Takarazuka Revue

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The poster of Phantom performed by Cosmos Troups in 2004 (Featuring Youka Wao and Mari Hanafusa.
The poster of Phantom performed by Cosmos Troups in 2004 (Featuring Youka Wao and Mari Hanafusa.

The Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団 Takarazuka Kagekidan) began in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1913 founded by Ichizo Kobayashi, the president of Hankyu Railways, who had the idea to boost sales by staging Western-style musical shows using only young, unmarried women. The name of the troupe comes from the Hankyu Takarazuka Line in suburban Osaka. The Revue had their first performance in 1914, and by 1924 the company had become popular and obtained their own theatre, the Dai Gekijō. Currently Takarazuka performs for 2.5 million people per year. The majority of the fans are women.

Part of the novelty of Takarazuka is that all the parts are played by women, based on the original model of Kabuki, before women were banned from the theatre in Japan. The women who play male parts are referred to as otokoyaku (literally "male role") and those who play female parts are called musumeyaku (literally "daughter role"). The costume and set designs are incredibly lavish, and the performances are melodramatically emotional.

Before becoming a member of the troupe, a young woman must train for two years in the Takarazuka School, one of the most competetive of its kind in the world. Each year, thousands from all over Japan audition and 38 are accepted. These shall become the actors in the troupe in the years to come. They are trained in music, dance, and acting. The first year, all women are trained together, but at the end of the first year, women are divided by the faculty and the current troupe members, determining who shall play otokoyaku and who shall play musumeyaku. Those playing otokoyaku take on a more masculine role in the classroom, cut their hair short, and speak in the masculine form from then on.

The company has five main troupes: Hana, Tsuki, Hoshi, Yuki, and Sora (Flower, Moon, Star, Snow, and Cosmos), and one extra troupe, Senka (Superior Members, which also consist of three members of the directors' board of the group) that supplies performers for particular roles to the other troupes as necessary. The Flower and the Moon troupes are the original troupes, founded in 1921. Snow troupe began in 1924. Star troupe was founded in 1931, disbanded in 1939, and reestablished in 1948. The newest troupe, Cosmos, was founded in 1998.

Contents

[edit] The troupes

The poster of The Rose of Versailles 2006 performed by Star and Snow Troupe, but also featuring stars from Flower and Moon troupes.
The poster of The Rose of Versailles 2006 performed by Star and Snow Troupe, but also featuring stars from Flower and Moon troupes.

The five troupes of the Takarazuka Revue Base have certain differences of style and material which make each troupe unique.

[edit] Flower Troupe (Hana)

The Flower Troupe is considered the "treasure chest" of otokoyaku. In 2003, 3 out of 5 of the top otokoyaku stars (Sumire Haruno of Flower, Hikaru Asami of Snow and Jun Shibuki of Moon) were from Flower Troupe. Their performances tend to have larger budgets, with lavish stage and custom design, and tend towards operatic material.

[edit] Moon Troupe (Tsuki)

While it tends to be a home for young performers (with Yūki Amami, who hadn't reached her seventh year, reaching her top in the 90's), the members of Moon Troupe are also strong singers. The term "Musical Research Department" is occasionally used in articles about the troupe, portraying the troupe's focus on music. Their material tends towards drama and modern musicals.

[edit] Snow Troupe (Yuki)

Snow Troupe is considered the upholder of traditional dance and opera for the whole company, being the vanguard of traditional Japanese drama in a company that tends towards Western material. However, they were the first troupe to perform Elisabeth for the company. Recently the troupe has been moving towards the opera and drama style that Moon and Flower perform in.

[edit] Star Troupe (Hoshi)

Star Troupe tends to be the home of the stars of Takarazuka. They, along with Flower Troupe, have very strong otokoyaku players, which is not usually seen in the other troupes.

[edit] Cosmos Troupe (Sora)

Cosmos, the newest troupe of the company, does not have the burden of tradition, and therefore tends to be more experimental. When it was formed it pulled talents from all the different troupes of the time. The troupe's style is influenced by performers Asato Shizuki, the founding otokoyaku top star; Yōka Wao and Mari Hanafusa, the "Golden Combi" who headed the troupe for six out of its first eight years of existence. Cosmos were the first troupe to perform Phantom, and to have a Broadway composer (Frank Wildhorn) to write their musical score.

[edit] Categories of musicals they perform

Takarazuka works are usually adapted from Western classic musicals, operas, novels or even films:

The poster of 2003 production of Singin' in the Rain by Star Troupe.
The poster of 2003 production of Singin' in the Rain by Star Troupe.

They also adopt popular Japanese manga for their shows, such as Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles, about a young woman named Oscar de Jarjayes who dresses as a man and is a bodyguard for Marie Antoinette, and Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack and Phoenix. Historical stories based on Japanese and Chinese history are popular, like their rendition of the Beijing opera Farewell My Concubine detailing a romance between General Xiang Yu and his lover Madam Yu, as are biographical adaptations like Last Party: S. Fitzgerald's last day, about F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dean, about James Dean. Finally, they occasionally create their own stories, seen in Boxman: I can crack any kind of safe by Cosmos Troupe and Silver Wolf performed by Moon and Snow Troupes.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Star personnel

The poster of Moon Troupe's production of "Ernest in Love" in 2005, featuring Jun Sena and Kanami Ayano as their top star debut.
The poster of Moon Troupe's production of "Ernest in Love" in 2005, featuring Jun Sena and Kanami Ayano as their top star debut.

The current top stars of each group are:

Group otokoyaku musumeyaku
Special Course Yū Todoroki 1
Flower Sumire Haruno Ayane Sakurano
Moon Jun Sena Kanami Ayano
Snow Natsuki Mizu Yuri Shirahane2
Star Kei Aran Asuka Tōno
Cosmos Yūga Yamato Hana Hizuki

Note 1: The youngest member to ever serve on the board of directors
Note 2: Former Top musumeyaku for Star Troupe, the only musumeyaku that has been in top for two troupe in the current generation

[edit] Other notable stars of the company

Group Flower Moon Snow Star Cosmo
Otokoyaku Sei Matobu, Kazuho Sou, Harei Aine, Aki Misuzu, Sugata Mano Hiromu Kiriya, Yūhi Ōzora, Haruhi Ryoga, Ayato Moeki, Izumi Aoki, Sonoka Kiryū, Masaki Ryū Mao Ayabuki, Kei Otozuki, Oto Ayana7, Kaname Ouki, Tooma Ozuki You Tatsuki, Shio Suzumi, Reon Yuzuki, Ryouka Kazu, Shun Mahiro Maya Misato9, Tomu Ranju, Hiro Yuumi10, Kairi Hokushou, Hikaru Nanaho, Irisu Toki
Musumeyaku Ichika Sakura, Moeri Aizumi, Sumika Nono Ai Shirosaki, Aya Izumo6, Remi Shirahana Ai Yamashina, Izuru Amase11 Marie Koto, Seara Hisaki Asahi Miwa, Izumi Otono, Arisu Hanakage, Miou Kazune

Note 6: The current troupe president of the Troupe, former vice-president and president of Cosmo troupe
Note 7: The younger sister of Nao Ayaki, the former top star (otokoyaku) of Moon Troupe
Note 9: The current troupe president of the Troupe, after Aya Izumo
Note 10: The tallest actress in the company
Note 11: Former otokoyaku, switched to musumeyaku in 2004

[edit] Upper and lower classes

The terms upperclassmen (上級生) and lowerclassmen (下級生) are used to distinguish senior and junior members of Takarazuka. Lowerclassmen are the actresses who have been performers in Takarazuka for less than seven years. They are employees of the company, and usually work as background dancers and participate the New Actor Show. After the seventh year they become upperclassmen, and negotiate contracts with the company instead of being employed by it.

[edit] Former Takarasiennes

Takarazuka roster members who went on to work in stage, movies and television include:

otokoyaku musumeyaku


[edit] Influence

Takarazuka has supplied influence for quite a few anime series. The Takarazuka Revue inspired the plot of the original Sakura Wars video game, along with additional inspiration from Takarazuka's one time competitor the Shochiku Kagekidan (Shochiku Revue). The Zuka Club in Ouran High School Host Club is based on the Takarazuka Revue. Revolutionary Girl Utena often borrows the visual style of Takarazuka, and Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh of Sailor Moon were loosely based on the actors of the Takarazuka Revue.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Takeuchi, Naoko [October 1, 1999]. Materials Collection, Translated by Alex Glover (in English), Japan: Kodansha. Retrieved during 2006. “"[Haruka] plays a male role in Takarazuka."” 
  • Robertson, Jennifer Ellen (1998). Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan. Berkeley and Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21150-2 (hardcover); ISBN 0-520-21151-0 (paperback). 

[edit] External links

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