This is a Q&A session with brand-new Top Star Aran Kei on her arrival in Tokyo for her debut there with Sakura/Secret Hunter. The original transcript was published in ENAK Sumire Style on September 13, 2007. (Archive link here.)
Continue readingKageki’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.
Translation of Aran’s section of commentary on her character published in the August 2008 issue of Kageki, taken from the larger feature. Paragraph breaks are added for ease of reading.
Aran Kei (Sir Percy Blakeney):
For this production, when I was working on how to put my character together, I felt like I was able to get hold of it a lot quicker than normal. Mr. Wildhorn’s music is all really splendid, and because of that I was able to stir up those feelings naturally. This was especially so in the song in the first act ‘Prayer’ where I have to express my character’s suffering. While I was having trouble with the emotion, when I was singing my feelings would gradually increase so the music really saved me.
Percy is a hero among heroes. He has a strong sense of justice, he’s cool, he has a sense of humor, and he’s a really charming person. During the performance, I wanted to make his love for Marguerite the most important thing. Percy really loves Marguerite. He probably fell for her because of her beauty and her appeal as an actress. But even though he loves her, he can’t dispel his doubts about her, and he can’t tell her about the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, so there’s always conflict between them. During ‘She was There’ everything is resolved and he feels it’s alright to love Marguerite, so it’s a number that’s full of his love for her. In the last scene they’re at the height of happiness. Percy is overflowing with joy now that he knows that he loves her.
Percy doesn’t feel anger at the French Revolution itself, but at the unfair purging of the aristocracy. He sees Chauvelin as a rival to his own League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but he also has some doubts about his relation to Marguerite and suspects he might be a love rival as well.
Since when Percy is disguised as Grapin he’s always doing silly things, I’m always a little worried that if I go too far as Grapin people might lose the thread of the story… I also have to keep in mind as I perform that he isn’t supposed to be recognized as Percy. Furthermore, when I’m be arguing with Chauvelin, if I go too far in my responses Chauvelin might break character, so I have to make sure there’s a good balance there.
In the C section of the Finale I sing ‘When I Look At You’ which is actually my favorite song, so I’m very happy to be able to sing it. And the sabre dance is really fresh and cool. In the duet dance with Asuka I think we create a world for just the two of us that has a grown-up atmosphere.
Heading into the Tokyo performances, I hope that Percy’s many faces will be even more distinct, that the fun scenes will be even more fun, the touching scenes even more touching, and that it will have a new emotional resonance with the audience.
This article featuring Aran Kei’s recollection of the opening of The Scarlet Pimpernel in 2008 was published by Mainichi News on October 19, 2015. (This article has since been taken down and no archived versions are available; the link is included for completion.)
Dream Anthology: Former Star Troupe Top Star Aran Kei
Reaction to opening night applause
While the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel (2008) is called a masterpiece of mine, I didn’t even imagine it would turn out that way. Before the curtain opened we hadn’t sold too many tickets and hadn’t received much of a reaction.
I still can’t forget the applause on the first night in the Grand Theatre after I sang on the Silver Bridge at the end of the first act. The applause was so powerful I felt like I would fall into the orchestra pit. After that praise of the show spread and the number of people coming increased.
The lead role, Percy, plays the fool, but in reality he’s a hero of justice. Since this is a type of story that turns up in Japan a lot and is easy to understand, it was easy to perform. The beautiful melody of the show’s theme song, “A Piece of Courage”, was written for us by the composer, Frank Wildhorn.
While I was back on the Grand Stage for the 100th anniversary last year, as well as this year, I faltered a bit seeing how big it was. But the audience was so warm: it was like they were saying “welcome back!”
Next month, at a concert with the Tokyo Philharmonic, I’ll be singing “A Piece of Courage” as well as numbers from musicals I performed in after my retirement from Takarazuka. But I want everyone to listen to and enjoy the richly layered music of the orchestra, and not just my singing.