Dreamboys JET review SPOILERS
SPOILERS
So Dreamboys Jet. It was more a curiosity jaunt as I'd never seen the show live before rather than any deep interest in any of the leads. Senga is the only one even slightly on my radar out of the three Kisumai members present. It was only the second show (Sept 6th 13:00) so I'm guessing some of it is rough around the edges and may change over the run.
The stage curtain had a large picture of a floating city with a plane occasionally flying near. Just before the show started it went a darker orange.
It opens with a Matchey doing a medley then Tama, Senga and Miyata did Gin Gira Gin then Everybody Go on skates. It was a little weird because Tama was wearing pink and Miyata yellow (Senga was his usual Blue). They were back upped by four little juniors in coloured waistcoats; one orange, one green and two purple. The first act is a jumble. They introduce everyone as being at some sort of racing school then somehow Senga is having a hissy fit over Tamamori being the lead in a movie about Masahiko's (Matchey) life (I think) which, according to Senga was not really about racing. There was a motorbike dance that paled in comparison to the 2012 Playzone one. There is also a jealous undercurrent from Senga. The film stops shooting because of problems. Then Miyata is a mechanic, Senga a pro racer and Tama something...
Tama begs Senga for a chance to be a pro driver and after Ootori Ran (obligatory older female character) encourages them they agree to race for the spot on the team. After a few minutes of laughable CGI race track occasionally overlaid with face views of Tama and Senga as they race and vaguely F1 cars being spun in a circle on stage Senga crashes and is manhandled onto a stretcher (a big no no in real life) and Tama accused of sabotage. Apparently accident investigations don't happen in this universe. Instead there is the obligatory angsting and running away then Tama & Miyata are at a fighting roller derby where he encounters Senga hidden under a helmet on the opposing team in a rather surreal scene. During all this there are some appropriately precocious kids including a sick one with a heart condition, Satoshi. The first act draws to a close with Iwamoto attempting to stab Tama but getting stabbed by Satoshi with Tama taking the blame. The first act closes here.
The second act abandons all pretences of being about racing and has a bunch of scenes of Tama running inclucing a dream sequence, clowns and some wire work over projections of a city. Satoshi is still in hospital and apparently so is Senga but he leaves and has a few instances of still suffering from the crash (agonising headaches). Then Tama finds out he is the son of Matchey and Ootori Ran and his brother is Satoshi. Tama is still being pursued by police and when Matchey tries to protect him he gets shot by an officer and dies. Tama then apparently falls off a building and he and Matchey have a scene at the gates of heaven.
Ootori Ran and one of the mechanics admit to sabotaging Senga's car because she wanted Tama to win at all costs just after Senga says his spinning out of control was due to his mistake. Senga forgives them immediately. Tama is apparently fine. Matchey donated his heart to Satoshi so he's fine too. Senga is apparently fully recovered. Everyone is happy. Matchey and Tama then sing the final duet.
Mini-showtime. We Never Give Up, Shake It Up, Kimi to no Kiseki, She Her Her, My Resistance. Crowd seemed to like it as Senga and Miyata rarely get chances to be heard. Miyara did Wotagei. He needs a new dance. Senga's Shake it Up was awesome. General Junior cuteness but I couldn't pick out any. Snowmen seemed to have the biggest supporting roles throughout the play and showtime.
There was no second curtain call which seemed to disappoint a lot of fans but the was probably a lot of stage resetting to do and possibly some adjustments before the show at 18:00.
I don't exactly go into johnny's plays expecting sweeping stories but this one really left me hollow. If the play is supposed to be about a Hero and his Rival then they've really failed. They try to set Senga up as Rival but no one seems really bothered when he disrupts the film and he has a pretty loyal group of mechanics/friends around him when we see him with the race team, sure he has his issues but they don't seem to isolate him. His status as the Rival doesn't seem to matter in the second act. It comes down to Tama and Matchey. Also, the way Ootori Ran and the mechanic are forgiven rings false. It's implied that Senga was pretty horribly hurt, still suffering some after effects which are forgotten about by the end.
The whole thing comes across as a transparent showcase pretty quickly, especially given the large background cast who exist to make scenes look lively. I can like the show on those terms. However, they are supposed to be telling a story, there are quite a few scenes that exist simply to show off the performer rather than move the story along. Sure, there is the symbolism argument but symbolism should embellish, not replace dialogue. On that basis I'm a little annoyed. Sure, Dreamboys was never written to be a titan of storytelling but the flashing lights and funky beats could have been scaled back to give scenes with actual content between all the characters. The main cast is five people with maybe ten other people having actual lines in the play. Not all that dissimilar to SHOCK when it comes down to it though SHOCK's storyline is reasonably coherent despite being a pretty obvious showcase for Koichi.
I guess part the problem comes from not wanting to make anyone the villain (even the unnamed police man who shot Matchey) another being having to include Matchey as a character thus drawing attention away from the relationship between Tama and Senga (with Miyata pulled between the two). My memory of the KAT-TUN vs K8 Dreamboys is pretty fuzzy but I feel like there was a lot more Hero/Rival stuff there than in here.
As for the acting it was as expected. Tama continues to do nothing for me, I can't really decide if it's because he doesn't seem to convey even a little moxie (the one trait that moved Kamenashi round from irritant to tolerable in my book) or if he lacks the ability to imbue his (admittedly blank slate) character with life. He didn't seem so much stiff as lacking gestures though this may improve over the run. Senga does fine, irritated, upset and reasonably weak in the right moments. He was pretty good with expressing through his movements and expressions. As Miyata played the affable character it didn't seem like there was much actual acting involved there. Still he tried to give energy to all of his scenes. Matchey seemed comfortable in his role. I did get the sense he wants to reclaim a little of his glory days. His voice seems pretty well intact but I think there was some backing tracks helping everyone out. Tama's come on leaps and bounds still struggles next to Senga and even Miyata in places.
Goto Hiromi and Ishikawa Daisuke were there with a drummer and guitarist whose names I missed doing the usual background music stuff.
It's a pretty decent talent showcase but I don't think it particularly plays to Tama's strengths as an actor or honestly told a flattering story about his character. The way the story was told I wanted to sympathise with Senga's Rival more. He started off a jerk, had his life completely screwed over, in part because of his pride and may have actually learnt something from it. Tama's story is he lost his showbiz chance but through family connections (not that he knew at the time) got a chance to race after leaving for showbiz of his own volition, his own Mother's interference nearly killed one of his best friends. Falsely accussed of sabotage he goes on the run rather than hang around for the investigation where he would be cleared. He finds out his birth parents were right under his nose his father makes a noble (and in real life, pointless) sacrifice for his newly discovered younger brother. His mother and the mechanic don't go to jail for attempted murder, he gets a happy ending.
Overall, I don't feel like I wasted my time or money going, but by the same token I don't feel the need to see it again. It probably won't do much for non-fans but if you're fave it here it's probably worth checking out.
The Imperial theatre was good as always. They had a wide range of magazines, including back issues and the lastest reprinting of the Kisumai photobook. The goods range was standard fare for stageplays. Nothing particularly remarkable. No stage pics just yet. They're also selling advance tickets for the Bad Boys J movie with a choice of pictures, Nakajima's group or BEAST and Hiroshima Nights. They're trying to get people to buy two tickets to get one of two free postcards (same pattern as before). Ataru tickets were also available but I haven't watched it so I didn't look too close.
There were flyers for ABC-Z's show next month and some other stageplays including the Count of Monte Cristo which has Okamoto's Dad in it.
So Dreamboys Jet. It was more a curiosity jaunt as I'd never seen the show live before rather than any deep interest in any of the leads. Senga is the only one even slightly on my radar out of the three Kisumai members present. It was only the second show (Sept 6th 13:00) so I'm guessing some of it is rough around the edges and may change over the run.
The stage curtain had a large picture of a floating city with a plane occasionally flying near. Just before the show started it went a darker orange.
It opens with a Matchey doing a medley then Tama, Senga and Miyata did Gin Gira Gin then Everybody Go on skates. It was a little weird because Tama was wearing pink and Miyata yellow (Senga was his usual Blue). They were back upped by four little juniors in coloured waistcoats; one orange, one green and two purple. The first act is a jumble. They introduce everyone as being at some sort of racing school then somehow Senga is having a hissy fit over Tamamori being the lead in a movie about Masahiko's (Matchey) life (I think) which, according to Senga was not really about racing. There was a motorbike dance that paled in comparison to the 2012 Playzone one. There is also a jealous undercurrent from Senga. The film stops shooting because of problems. Then Miyata is a mechanic, Senga a pro racer and Tama something...
Tama begs Senga for a chance to be a pro driver and after Ootori Ran (obligatory older female character) encourages them they agree to race for the spot on the team. After a few minutes of laughable CGI race track occasionally overlaid with face views of Tama and Senga as they race and vaguely F1 cars being spun in a circle on stage Senga crashes and is manhandled onto a stretcher (a big no no in real life) and Tama accused of sabotage. Apparently accident investigations don't happen in this universe. Instead there is the obligatory angsting and running away then Tama & Miyata are at a fighting roller derby where he encounters Senga hidden under a helmet on the opposing team in a rather surreal scene. During all this there are some appropriately precocious kids including a sick one with a heart condition, Satoshi. The first act draws to a close with Iwamoto attempting to stab Tama but getting stabbed by Satoshi with Tama taking the blame. The first act closes here.
The second act abandons all pretences of being about racing and has a bunch of scenes of Tama running inclucing a dream sequence, clowns and some wire work over projections of a city. Satoshi is still in hospital and apparently so is Senga but he leaves and has a few instances of still suffering from the crash (agonising headaches). Then Tama finds out he is the son of Matchey and Ootori Ran and his brother is Satoshi. Tama is still being pursued by police and when Matchey tries to protect him he gets shot by an officer and dies. Tama then apparently falls off a building and he and Matchey have a scene at the gates of heaven.
Ootori Ran and one of the mechanics admit to sabotaging Senga's car because she wanted Tama to win at all costs just after Senga says his spinning out of control was due to his mistake. Senga forgives them immediately. Tama is apparently fine. Matchey donated his heart to Satoshi so he's fine too. Senga is apparently fully recovered. Everyone is happy. Matchey and Tama then sing the final duet.
Mini-showtime. We Never Give Up, Shake It Up, Kimi to no Kiseki, She Her Her, My Resistance. Crowd seemed to like it as Senga and Miyata rarely get chances to be heard. Miyara did Wotagei. He needs a new dance. Senga's Shake it Up was awesome. General Junior cuteness but I couldn't pick out any. Snowmen seemed to have the biggest supporting roles throughout the play and showtime.
There was no second curtain call which seemed to disappoint a lot of fans but the was probably a lot of stage resetting to do and possibly some adjustments before the show at 18:00.
I don't exactly go into johnny's plays expecting sweeping stories but this one really left me hollow. If the play is supposed to be about a Hero and his Rival then they've really failed. They try to set Senga up as Rival but no one seems really bothered when he disrupts the film and he has a pretty loyal group of mechanics/friends around him when we see him with the race team, sure he has his issues but they don't seem to isolate him. His status as the Rival doesn't seem to matter in the second act. It comes down to Tama and Matchey. Also, the way Ootori Ran and the mechanic are forgiven rings false. It's implied that Senga was pretty horribly hurt, still suffering some after effects which are forgotten about by the end.
The whole thing comes across as a transparent showcase pretty quickly, especially given the large background cast who exist to make scenes look lively. I can like the show on those terms. However, they are supposed to be telling a story, there are quite a few scenes that exist simply to show off the performer rather than move the story along. Sure, there is the symbolism argument but symbolism should embellish, not replace dialogue. On that basis I'm a little annoyed. Sure, Dreamboys was never written to be a titan of storytelling but the flashing lights and funky beats could have been scaled back to give scenes with actual content between all the characters. The main cast is five people with maybe ten other people having actual lines in the play. Not all that dissimilar to SHOCK when it comes down to it though SHOCK's storyline is reasonably coherent despite being a pretty obvious showcase for Koichi.
I guess part the problem comes from not wanting to make anyone the villain (even the unnamed police man who shot Matchey) another being having to include Matchey as a character thus drawing attention away from the relationship between Tama and Senga (with Miyata pulled between the two). My memory of the KAT-TUN vs K8 Dreamboys is pretty fuzzy but I feel like there was a lot more Hero/Rival stuff there than in here.
As for the acting it was as expected. Tama continues to do nothing for me, I can't really decide if it's because he doesn't seem to convey even a little moxie (the one trait that moved Kamenashi round from irritant to tolerable in my book) or if he lacks the ability to imbue his (admittedly blank slate) character with life. He didn't seem so much stiff as lacking gestures though this may improve over the run. Senga does fine, irritated, upset and reasonably weak in the right moments. He was pretty good with expressing through his movements and expressions. As Miyata played the affable character it didn't seem like there was much actual acting involved there. Still he tried to give energy to all of his scenes. Matchey seemed comfortable in his role. I did get the sense he wants to reclaim a little of his glory days. His voice seems pretty well intact but I think there was some backing tracks helping everyone out. Tama's come on leaps and bounds still struggles next to Senga and even Miyata in places.
Goto Hiromi and Ishikawa Daisuke were there with a drummer and guitarist whose names I missed doing the usual background music stuff.
It's a pretty decent talent showcase but I don't think it particularly plays to Tama's strengths as an actor or honestly told a flattering story about his character. The way the story was told I wanted to sympathise with Senga's Rival more. He started off a jerk, had his life completely screwed over, in part because of his pride and may have actually learnt something from it. Tama's story is he lost his showbiz chance but through family connections (not that he knew at the time) got a chance to race after leaving for showbiz of his own volition, his own Mother's interference nearly killed one of his best friends. Falsely accussed of sabotage he goes on the run rather than hang around for the investigation where he would be cleared. He finds out his birth parents were right under his nose his father makes a noble (and in real life, pointless) sacrifice for his newly discovered younger brother. His mother and the mechanic don't go to jail for attempted murder, he gets a happy ending.
Overall, I don't feel like I wasted my time or money going, but by the same token I don't feel the need to see it again. It probably won't do much for non-fans but if you're fave it here it's probably worth checking out.
The Imperial theatre was good as always. They had a wide range of magazines, including back issues and the lastest reprinting of the Kisumai photobook. The goods range was standard fare for stageplays. Nothing particularly remarkable. No stage pics just yet. They're also selling advance tickets for the Bad Boys J movie with a choice of pictures, Nakajima's group or BEAST and Hiroshima Nights. They're trying to get people to buy two tickets to get one of two free postcards (same pattern as before). Ataru tickets were also available but I haven't watched it so I didn't look too close.
There were flyers for ABC-Z's show next month and some other stageplays including the Count of Monte Cristo which has Okamoto's Dad in it.