"Parisette" 1930
The 'Takarazuka Revue' (宝塚歌劇団 ''Takarazuka Kagekidan'') is a
Japanese all-female musical theater troupe.
History
The first performance "Donburako",1914
The Takarazuka Revue began in
Takarazuka,
Hyōgo 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 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 Music School, one of the most competitive of its kind in the world. Each year, thousands from all over Japan audition and between 40 and 50 are accepted. They are trained in
music,
dance, and
acting, and are guaranteed seven-year contracts. The school is famous for its strict discipline and for the custom of having first-year students clean the premises each morning.
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 into ''otokoyaku'' and ''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'', ''Yuki'', ''Hoshi'', and ''Sora'' (Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos), and ''Senka'' (Superior Members), a collection for senior actresses who are no longer part of the regular troupes yet still wish to maintain their association with the revue and perform from time to time. Flower and Moon 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.
Note on male members
During the founding era of the company (1914) and post-war era (1946), the company had employed male members for performance and they were being trained separate from the female population. However, the female members went against the idea of having the male counterpart within the company. Therefore the male department was dissolved very soon for both attempt (the year 1954 is the final termination). Recently, a Japanese musical name ''Takarazuka Boys'' is based on this piece of the company's history.
The troupes
The poster of The Rose of Versailles 2006 performed by Star and Snow Troupe, but also featuring guest stars from Flower and Moon troupes.
The five troupes of the Takarazuka Revue have certain differences of style and material which make each troupe unique.
===
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 costume designs, and are often derived from operatic material.
===
Moon Troupe (Tsuki) ===
While it tends to be a home for young performers (with
Yūki Amami, who hadn't reached her seventh year, reaching the status of top star in the 1990s), 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.
===
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'' in Japan. Recently the troupe has been moving towards the opera and drama style that Moon and Flower perform in.
===
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.
===
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) write their musical score. Also, one notable physical characteristic of this troupe is most of the otokoyaku are above 170 cm (the most notable is
Hiro Yuumi, the tallest in the whole company is in this troupe since joining the company in 1997)
Types of musicals they perform
Takarazuka works are usually adapted from Western classic musicals, operas, plays, novels or even films:
The poster of 2003 production of ''Singin' in the Rain'' by Star Troupe.
The poster of Phantom performed by Cosmos Troups in 2004 (Featuring Youka Wao and Mari Hanafusa.
★ Novels:
★
★
Edith Wharton's ''
The Age of Innocence''
★
★
Leo Tolstoy's ''
Anna Karenina'' and ''
War and Peace''
★
★
Erich Maria Remarque's ''
Arch of Triumph''
★
★
John Steinbeck's ''
East of Eden''
★
★
Ernest Hemingway's ''
For Whom the Bell Tolls''
★
★
Margaret Mitchell's ''
Gone with the Wind''
★
★
James Hilton's ''
Random Harvest''
★
★
Charles Dickens's ''
A Tale of Two Cities''
★
★
Emily Brontë's ''
Wuthering Heights''
★
★
F. Scott Fitzgerald's ''
The Great Gatsby''
★ Films:
★
★ ''
Farewell My Concubine''/''
The Phantom Lover'' (Both are films starring the late
Leslie Cheung)
★
★ ''
JFK''
★
★ ''
Somewhere in Time''
★ Musicals:
★
★ ''
Manon''
★
★ ''
Can-Can
★
★ ''
Copacabana''
★
★ ''
Elisabeth''
★
★ ''
Ernest in Love'' (an adaptation of ''
The Importance of Being Ernest'')
★
★ ''
Flower Drum Song''
★
★ ''
Grand Hotel''
★
★ ''
Guys and Dolls''
★
★ ''
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying''
★
★ ''
Me and My Girl''
★
★ ''
Oklahoma!''
★
★ ''
Phantom''
★
★ ''
Singin' in the Rain''
★
★ ''
The Sound of Music''
★
★ ''
West Side Story''
★
★ ''
Kiss Me Kate''
★
★ ''
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever''
★ Operas:
★
★ ''
Aida'' (Under the name ''Song of the Kingdom'')
★
★ ''
Carmen''
★ Plays:
★
★ ''
Turandot'' (Under the name ''Legend of the Phoenix: Calaf & Turandot'')
They also adapt 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.
Personnel
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 current top stars of each group are:
The youngest member to ever serve on the board of directors
Former top musumeyaku for Star Troupe, and the only musumeyaku in the current generation who has served as top of two different troupes.
Notice of resignation has been announced on
June 6,
2007
Other performers in the company
| Group | Flower | Moon | Snow | Star | Cosmos |
|---|
| Otokoyaku | Sei Matobu, Kazuho Sou, Harei Aine, Aki Misuzu, Sugata Mano, Manato Asaka | Hiromu Kiriya, Yūhi Ōzora, Haruhi Ryoga, Ayato Moeki, Izumi Aoki, Sonoka Kiryū, Masaki Ryū | Mao Ayabuki, Kei Otozuki, Oto Ayana, Kaname Ouki, Tooma Ozuki | You Tatsuki, Shio Suzumi, Reon Yuzuki, Ryouka Kazu, Shun Mahiro | Maya Misato, Tomu Ranju, Hiro Yuumi, Kairi Hokushou, Hikaru Nanaho, Irisu Toki |
|---|
| Musumeyaku | Ichika Sakura, Juria Hanano, Sumika Nono | Ai Shirosaki, Aya Izumo, Remi Shirahana | Ai Yamashina, Izuru Amase | Marie Koto, Seara Hisaki | Asahi Miwa, Izumi Otono, Miou Kazune, Arisu Hanakage |
|---|
The current troupe leader (kumichou), former vice-troupe leader and troupe leader of Cosmos Troupe
The younger sister of
Nao Ayaki, the former top star (otokoyaku) of Moon Troupe
The next top star for Flower Troupe
The current troupe leader (succeeding
Aya Izumo)
The tallest actress in the entire company
Former otokoyaku, switched to musumeyaku in 2004
Specializes in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the company in 1998 from
Osaka. Her nicknames are Mattsu and Misuzu.
Upper and lower classes
The terms upperclassmen (上級生) and lowerclassmen (下級生) (the Japanese terms are gender-neutral) 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 in shinjin kouen (performances exclusively for underclassmen). After the seventh year they become upperclassmen, and negotiate contracts with the company instead of being employed by it.
Former Takarasiennes
Takarazuka roster members who went on to work in
stage,
movies and television include:
Influence
Takarazuka has had a profound influence on the history of
anime and
manga especially
shōjo .
Osamu Tezuka, the so-called "God of Manga" and founder of modern Japanese manga, grew up in the town of Takarazuka. His mother was close friends with many of the Takarazuka actresses, and as a child he knew them and watched many of their performances. Based on their stories of noble princes played by female actresses, Tezuka created
Princess Knight the first manga aimed at a female audience, which tells the story of Princess Sapphire, a girl born with both a male and female heart who struggles between the desire to fight as a noble prince and to be a tender, gentle princess. The great success of
Princess Knight and other Tezuka stories began the tradition of manga written for a female audience, especially the very influential
Rose of Versailles and
Revolutionary Girl Utena series, both of which borrow directly from
Princess Knight by including specific Tezuka images, character designs and names, and both of which have since been made into Takarazuka musicals. Women in masculine roles continue to be a central theme in shoujo manga and anime as well as some shounen, and Tezuka himself explored the theme in many of his later works including
Dororo, Phoenix and
Black Jack.
While the influence of
Osamu Tezuka and Takarazuka on anime and manga is general, there are still many series which show more specific influences. 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).
[1] The Zuka Club in ''
Ouran High School Host Club'' is based on the Takarazuka Revue.
Haruka Tenoh and
Michiru Kaioh of ''
Sailor Moon'' were loosely based on the actors of the Takarazuka Revue.
[ Materials Collection, , Naoko, Takeuchi, Kodansha, , ]
See also
★
Breeches role
★
Cross-dressing
References
1. Interview with Ouji Hiroi, partially translated at the Takarazuka Revue Community LiveJournal page. Retrieved on 2007-07-19
★
Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan, , Jennifer Ellen, Robertson, University of California Press, 1998, ISBN 0-520-21150-2 (hardcover); ISBN 0-520-21151-0 (paperback)
External links
★
The official Takarazuka Revue website—A brief history and information on their shows
★
The Takarazuka Wikipedia—An English-language resource for fans of the Revue, featuring the history of Takarazuka, and databases of Takarasiennes and performances.
★
Japanese tradition meets Western musicals — Article on the Takarazuka Revue from the
Travel section of ''
The Christian Science Monitor''] (
April 20,
2005).
★
Takarazuka - Modern Japan—A travel article on Takarazuka
★
TezukaInEnglish.com Takarazuka Page — about the influence of Takarazuka on the founder of Japanese manga
Osamu Tezuka
★
Revue Sphere—A very nice fan site
★
''Welcome to Romance Theatre'', by K. Avila, ''Jade Magazine,'' March 2004.
★
Takarazuka Revue photos, by K. Avila, 2004, 2006. Photos of TR theaters in Takarazuka City and in Tokyo (no performance photos).
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