Takarazuka Journal

SAUDADE
Moon Troupe, 2009, Drama City

Star: Sena Jun

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Why did no one tell me how much dancing was in "SAUDADE"? I would have watched it sooner. XD

I liked the beginning of the first act a lot, although I think to be properly enjoyed you also should be sure to have at least two people so that you can heckle it loudly and make each other laugh. *grin* For me it lagged towards the end of the first act, because I'm not a huge fan of jazz dance.

The first act was nearly a solid block of DANCE♥

Act two had the skit and then the inevitable Asako Latin Section. The skit was fun and had some catchy songs, but also a lot of philosophizing and everything tied up neatly. Asako singing "Fever" was.... sexy. (The Sky Stage version was actually simply the DVD, rather than the usual senshuuraku recording. They put all of the cut music/vocals back in, but didn't modify the text on the screen that tells you the vocals are cut, which made me blink a few times.)

So, not going to go into any detail here, but still wanted to post something, because I don't remember hearing anything amazing about this show from anyone who saw it and I think it's actually quite a lot of fun. A ton of dancing, and also a lot of chances for people like Atsuki Renka and Isshiki Ruka and everyone in the small cast to shine. And kumichou did two lifts in a row♥

The New Sounds band was also in top form, and I liked a lot of the arrangements of familiar songs. And Asako sang "Kuroi Washi" in a black tailcoat and my life was complete. Love that song!

I'm going to go into a lot of unnecessary exposition -- for anyone who might be curious.

Also, I don't want to sound callous, but I'll warn you right up front that this was one of the funnest iri/demachi experiences I've ever had. For three main reasons: 1) I love when all of the Tsuki clubs are out in full force and the sheer overwhelming numbers tell you how much these Takarasienne are loved, 2) the people I spent seven hours standing crammed together with are enjoyably insane, 3) the taidansha were all glowing and so visibly happy that I somehow couldn't be sad.

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I left as giddy as ever. Takarazuka, Takarazuka♪ Thank you.
Asako, Ahi, Sunao, Aiai, Renka, Shizuku, Shiori, Urara - Thank you♥

Long delayed, loooong delayed, A-"R"ex review.

A-"R"ex
Moon Troupe Drama City, 2007

Stars: Sena Jun & Ayano Kanami

[ TakaWiki ] [ Takarazuka Precious ]

I was really, really looking forward to this show from the moment that I first heard about it -- my bachelor's degree is in archaeology and things like this make me purr. Then I heard that it would be a really small cast, and I love shows with small casts. Then I heard that Masaki would be playing Hephaestion, and deafened you all with it. <3

... And then people actually started to go see it and it seemed that hardly anyone liked it.

But I perservered.

And, boy, am I glad that I did.

First of all, to explain the circumstances, it's a show by Ogita Koichi, who is rather famous for his rather trippy revue shows. He's done a few actual musicals, but of them, even Orpheus in Spiral was pretty trippy. He likes that kind of cryptic, dreamlike, sometimes downright confusing plot and dialogue that some people would call clever and some would call a sham. ...I suppose I fall into the first category, which is why I enjoyed A-"R"ex.

You'll notice I left out a summary. That's because it's rather hard to summarize. The "plot" consists of the life of Alexander the Great, from his father's death to his own, but most of it is told in voice-overs or narration from Aristotle. What we, the audience, see is a rather psychadelic set of dialogues between Alexander and the gods (and also his mother and a few other characters). Lest you miss the implications, most of the ensemble cast is dressed like hippies. Things discussed include predestination, what the favor of the gods means, what the gods are, etc. etc. A reluctant, taciturn Alexander is persuaded to go to war, and then to march further, and further, and further....

This wasn't really a musical. There was dialogue, but no action. It was an artsy play with some songs. It doesn't hurt that the singers were some of the best that Takarazuka has to offer, including Yashiro Kou, Izumo Aya, and Ayano Kanami.

I heard a lot from people about this being another of Asako's angst shows, but to be honest, I didn't see it. Her Alexander was taciturn and a little sour, but he didn't whine, and we were mercifully free from the fish-mouth, wide-eyed, wild looks of "suffering" that Takarazuka lead otokoyaku tend to sport. Even more refreshing, there wasn't a lot of shouting, to make SURE WE KNEW THEY WERE SUFFERING INTERNALLY. The only time Alexander broke down was for a few minutes in India, and considering the circumstances, I forgive him. Actually, I really liked the interpretation, though I found it hard to believe that someone whom Hephaestion is always assuring us "doesn't hate women; he hates people" could have the kind of charisma that Alexander was famous for.

Another interesting aspect was the breaking down of the fourth wall. Izumo Aya's character Athena would wander in from time to time and scold others, telling them to hurry up and change their costumes or get to their places. All in all, it was very Oggy-like.

Well, I'll stop there. Over all I enjoyed it, and it's something that I know I'll be watching again and again to catch bits that I missed, but I don't think it's the kind of show that will appeal to most Takarazuka fans.