{"id":812,"date":"2018-05-16T18:10:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T00:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/?p=812"},"modified":"2021-01-09T20:59:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T03:59:07","slug":"talk-dx-guys-and-dolls-hokushou-kairi-and-kurenai-yuzuru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/16\/talk-dx-guys-and-dolls-hokushou-kairi-and-kurenai-yuzuru\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk DX: Guys and Dolls (Hokushou Kairi and Kurenai Yuzuru)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Talk DX is a GRAPH talk feature with the otokoyaku leads of a recent Grand Theatre show. This one was recorded during the run of\u00a0Guys and Dolls<\/em>, and published in the November 2015 issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Talk DX: Guys and Dolls (Hokushou Kairi and Kurenai Yuzuru)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> It\u2019s nearly the middle of the run now. All of the costumes in the show are so amazing, even right when the curtain rises, and with the orchestra there to it\u2019s really a different intensity from the rehearsals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> For sure. In the rehearsal room, for all the props it\u2019s more like \u2018just pretend it\u2019s there, ok?\u2019 but even so\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Especially with the phone booth (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right (laughs). I never could figure out where the door of it was supposed to be (laughs). But when I came on stage for real and saw the set for the Prologue for the first time, I really felt \u2018Oh, this is all on a street corner in New York!\u2019 really strongly. It was really fun to dive into that world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> And especially in a story like this, the responses from the audience become energy for us. I feel a lot of excitement even as a performer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0The reactions are different with every show, and Sky (Hokushou) and Nathan\u2019s (Kurenai) conversation is a little different each time, so those changes are really fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> But I\u2019m always so nervous going into that conversation~ Nathan is already in the story from the previous scene, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> But the scene together is totally different! It starts off the plot and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> It\u2019s really important to convey my entrance into the story to the audience clearly, so since so many \u2018keywords\u2019 come up in the conversation it makes me really nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right, I see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em>\u00a0Sky and Nathan respect each other as fellow gamblers, and they good friends. But their ways of thinking towards women are really different (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em>\u00a0Sky respects him as a man, but Nathan\u2019s way of dealing with women\u2026 (laughs) \u2018I\u2019m not like that, Nathan~!\u2019 he says. But when he ends up diving in and going on that trip, he sees Nathan before he leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right, you come to see me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> I guess I really like Nathan a lot (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0(laughs) From Nathan\u2019s side, he feels like he\u2019s the one who understands Sky the most of all. So much so he\u2019s like \u2018If you think you don\u2019t know Sky Masterson, I\u2019ll give you a master class!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou: <\/em>Right, right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai: <\/em>\u2018Look how amazing MY friend is!\u2019; he\u2019s really proud of himself for it (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> There really are people just like that (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0(laughs) The closer he is to Sky, the prouder he feels, and the more confident he is. He\u2019s like \u2018he trusts me~!\u2019 (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Hahaha (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> My favorite number in the show is \ud83c\udfb5 Nathan, Nathan De~tro~it \ud83c\udfb5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> What!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> I\u2019m always singing it before my entrance (laughs). It had a big impression on me when I saw the movie too. I love those songs that feel like a real \u2018musical number\u2019! How does it feel having everyone singing your name like that? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Somehow I feel like I\u2019m being really being put under a lot of pressure\u2026 (laughs) They say it feels good to have people praising you, but in that they\u2019re not really doing that, are they? I\u2019m like, hang on and listen here a second! (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> (laughs) That\u2019s right. It\u2019s more like \u2018Why can\u2019t a man like you even manage to find a place for our game!\u2019, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Exactly, they\u2019re all saying \u2018why can\u2019t you do something so simple?\u2019 (laughs) Although he acts like it\u2019s all fine, inside he\u2019s thinking \u2018this sucks!\u2019 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> So there are those two angles, and the other gang members really show a lot of character, so it\u2019s a number with a lot of depth, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Yes, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> My favorite song is \u2018My First Love\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> You say that so much~ You must really like it a lot~ (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> I love it! I really like how the song says you didn\u2019t mean to say you were in love just on a whim. \ud83c\udfb5 Won\u2019t you forgive me \ud83c\udfb5 for having these feelings, it says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Ah~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0Sky is really pure and like his real name, Obadiah, he says everything honestly and it\u2019s just too much. I\u2019m like \u2018Damn it, what a man!\u2019 (laughs) It makes me want to come out from the wings and tease you (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> (laughs) In that scene, Fuu-chan (Hinami) makes the most amazing \u2018first love\u2019 face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Ohh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> She looks like she\u2019s never had any experience with love before (laughs) so it\u2019s really fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0Ahh~ And then before that when Sarah (Hinami) gets drunk in Havana and Sky says \u2018You\u2019re going home!\u2019 that bit is really good too. Although it looks like it\u2019s going to end up like \u2018Well, let\u2019s stay the night\u2019 he does the right thing even though he\u2019s a bit rude about it (laughs). Even though he\u2019s kind of forceful – \u2018What are you saying, we\u2019re leaving!\u2019 – he seems like he\u2019s enjoying himself somehow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> (laughs) When I\u2019m saying \u2018Come on, we\u2019re going!\u2019 I\u2019m trying not to look at her face. I have a lot of internal conflict going on, you know. I\u2019m thinking \u2018I might be falling in love with Sarah but I mustn\u2019t do anything! It all started because of that silly bet with Nathan\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right, right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou: <\/em>Fuu-chan\u2019s drunken act is really amazing on stage (laughs). Sometimes she can\u2019t even get the lyrics out so she\u2019ll just sing \ud83c\udfb5 La la la~ \ud83c\udfb5, and she\u2019s even fallen over on stage when her legs wobble too much (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right, she did (laughs). In rehearsals she seemed a bit nervous about it, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Once she gets on stage she\u2019s so high-energy and really letting loose, so it\u2019s really fun! (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> I like the back-and-forth between Nathan and Adelaide too~ Adelaide wants to get married but Nathan keeps tricking her out of it (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou: <\/em>No matter how many times I listen to it it\u2019s still fun! It\u2019s the sort of conversation that would be believable to hear in real life, and it really shows how devious men can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai: <\/em>Yes, definitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Even though Makottsan (Rei) is an otokoyaku as a rule, she\u2019s perfect in the musumeyaku part, without any sense that it\u2019s not normal for her~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> I know. At the very beginning of rehearsal she was like \u2018Oh! Sorry about that!\u2019 but now she\u2019s like (clasping hands in front of her chest) \u2018Is there anything you need me to do?\u2019 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> In that husky voice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Using her high range\u2026 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Hahaha (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> She even put a photo of Nathan and Adelaide on her dressing table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Wo~w!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> \u2018Sit down, you\u2019re rocking the boat\u2019 was really so~ hard, wasn\u2019t it. The chorus was hard to sing already, and then adding the choreography in just made it even worse (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right! The choreography was based around the main melody Micchan-san (Hokushou) was singing, so for us in the chorus we had such a struggle following that (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Right (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> It has so many layered parts, and there\u2019s a dialogue going on, so it was re~ally hard, but everyone watching it says it\u2019s really fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> It shows what a big number it is that it took so much work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> You\u2019re right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Star Troupe has so many great characters, so all the gamblers have a lot of personality which makes, not just that \u2018Sit down!\u2019 scene, but the whole show really fun. It makes me really happy to be in this troupe. Being able to act with a group of performers like this gives me a chance to reach new achievements myself. I feel like I\u2019m learning a lot from all of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Nononono! It\u2019s us! We\u2019re the ones learning from you~!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> In the finale, I come out with Adelaide in the middle of the rockette. It\u2019s like we\u2019re looking after the rockette girls (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> They\u2019re all Nathan and Adelaide\u2019s children, aren\u2019t they? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Hahaha (laughs). Right! Papa and Mama watching their children! (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> After that, there was my scene with all the musumeyaku that was choreographed by Nakura-sensei; even though there wasn\u2019t a lot of choreography, within that the lingering feeling and nuance was really important\u2026 I learned that by listening closely to the music and making it feel as if I\u2019m trailing behind the rhythm just a little bit it makes it looks cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Yes, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> I had some trouble showing the right maturity, but I really wanted to make that scene match up well with Micchan-san\u2019s scene following it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> There\u2019s a baton-touch, as it were, with the musumeyaku dance scene, and then there\u2019s the otokoyaku dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> An otokoyaku ensemble dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em>\u00a0It\u2019s not like the typical dance in black tailcoats, but it\u2019s more like all the gamblers dancing after the happy ending (laughs). There\u2019s still a lot of individuality, and I also want to express that maturity from Choreographer Nakura. Although I\u2019m really busy due to the fast tempo (laughs), I want to keep dancing while enjoying the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> I\u2019ve really been struck by a lot of things about Micchan-san. In the rehearsals, you kept up your enthusiasm all the time, even though there probably were dull days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> \u2018Probably\u2019 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> \u2018Probably\u2019 there were (laughs), but even so watching you keep on going\u2026 I want to keep learning from you, so please continue helping me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> What\u2019s up with that? I was so nervous when I first came to this troupe, so I\u2019m really glad Sayumi-san (Kurenai) was there for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Oh~?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> The troupe has a really strong structure under Sayumi-san, so I was able to join in confidently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> That\u2019s\u2026you\u2019re too nice\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Also since you\u2019re good with adlibs, it\u2019s really nice to act with you, and it makes me feel really confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Thank you so much\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> It makes me so happy to put on the shows with everyone, so much so that I\u2019m like \u2018why did I ever have any doubts about this?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Wah~ I\u2019m sure that you must have so much difficulty,  but you don\u2019t show it at all! I\u2019m always thinking \u2018I\u2019ve got to do whatever I can do help!\u2019 but I\u2019m not reliable at all\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> That\u2019s not true!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em>\u00a0And even more than that, during rehearsals you were trying to learn everyone\u2019s names, so you always had Takarazuka Otome1<\/sup> sitting at your chair (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Ahaha (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Even though I\u2019d been in the troupe the whole time, you\u2019d point out things about people I never knew – \u2018she collects OOO, apparently\u2019, and such. That made me really happy, and so did getting advice from you. Everyone was so fascinated by what Micchan-san had to say, and so I thought \u2018this is so nice\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em> Thank you~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> I hope we can keep up this energy for the Tokyo performance as well. But of course we want to achieve even more awareness of each other as a troupe. As a debut performance, I want the audience to be satisfied with us and think \u2018So this is the new Star Troupe!\u2019, so I want to give it my all in each and every performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou: <\/em>Yeah. Since it\u2019s a Broadway musical with a happy ending, I want to make it uplifting and pass on that energy to the audience more and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurenai:<\/em> Right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hokushou:<\/em>\u00a0And also as the new Star Troupe, I want to take the troupe Yuzuki (Reon)-san and all the other prior stars built up and demonstrate that we can go even further. Everyone, even the junior actress, are all sparkling as performers in their own right, so I want the audience to be able to see that we have such fun performers here, and support and look after everyone in Star Troupe as a fellow performer. I won\u2019t let anyone regret coming to see us! I\u2019d be so happy if everyone came to enjoy the shows. Please continue supporting Star Troupe!!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 – Takarazuka Otome is a yearly publication of all the current Takarazuka actresses; basically a field guide of Takarasiennes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talk DX is a GRAPH talk feature with the otokoyaku leads of a recent Grand Theatre show. This one was recorded during the run of\u00a0Guys and Dolls, and published in the November 2015 issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[13,360,73,246,28,115],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812"}],"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=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":813,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions\/813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}