This director talk for Hokushou Kairi\u2019s first Cosmos Troupe lead was published in the November 2007 Kageki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please note it was translated from her memorial book, so, while as far as I can tell it seems complete, it may have been slightly abridged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Second Life roundtable talk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants: Suzuki Kei (director), Hokushou Kairi, Kazune Miou<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Since Hokushou-san\u2019s previous Bow Hall lead, Soufuren,<\/em> was a rather heavy show with a traditional Japanese setting, I thought that for this show I\u2019d like to write something with a bright atmosphere and a Western setting. I\u2019ve also always wanted to write a show about a man with a double personality, so in this show, a pianist loses his life in an accident, then comes back to life in the body of a mafia member who\u2019s his total opposite, returning from Heaven in order to find his loved one\u2026that\u2019s the story I\u2019ve come up with. The plot is about the love between Mark White, who returned to Earth by borrowing the corpse of elite Mafia member Jake Iron, and his fiancee from his former life, Lucia Barton. It has a very cheerful atmosphere, with pop music and a lot of comedy\u2026or it will once I\u2019m done writing it (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune: <\/em>(laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki: <\/em>Also, since this show features a young cast, I\u2019m trying to focus on the energy of the young cast members and create a contemporary atmosphere. I also want to incorporate current pop music tastes into the score of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> Since it\u2019s not a movie, but a live stage show where camera effects are impossible, it seems like it\u2019d be really hard to portray someone with a double personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> You\u2019re right. Although he\u2019s seen by everyone else as the Mafia member Jake Iron, inside he\u2019s the pianist Mark White, who had a promising future in front of him before his death. In a way, he has to play the part of a mafia member. A major point of the show is moments when he returns to his normal personality, and the acting in those situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> One of the reasons Lucia refuses to accept Jake right away is that the Mafia was involved in Mark\u2019s death. Therefore when Jake, looking like a Mafia member, suddenly appears and says \u2018It\u2019s me, your lover!\u2019 at first she\u2019s like ‘What the hell\u2019s with this guy!\u2019 I hope a lot of comedy can be incorporated into Lucia and Jake\u2019s arguing. I\u2019m very hopeful for your skill as performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune:<\/em> Oh, no\u2026 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> This is my first time acting properly together with Tattchan (Kazune). In Passionate Flowers of Valencia<\/em>, I had one scene with her when I was playing Ramon1<\/sup>, but from an acting standpoint, Ramon is a bit\u2026 And that scene had a lot of adlibs, too (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazune:<\/em> It did (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> We sang the ‘etoille\u2019 together for Space FANTASISTA!!<\/em>, and shared other revue scenes, but never really acted together\u2026 I\u2019d always thought I would love to act together with you sometime, so I\u2019m really looking forward to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazune: <\/em>Thank you so much. Performing together in revues and plays is very different, so I\u2019m also looking forward to it a lot. What I\u2019ve most realized about Hokushou-san\u2019s acting is that it\u2019s somehow different every time\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> Is that a good thing? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazune:<\/em> I\u2019m going to do my best in order to be able to respond skillfully to Hokushou-san\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Come to think, you debuted as classmates, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> We did!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> You left a distinct impression even then, so I remember. Even among so many, you still stood out. Hokushou-san\u2019s onstage appearance is very manly (laughs) and your voice and delivery are really bold. I don\u2019t have any concerns about the scripted parts, since you\u2019re a very reliable person, but I want you to take a light touch and let yourself go along with the energy of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Kazune-san, you were in the last show I oversaw, Legend of the Eight Dog Samurai,<\/em> right? I have the impression of you as a very pure-feeling musumeyaku who conveys things in a very straightforward manner. I kept these aspects of Kazune-san in mind while writing the part of Lucia. I think of Bow Hall shows as opportunities to find something new about oneself that can be put towards the next Grand Theatre production, so for this show, I hope you can discover new ‘selves\u2019 for both of you that will be of help to you in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune:<\/em> Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> There are a lot of junior actresses in the show who haven\u2019t had more than a few lines even in shinjin kouens, so while of course I need to consider myself, I also think it would be good if I could look after them\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Since there are so many junior actresses with little experience, I hope that this Bow Hall will be a show that helps them grow, so afterwards they can think ‘look, I did that!\u2019 Since I also have a long way to go as a director, I think I should put myself on the same level as all of you and work on making the show together\u2026 In this show, Natori Rei is coming in from Senka to play the Mafia boss Don Viccento, but I think that will also be an excellent opportunity for the junior otokoyaku to study acting techniques through observing her. I hope they can also learn things like how to look best in suits and put together an aesthetic. Since they don\u2019t have much experience, there are a lot of things they won\u2019t know, but if this would provide them some opportunities for advancement\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou: <\/em>That would be great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki: <\/em>Moving on, since this show is set in Sicily, I imagined the poster would have the ocean at the back, and then a man playing the piano\u2026we did the photoshoot with that visual in mind. While the production takes place in November, I deliberately regarded the real-life season when creating the poster – what do you think of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> I thought there was an entertaining sense of incongruity between the sea and the white piano, and then a man in a sharp suit\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazune:<\/em> The piano really ends up being a big element of the story, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Well, I\u2019m sure people will find out about that when they see the show\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune: <\/em>(laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki: <\/em>Although a lot of the story takes place in a hotel, it\u2019s not a grand building from the monarchial era, but a very normal hotel that one could picture existing in real life. The set is mostly white, with accents in bright colors, and I hope to make you two stand out against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou: <\/em>How does the story conclude? It seems like ending in tragic love would suit it well, but a happy ending would also be wonderful\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Well, basically\u2026oh, but I think I\u2019d better not say (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune: <\/em>(laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Speaking for myself, I like a happy ending, but\u2026at the end, I want to put in ‘something\u2019 to surprise the audience and make them think ‘I never thought it would end up that way!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazune:<\/em> For shows that are adapted forr some other work, you can track down materials and study up before the rehearsals start, but for this show it will all start from square one on the first day of rehearsals, I feel. I\u2019ll do my best so that after closing, everyone can think ‘that ended up as a completely polished performance\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou:<\/em> This is my first Bow Hall since transferring to Cosmos Troupe. It\u2019s also the first show that I\u2019m working on creating from the very start together with everyone, and I\u2019m hoping to betray the audience\u2019s expectations in the best possible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki:<\/em> Let\u2019s go into rehearsals cheerfully and have fun, while keeping up high energy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokushou, Kazune:<\/em>\u00a0We\u2019re looking forward to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 – Hokushou was in a cast switch with Ranju Tomu during that production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This director talk for Hokushou Kairi\u2019s first Cosmos Troupe lead was published in the November 2007 Kageki. Please note it was translated from her memorial book, so, while as far as I can tell it seems complete, it may have … Continue reading
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