Takarazuka Journal

Not sure if anyone has seen the fliers for "Nine" are out? I don't have a scanner, so while I was searching online to see if it was posted on the theater site, I found that the web site is up: here. The poster photos are all there, and we finally see who is playing who. Takashiro Kei is playing Claudia, the actress. Juri Sakiho is playing the.... Spa Beauty? Oh, hey, I didn't even realize, Irie Kanako is in this show too (as Maria). Love her! Kotobuki Hizuru is Stephanie, the critic. And Rika is Liliane La Fleur, the producer.

If only the tickets weren't so astronomically out of my price range. *sigh*

And I got a flier for "The Lion in Winter" at the Tokyo Globe Theater in January, which made me gleeful even before I realized that Asami Rei is playing Eleanor. Here, I feel a bit bad direct-linking to someone's website, but it's too lovely of a poster not to share. God, I love that film. I can just imagine a stage version...

I have a rather bizarre fascination with Migiwa Natsuko (Junko), and her Yukigumi. Some of you know this, and are probably hoping right about now that I'm not about to plaster you with more Junko blather. ....Too bad. ;p

She did an interview for Sky Stage's Karei Naru Sotsugyou-tachi in 2003, and she talked about her whole career. It was love. Among other tidbits, we learn that she missed a cue on the first night of her hatsubutai. Apparently she was taking her time in the dressing room, making her makeup just right, when she suddenly heard the music playing that marked her entrance for a dance number.... A dance number with the star of the show and just a few other ken-1s. And something about slippers, which I really need to re-watch because I was tired and dozing off while I was watching it. It might have been that she forgot to take off her indoor slippers when she went out on stage? Needless to say, it sounds like the initiation from hell.

And then she talked about her sayonara performance, and how when asked what she wanted to do, she asked for Berubara. Apparently the reply was a rather exasperated "Berubara?" (I can't put the intonation down properly here, but her imitation was hilarious.) Junko played Oscar in four different Berubara productions, you see. She was rather fond of it.... Anyway, denied that, she asked for a Spanish production. And they gave her.... Sariyukishi Kimi ga Tame ni. Yes, rather a mouthful, I thought. So it really amused me when I heard her say in the interview, "And when I heard the title, I thought it sounded like a nihonmono. It was a little embarrassing." Yes, yes! Exactly as untranslatable as a nihonmono title. XD

For the Sake of Distant You
Snow Troupe, 1980

[ TakaWiki ]

Star: Migiwa Natsuko

Other cast included Asami Rei, Takashiro Tomoe (on loan from Flower), Shou Sumire, Kamijou Akira, and a slew of Senka talents. Check out the TakaWiki for more info.

( Summary: )

What I Thought:

Oh lord. Ueda-sensei did it again. ^^;

Well, let's run through the things standing between me and perfect happiness before I say any more. 1) The generation gap, 2) the cultural gap, 3) Ueda-sensei wrote it, 4) The poor sound and video quality, 5) It's cut down. A lot.

And the things biasing me in the other direction: 1) Junko, 2) Junko, 3) Junko, 4) 70s Yukigumi, 5) Junko, 6) 70S YUKIGUMI, 7) Spanish-themed, 8) Junko ... etc.

( Read more... )

And... I was going to take screenshots of all of my beloved Yukigumi otokoyaku younglings, but... really. How could I miss a second of... that mini revue? It was in turns Love ("Granada" to start things off), and.... caught your attention rather like a gruesome train wreck. More on this tomorrow night. Hold that thought.

I haven't heard much being said about this yet. Unless perhaps it's all being said somewhere other than lj. ;P

TCA is branching out yet again, and have started their own talent agency... chock full of OGs! At least, that's what I assume it is. I'm having trouble finding confirmation, and their lack of press announcements doesn't make it much clearer. Let's all cross our fingers this means more DVDs of OG shows.... But even if not, I think it's an interesting development. Whew, and check out the warnings on reproducing their official photos at the bottom there. They're more noticeable than the ones at the bottom of the Takarazuka home page; that one is so busy I never really took the time to read them before.

Some of you might remember how I'd been wanting to read some wonderful, trashy romance novels a few weeks ago. Takarazuka heard the call. And how. I think this show has just shot to the top of my list of Shows Guranteed to Kill Jen Within the First Fifteen Minutes and Then Continue Doing It At Regular Intervals. I'm so happy to see that Snow Troupe's hotness levels didn't suffer terribly from the graduation of Migiwa Natsuko....

Habatake Ougon no Tsubasa yo
Snow Troupe, 1985

[ Taka Wiki Page ]

( Cast )

( Summary )

( What I Thought )

So, yes. I died. Many times. From the outfits, from the drama, from Taako's twitching eyebrows and Mosa's pants and Ichiro's adorableness and Mori's shininess and the whips and chains and red-hot pokers and did I mention the leather pants?