{"id":689,"date":"2016-02-23T02:55:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/?p=689"},"modified":"2021-01-09T23:00:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T06:00:46","slug":"rose-of-versailles-side-story-alain-interview-matobu-sei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/23\/rose-of-versailles-side-story-alain-interview-matobu-sei\/","title":{"rendered":"Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain interview – Matobu Sei"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This interview with Flower Troupe Top Star Matobu Sei took place to promote her upcoming\u00a0Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain<\/em>, and was published in mainstream musical theatre magazine\u00a0Musical<\/em>\u00a0in their September 2008 issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain<\/em> interview – Matobu Sei<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Takarazuka Revue Flower Troupe will be performing The Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain<\/em> in their national tour starting September 20th. It is the second installment in the \u2018Side Story Series\u2019, after the Snow Troupe national tour which took place in early summer, The Rose of Versailles Side Story: Giroudelle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the lead role is Flower Troupe Top Star, Matobu Sei. In the 2001 Star Troupe production,\u00a0The Rose of Versailles 2001 – Oscar and Andre<\/em>, she played Alain. Alain is a corporal in the French Guards, the unit Oscar transfers to in order to take over command. In\u00a0The Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain<\/em>, Alain is written as the protagonist. We spoke to Matobu Sei about playing Alain for the second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you feel when you first heard you would be performing in a Rose of Versailles Side Story?<\/em>
I was very surprised. I hadn\u2019t considered that I might perform in The Rose of Versailles<\/em> again. And I was also shocked that this time it would be Alain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You played Alain while you were in Star Troupe, in Rose of Versailles 2001 – Oscar and Andre, correct?<\/em>
Yes. I was give the chance to play him in my 7th year (since joining the company). I understood the fun of being an otokoyaku, and the fascination of playing such a complex character, so it was a turning point for me which left a deep impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the plot of Alain develop?<\/em>
The rehearsals are still upcoming, so I am looking forward myself to seeing how it turns out. In this show, Alain is the protagonist, and his younger sister Diane also appears, so I think we will encounter a never-before-seen Alain. I\u2019m happy to be able to portray Alain\u2019s life once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sort of person do you think Alain is?<\/em>
While deep inside he hides intense emotions, there\u2019s a shadow over him, and he is very isolated and lonely. However, in order to hide that, he acts worse than he is and is very rebellious. In reality he\u2019s very kind and easily hurt, but to keep anyone from seeing this he puts on a strong facade. I think that he\u2019s actually the most honest and sensitive of all the characters. Last time I was not able to portray all of that, but in this production his beloved little sister will appear and I think it will show more of the burden he bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alain is in love with Oscar, isn\u2019t he?<\/em>
I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how that, and also his relationship with Andre, turn out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does it feel to play the same character again after so long?<\/em>
In a way it\u2019s a challenge to see how far I\u2019ve advanced in the seven years since the first time. I want to create ‘my Alain\u2019 once again from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you like playing characters like Alain?<\/em>
I really do. But recently I haven\u2019t done that sort of thing, and in the latest play (Love and Death in Arabia)<\/em>, Thomas is quite a cold person, so this is my first more forceful character in quite some time. I want to hurry and rough it up (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What impression do you have of Takarazuka\u2019s Rose of Versailles?<\/em>
It\u2019s Takarazuka\u2019s representative work, and they say it\u2019s Takarazuka\u2019s greatest asset, and I am the person I am now due to The Rose of Versailles 2001<\/em>. It also changed my life – one of my friends became obsessed with Takarazuka after seeing The Rose of Versailles<\/em> and invited me to go see it with her, which started everything in my Takarazuka career. I was so happy when I was able to appear in The Rose of Versailles<\/em> myself. It\u2019s so magnificent and I got chills just listening to the songs. This time, I hope to show everyone a rather different side of The Rose of Versailles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you been on a national tour before?<\/em>
In Star Troupe I traveled with the Love at Dal Lake<\/em> and Gone with the Wind<\/em> tours. However, those were both 2-act dramas, so this is my first tour with a revue show. Everyone keeps telling me ‘it\u2019s so hard!\u2019 so I feel a lot of pressure (laughs). I want to take the difficulty and turn it into fun. I\u2019m looking forward to encountering the fans on the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How have your thoughts about being an otokoyaku changed since becoming Top Star?<\/em>
Rather than changing, more than before I think of today over yesterday, and tomorrow over today\u2026that line of thinking. They say that being in the starring position is the highest status an otokoyaku can achieve, but rather than seeing it as the final step, I think of it as a starting point. I want to intestify those aspects that can\u2019t come across in words, more and more – I feel I have to advance myself. I don\u2019t know how far I will go, but I think there are still possibilities to me that I haven\u2019t discovered yet, so I want to believe in myself and keep climbing upwards, even if it\u2019s only a little bit further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sort of troupe is Flower Troupe?<\/em>
Everyone always put all their energy into it, so I\u2019m very grateful for that, and I find them really trustworthy. I feel happiness everyday that I\u2019m able to perform as the lead among them. Each and every one of them is sparkling and lively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is your partnership with Sakurano Ayane?<\/em>
We\u2019re enjoying it. In both Melancholic Gigolo<\/em> and Love and Death in Arabia<\/em>, her character is rather like my little sister, and now Diane is really my younger sister. Though we\u2019re a bit like a brother-sister pair (laughs) that\u2019s perfect for Alain in this production. Next year I want to be in a really romantic relationship with her (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please give a message looking forward to the opening of Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain!<\/em>
Unlike performances in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre and Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre, this is a national tour where we can have close encounters with the hearts of the fans. Even though at times anything could happen I want to enjoy anything and everything thoroughly. I would be delighted if even one more person say the tour, began to like Takarazuka, and came to the Takarazuka Grand Theatre. For that purpose, I hope Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain<\/em> will bloom into a brilliant rose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This interview with Flower Troupe Top Star Matobu Sei took place to promote her upcoming\u00a0Rose of Versailles Side Story: Alain, and was published in mainstream musical theatre magazine\u00a0Musical\u00a0in their September 2008 issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[30],"tags":[13,354,206,207,51],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":690,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689\/revisions\/690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}