m busy studying what I’ve learned every day. I hope to continually advance and I’m working hard to be a lovely1 musumeyaku: I wonder what color I’ll end up being. I hope to be in a lot of shows that will convey ‘happiness’ to everyone!

Ayaoto Sena
“The only way is forward!”
My name is Ayaoto Sena and I’ve been assigned to Moon Troupe. I love Moon Troupe, so being able to rehearse with them every day and go onstage with them makes me so happy. I want to make the audience happy with my dancing, since that’s my favorite. While of course I have a long way to go, I hope you all will be kind to me in the future.

Reika Haru
“I’ll treasure each moment”
I’m Reika Haru of Moon Troupe!
Since I was able to watch a lot of Moon Troupe shows before joining Takarazuka, and then Moon Troupe took such good care of me when I debuted at one of their shows, being able to rehearse every day with all the upperclassmen I respect is like a dream come true. I’m going to dedicate myself to improving with each show I’m in, so I hope you will all come to know me as ‘Moon Troupe Otokoyaku, Reika Haru’.

Hanatoki Maika
“I’ll give it all without forgetting my gratitude!”
I’m Hanatoki Maika and I’ve been assigned to Moon Troupe. I want to be a musumeyaku who can take on any sort of role and sparkle on my beloved Takarazuka’s stage!
I’m going to work with all my heart to convey dreams and emotion to everyone in the audience.
Please be good to me!

Koumi Natsuho
“Advancing every day”
My name is Koumi Natsuho and I’m going to be a member of Moon Troupe. I want to learn lots of things from all the wonderful upperclassmen and keep advancing every day. As I perform on my beloved Takarazuka’s stage I will be cheerfully giving it my all in order to become my own kind of otokoyaku, so please support me in the future.

Yoshino Yurika
“Love is the most important thing”
I’ve loved being able to express myself since I was little. When I discovered Takarazuka, I thought it would be the best way to become able to express myself skillfully. I want to be a musumeyaku who can express even the things that are deep inside. And I won’t forget that love is the most important thing…

1 – The word for “lovely” she uses here is written the same way as her stage name, “Karen”.

That’s RanKING! – November 2015

Posted on by
Reply

In That’s RanKING!, a multi-year Kageki Top Star Q&A feature, the Top Stars rank each other based on various questions.

This month’s question: Who do you think is most likely to keep active until late at night?

That’s ranKING! – who’s in first place?

For 2015’s monthly corner, we ask each Top Star to rank who most matches each month’s theme and share images and anecdotes. The votes are calculated with First Place as 10 points, Second Place as 5 points, and Third Place as 3 points. Please enjoy the 5 Top Stars’ variety of answers and stories!

This month’s question: Who do you think is most likely to keep active until late at night?

  • First Place: Sagiri Seina – 31 points
  • Second Place: Asumi Rio – 16 points
  • Second Place: Asaka Manato – 16 points

Sagiri Seina (Snow Troupe)

I really like staying in the rehearsal room until it’s so late at night they’re about to throw me out, so I guess I might be the most nocturnal of us. It’s not that I really have nocturnal habits, but it seems like the darker it gets, the better my body can move (laugh).

Maa-kun [Asaka Manato] seems to keep up the same pace from the time she gets up to the time she goes to bed, so I put her in second place.

In third place is Michiko [Hokushou Kairi] since she’ll decide “This is when I’m going to bed!” and then make all her plans for the day around that.

Masao [Ryuu Masaki] and Mirio-chan [Asumi Rio] seem like the type to do everything at their own pace and just think “I’ll go to sleep when I feel like sleeping.” (laugh)

Asumi Rio (Flower Troupe)

Recently I’ve become way more of a night person, so I think I might be first. My mind is really active from around 11pm to 3am, and even when I return home I’ll end up thinking about my roles for a while and my engine just keeps running (laugh).

I put Masaki-san in second place. When she was doing shinjin kouens, she would always stay up really late rehearsing by herself, so I think she can keep going even at night.

For third place…hmmm, I have an image of her being really passionate, like “I won’t sleep until I do this!” so I think it’s Chigi-san! [Sagiri Seina]

Asaka Manato (Cosmos Troupe)

I think first place is Chigi-san. I feel like she’s always doing everything really efficiently so she would just keep going that way even late at night.

Mirio is in second place. I don’t know if she’s really full of energy, but recently she was saying “even though I have to sleep, I can’t.”

I don’t feel like Ryuu-san or Hokushou-san really stay up that late, so I guess third place has to be me. Even in the middle of the night I’m still pretty energetic. But I can’t handle mornings. Even though I’m called ‘Asaka’1 (laugh).

Hokushou Kairi (Star Troupe)

Ryuu-san is in first place, since I see her as a night person.

Second place is Chigi, I think. She said once that she stayed up watching television and by the time she realized the time it was midnight! (laugh)

I’m in third place: since I have tons of things I need to do, a lot of times I end up staying up until late at night. But since I always wake up early in the morning, I’ll run out of energy at around 11pm, and when I get up I’ll be fighting drowsiness.

Ryuu Masaki (Moon Troupe)

I think first place might be Maa-kun. I always picture her as being energetic even when it’s late.

And then…since Chigi-chan is the type to think “I’ll do what I need to get done” until it ends up getting late, she’s second place.

Since I see Mirio-chan as getting into situations where once it’s night she realizes “Oh, I forgot that!” (laugh) I think she’d definitely end up staying up late a lot, so third place.

I think Hokushou-san would finish everything early, so she probably wouldn’t stay up late very much.

I wouldn’t be able to stay up late, I don’t have enough concentration ability (laugh).

1 – Asaka’s stage name contains the character for ‘morning’ (朝, asa).

Looking Back on 2015: Asumi Rio

Posted on by
Reply

One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Flower Troupe Top Star Asumi Rio.

Looking Back on 2015: Asumi Rio

January’s production of Ernest in Love was difficult since it was a comedy, but the whole theatre had a really warm atmosphere and I’m glad we had it as our introductory performance with a new Top Combi.

Embraced by the Seas of Calista was my first original production since I became Top, so I had some concerns, but I took on the challenge with the hope of seizing hold of the audience’s feminine emotions through Ms. Ooishi’s script1. Takarazuka Fantasia was rather hard to perform, but it had the message that the reconstructed Flower Troupe would spread its wings. During the middle of the show when I saw everyone’s smiles as they watched, I was really moved. When we received the annual Group Award for this production2, my emotions were split between tears and happiness.

Since I was performing as Fersen for the second time in the Taiwan production of Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie-Antoinette, I figured out some new things and tried to get deeper into the character. During the performance of Takarazuka Fantasia I felt united with the Taiwanese audience members, which made me really happy. I was able to get over my uneasiness about performing in a foreign country since I had all my friends with me, and our bonds deepened as if we were all meant to be together.

The Takarazuka Traditional Japanese Dance Recital was really difficult since I was performing Japanese dance by myself for a long time, but I feel like it was a valuable experience.

Since we had been split into the Taiwan group and the Bow Hall group doing various great things, when we all reunited after a long time for New Tale of Genji the rehearsals were really lively. I was really worried about playing Genji, to the point where I said it was the hardest role I’ve had so far, but I want to work on the performance scene by scene and hopefully by the time the last day comes around I will have a deep understanding of the character. Melodia: A Warm and Lovely Melody has various scenes where everyone gets to shine, even the junior members, and it will be very energetic. Every day we’re working on how to present each scene.

While performing, I make new discoveries about how I consider the stage and how I ought to conduct myself, as well as deepening my connections with the other members of the troupe. I’m really happy that I have such trustworthy friends, and I hope to be someone who can lead them well.

1 – This production was one of two (as of time of posting) written for Takarazuka by Ooishi Shizuka, a non-Hankyu-employed screenwriter who mainly writes for television.

2 – In the Takarazuka Annual Awards, Flower Troupe received the Group Award for scene 10 of Takarazuka Fantasia, “Sakura Fantasia”.

Looking Back on 2015: Hokushou Kairi

Posted on by
Reply

One of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Star Troupe Top Star Hokushou Kairi (who had just joined the troupe from Senka midway through the year).

Looking Back on 2015: Hokushou Kairi

Since I’d always wanted to be in a show with a happy ending that had action scenes and a human element to it, Jirokichi of the Wind: Night Flight Over Edo fulfilled all my dreams for years. It had a lot of new challenges, such as fight scenes at a higher level than anything before, so I felt like I was pushing my limits every day (laugh). I’m really glad that I was able to achieve what I did then and have those experiences.

In [Billboard Live]1 there was a lot of pressure since I had to stand on the Billboard stage and put on a performance to match first-class recording artists, but I took on the various challenges with the intention of giving the audience a good time. As a result, it felt like I was performing from a place really close to the audience, and I felt even more than ever that I was able to enjoy the music together with the audience. It was really fun.

And then, in May, I transferred troupes to Star troupe. In the three years before that I had been in Senka, performing with all the different troupes, so I suppose you could say I was gathering a wealth of experience…I’m glad I could go to my new troupe with those assets.

The national tour performance Great Pirates was a show that required a lot of communication between everyone as we were putting it together, so I’m glad I had it for my first production after changing troupes. Amour, That is… fulfilled my dream to show a Takarazuka revue show to the whole nation, so that made me really happy, and I’m really grateful for the new scenes that were put in for this production.

The role of Sky in Guys and Dolls was performed by past Takarazuka stars so I was a bit uneasy about performing it myself, but I decided this was the place to display everything I’d learned until then and fought to perform it well.

In the Takarazuka Traditional Japanese Dance Recital I had the difficult task of performing in “Shooting Star”, a work for 4 dancers. While dealing with that challenge, I understood the real importance of continuous, habitual practice.

I’m going to have a lot of shows giving me new challenges next year, so I’m eager to carry on the traditions of Takarazuka while giving everyone entertainment that isn’t limited by the bounds of Takarazuka.

1 – While she wrote Music Palette (the title of her dinner show in 2014), the details and dates clearly reference her Billboard concert from 2015.

Backstage Journal: Kitori Mariya (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Posted on by
Reply

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.