Elisabeth (2009, Tsukigumi, Takarazuka theatre)
Only seven weeks delayed, here's the review ^^; The photo gallery may help - it's hard to do justice to the visual richness of Elisabeth.
Elisabeth was half the reason we came to Japan in the first place (the other being Tanz der Vampire), and the timing of our trip meant that it was literally the first thing we did there, on the first full day (June 20, two days before the end of the Takarazuka run). In some ways, this was good - definitely an excuse to figure out the transit system and generally get out and about - but I'm still not certain if the jetlag influenced my perception of the play. Or maybe the new Takarazuka staging really is this oneiric - I know that Koike-sensei wanted to do something new and simpler with the direction.
In comparison to other productions, I was reminded of both the Toho production (especially 2004) and the Essen one. There's a dark richness and destruction in the sets, with less of a storybook feel than the previous versions. I have a feeling that elements were taken also fom the current Berlin/tour German production; there's nothing as blatant as the falling-apart Habsburg crest, but there's definitely an atmosphere of more decay. I do wonder if it's influenced by the changed economic situation?
The costumes are similar, and similarly gorgeous. I loved the way Elisabeth's Winterhalter portrait wig was done - far too often Takarazuka wig designers just plop a braid on brushed-back hair and call it a day. I think it helped that the actress has short hair that made that avenue impossible ;) Death's costumes are, as usual, stunning. They went more for the purple this time, but a warmer tone of it than the 1996 production's cool silver shade, and soft fabrics. The braid ornaments in the wig are apparently a reflection of the latest fashion.
Moon Troupe, lately, has been something of a beautiful trainwreck - they have a lot of very talented people, but the company seems lost as to how to manage them. Their Top Star is the oldest member of the troupe, without the support of more experienced senior performers. Their musumeyaku (female role) top star left a year ago, and while they got by with assigning female lead roles to various actresses, for this one the director rejected all Elisabeth candidates and got an inexperienced male-role performer from another troupe. There are at last count about four different candidates for third-in-line male performer, ranging in experience from six to thirteen years with the troupe (and in another troupe, Yuzuki Reon just became Top Star with only ten years' experience). I could see the toll of the endless rehearsals in every gesture that was studied and refined until it achieved exactly its goal. I wouldn't be surprised if frustration runs high, but it made for a great, bitter-sweet show.
Everyone was tightly strung, intense. For once I wished they'd add Hass back in, because with this cast it'd work in a Takarazuka production. The ensemble reminded me the most of the Vienna revival, with the fire and the symbolicism. "Look at us going out in style."
The angels were given a lot more to do, especially Kiryuu Sonoka as their leader. Since Death was too busy daydreaming and being subtle, it was up to Sonoka to get things going and do the hand-waving magic. The angelic choreography was the most changed, and while I missed some of the Ai to shi no rondo moments like the angels on both sides of Death's throne, it was fresh and very evocative.
Shirosaki Ai is currently, I think, the highest-ranked musumeyaku of the troupe, and everyone thought she would be the Elisabeth-choice if they didn't end up shoving the second-in-line male-role performer into a dress. Instead, she got Sophie, and for once I saw a Sophie who was true to the historical figure, with the undertones of the woman who had once found it hard to fit into the court and ended up remaking it in her image instead. Rather than a villain, she was human (which is hard to do in a production with no Bellaria), and yet she held her minions in with an iron hand. I loved the way she acted at the beginning of the Frau Wolf sequence - rather than flee in outrage, she gave a look to the dancers that clearly said, "If I were forty years younger, I would so outdance you."
Three of the are-they-or-aren't san/yonbantes were all cast as Rudolf, which in itself shows how much ranking confusion Moon Troupe has. The one we saw was Aoki Izumi, Morie-kun, who had the hardest of the role switch since depending on the day she could be doing Rudolf, Elmer or Stephan. This was the only show that worked for us time-wise, but I was very glad it did - I'd seen Morie doing Death before in the 2005 understudy performance, and I knew she could do drama in spades. (She also has the most infectious, brilliant smile.) She reminded me of the way Attila Dolhai plays Rudolf, though she did it a bit younger. Her Rudolf was definitely strong and passionate, doomed by his idealism rather than by general wimpiness. She gave Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär a sense of desperation; it was very good to hear that song as something more than "woe is me, for I am an emo idiot".
Morie's also a great dancer. For once I was able to observe the full choreography of Mayerling and how much Rudolf falls for Death, clinging and pleading. It helped that the chemistry between Morie and Asako completely sizzled - from premiere clips I've seen, that's not the case for Ahi, the first Rudolf. Die Schatten werden länger worked perfectly, with Morie's Rudolf going through a believable transition from the initial despair to a fighting spirit. Morie ♥
The other two Rudolfs were in Hungarian costumes for the day - Ryouga Haruhi (Ahi) was a very charismatic, commanding Elmer, while Asumi Rio (Mirio) bounced around as the fluffiest, most exciteable Stephan ever to grace the stage. Since she's only been with the company for six years, Mirio also performed as Death in the understudy performance - I think I really need to see that!
Ryuu Masaki played Lucheni. With how much she was pushed in that role, I think that even with the wild role changes, the other three of Moon Troupe's star-track cohort got the better deal - she was apparently losing her voice after performances, and she certainly looked knackered when leaving the theatre. On stage, you couldn't really tell, because of how much she gave her all into the role, and how deep and powerful she made her voice. Maybe it showed a bit in the way her Lucheni was more thoughtful, less crazy than the usual kind. And completely in love with his boss. (Also making the very very best faces. My binoculars were trained on her throughout half of the first act!) It can't be easy to play Lucheni when both your Top Star and the nibante (second) played it before and keep telling you what you're doing wrong, but Masaki carried it off with surpassing elegance.
Kiriyan (Hiromu Kiriya) was a surprise. Before, she played the happiest, bounciest of Takarazuka Luchenis in 2005. Just four years later, her Franz Joseph had surpassing dignity, reminding me very much of the Toho performances. She nailed "regal" in her performance - I think part of the graciousness she used was her own personality. And it didn't hurt that her voice is very strong; it worked especially well in duets, trios and group numbers. She made me smile as older Franz Joseph with the frailty - it might be cultural conditioning, a memetic memory of "the Grandfather" that my great-grandparents grew up with, but good Boote in der Nacht kill me every time.
I mentioned the Elisabeth casting controversy before. The Sisi they went with is Nagina Ruumi (Kacha), a male-role performer from Cosmos Troupe (something of an underdog among troupes, all in all, though they're just as stellar). Technically, she shouldn't be much: she's only been performing since 2003, until this year her roles have been along the lines of "third soldier from the left", even in understudy performances she got minor roles. Even her face looks a little mismatched, the jawline, cheeks, nose and lips not fitting together at all.
Then she comes onstage and knocks you over. She's a strong performer, and most of all an actress. I can see why they went to her - for all Takarazuka changes to the plot, Elisabeth still has to carry the show, and they needed someone with that freshness, strength and fragility. Kacha's voice is a fresh, almost rough soprano, amazing for someone who's only learned to sing low, but the way she compliments it with the acting is what makes her performance outstanding. There's a lot of herself in it, I think, her recent experiences. Kacha's Elisabeth is the outsider, the only person showing raw emotion, and there's an empathy with the audience there. I'm hard-pressed to compare her to any other Elisabeths; what I was reminded of most was the historical Empress's own writing.
It didn't hurt that Death was fond of her. Very fond of her, to the point of hands everywhere ;)
Ah, Asako - Sena Jun has now done the whole triad, from 2002 Lucheni to 2005 Elisabeth, and now Death. I think the experience let her give more subtlety to the performance, building layer upon layer with the way she now understands the show; her direction and guidance was evident in Masaki's Lucheni and Kacha's Elisabeth. For herself, she went with a Toho-inspired Death, supernatural and subtle. And young - that was what surprised me the most, the fact that her Death is a younger brother of Yuichiro Yamaguchi's Death, fresh out of the schoolroom and unsure of how to go about this mortal world business. (The angels help, doing the actual magical work.) Asako also brought the house down with her voice, easily the best in the troupe; she was taking advantage of both the otokoyaku depth and heights reaching into the soprano she had used as Elisabeth. Rather than Mizu's raw intensity in the 2007 production, Asako's Death was refined to the point where only the bones were left, the subtle essence of what the role is about. I loved her most in the sad scenes, where you could see that only willpower kept her from crumbling, rather than other Deaths' stubbornness and/or anger.
Two weeks after the performance we saw, Asako announced she's retiring in December. After seeing her Death, it didn't come as a surprise.
Elisabeth was half the reason we came to Japan in the first place (the other being Tanz der Vampire), and the timing of our trip meant that it was literally the first thing we did there, on the first full day (June 20, two days before the end of the Takarazuka run). In some ways, this was good - definitely an excuse to figure out the transit system and generally get out and about - but I'm still not certain if the jetlag influenced my perception of the play. Or maybe the new Takarazuka staging really is this oneiric - I know that Koike-sensei wanted to do something new and simpler with the direction.
In comparison to other productions, I was reminded of both the Toho production (especially 2004) and the Essen one. There's a dark richness and destruction in the sets, with less of a storybook feel than the previous versions. I have a feeling that elements were taken also fom the current Berlin/tour German production; there's nothing as blatant as the falling-apart Habsburg crest, but there's definitely an atmosphere of more decay. I do wonder if it's influenced by the changed economic situation?
The costumes are similar, and similarly gorgeous. I loved the way Elisabeth's Winterhalter portrait wig was done - far too often Takarazuka wig designers just plop a braid on brushed-back hair and call it a day. I think it helped that the actress has short hair that made that avenue impossible ;) Death's costumes are, as usual, stunning. They went more for the purple this time, but a warmer tone of it than the 1996 production's cool silver shade, and soft fabrics. The braid ornaments in the wig are apparently a reflection of the latest fashion.
Moon Troupe, lately, has been something of a beautiful trainwreck - they have a lot of very talented people, but the company seems lost as to how to manage them. Their Top Star is the oldest member of the troupe, without the support of more experienced senior performers. Their musumeyaku (female role) top star left a year ago, and while they got by with assigning female lead roles to various actresses, for this one the director rejected all Elisabeth candidates and got an inexperienced male-role performer from another troupe. There are at last count about four different candidates for third-in-line male performer, ranging in experience from six to thirteen years with the troupe (and in another troupe, Yuzuki Reon just became Top Star with only ten years' experience). I could see the toll of the endless rehearsals in every gesture that was studied and refined until it achieved exactly its goal. I wouldn't be surprised if frustration runs high, but it made for a great, bitter-sweet show.
Everyone was tightly strung, intense. For once I wished they'd add Hass back in, because with this cast it'd work in a Takarazuka production. The ensemble reminded me the most of the Vienna revival, with the fire and the symbolicism. "Look at us going out in style."
The angels were given a lot more to do, especially Kiryuu Sonoka as their leader. Since Death was too busy daydreaming and being subtle, it was up to Sonoka to get things going and do the hand-waving magic. The angelic choreography was the most changed, and while I missed some of the Ai to shi no rondo moments like the angels on both sides of Death's throne, it was fresh and very evocative.
Shirosaki Ai is currently, I think, the highest-ranked musumeyaku of the troupe, and everyone thought she would be the Elisabeth-choice if they didn't end up shoving the second-in-line male-role performer into a dress. Instead, she got Sophie, and for once I saw a Sophie who was true to the historical figure, with the undertones of the woman who had once found it hard to fit into the court and ended up remaking it in her image instead. Rather than a villain, she was human (which is hard to do in a production with no Bellaria), and yet she held her minions in with an iron hand. I loved the way she acted at the beginning of the Frau Wolf sequence - rather than flee in outrage, she gave a look to the dancers that clearly said, "If I were forty years younger, I would so outdance you."
Three of the are-they-or-aren't san/yonbantes were all cast as Rudolf, which in itself shows how much ranking confusion Moon Troupe has. The one we saw was Aoki Izumi, Morie-kun, who had the hardest of the role switch since depending on the day she could be doing Rudolf, Elmer or Stephan. This was the only show that worked for us time-wise, but I was very glad it did - I'd seen Morie doing Death before in the 2005 understudy performance, and I knew she could do drama in spades. (She also has the most infectious, brilliant smile.) She reminded me of the way Attila Dolhai plays Rudolf, though she did it a bit younger. Her Rudolf was definitely strong and passionate, doomed by his idealism rather than by general wimpiness. She gave Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär a sense of desperation; it was very good to hear that song as something more than "woe is me, for I am an emo idiot".
Morie's also a great dancer. For once I was able to observe the full choreography of Mayerling and how much Rudolf falls for Death, clinging and pleading. It helped that the chemistry between Morie and Asako completely sizzled - from premiere clips I've seen, that's not the case for Ahi, the first Rudolf. Die Schatten werden länger worked perfectly, with Morie's Rudolf going through a believable transition from the initial despair to a fighting spirit. Morie ♥
The other two Rudolfs were in Hungarian costumes for the day - Ryouga Haruhi (Ahi) was a very charismatic, commanding Elmer, while Asumi Rio (Mirio) bounced around as the fluffiest, most exciteable Stephan ever to grace the stage. Since she's only been with the company for six years, Mirio also performed as Death in the understudy performance - I think I really need to see that!
Ryuu Masaki played Lucheni. With how much she was pushed in that role, I think that even with the wild role changes, the other three of Moon Troupe's star-track cohort got the better deal - she was apparently losing her voice after performances, and she certainly looked knackered when leaving the theatre. On stage, you couldn't really tell, because of how much she gave her all into the role, and how deep and powerful she made her voice. Maybe it showed a bit in the way her Lucheni was more thoughtful, less crazy than the usual kind. And completely in love with his boss. (Also making the very very best faces. My binoculars were trained on her throughout half of the first act!) It can't be easy to play Lucheni when both your Top Star and the nibante (second) played it before and keep telling you what you're doing wrong, but Masaki carried it off with surpassing elegance.
Kiriyan (Hiromu Kiriya) was a surprise. Before, she played the happiest, bounciest of Takarazuka Luchenis in 2005. Just four years later, her Franz Joseph had surpassing dignity, reminding me very much of the Toho performances. She nailed "regal" in her performance - I think part of the graciousness she used was her own personality. And it didn't hurt that her voice is very strong; it worked especially well in duets, trios and group numbers. She made me smile as older Franz Joseph with the frailty - it might be cultural conditioning, a memetic memory of "the Grandfather" that my great-grandparents grew up with, but good Boote in der Nacht kill me every time.
I mentioned the Elisabeth casting controversy before. The Sisi they went with is Nagina Ruumi (Kacha), a male-role performer from Cosmos Troupe (something of an underdog among troupes, all in all, though they're just as stellar). Technically, she shouldn't be much: she's only been performing since 2003, until this year her roles have been along the lines of "third soldier from the left", even in understudy performances she got minor roles. Even her face looks a little mismatched, the jawline, cheeks, nose and lips not fitting together at all.
Then she comes onstage and knocks you over. She's a strong performer, and most of all an actress. I can see why they went to her - for all Takarazuka changes to the plot, Elisabeth still has to carry the show, and they needed someone with that freshness, strength and fragility. Kacha's voice is a fresh, almost rough soprano, amazing for someone who's only learned to sing low, but the way she compliments it with the acting is what makes her performance outstanding. There's a lot of herself in it, I think, her recent experiences. Kacha's Elisabeth is the outsider, the only person showing raw emotion, and there's an empathy with the audience there. I'm hard-pressed to compare her to any other Elisabeths; what I was reminded of most was the historical Empress's own writing.
It didn't hurt that Death was fond of her. Very fond of her, to the point of hands everywhere ;)
Ah, Asako - Sena Jun has now done the whole triad, from 2002 Lucheni to 2005 Elisabeth, and now Death. I think the experience let her give more subtlety to the performance, building layer upon layer with the way she now understands the show; her direction and guidance was evident in Masaki's Lucheni and Kacha's Elisabeth. For herself, she went with a Toho-inspired Death, supernatural and subtle. And young - that was what surprised me the most, the fact that her Death is a younger brother of Yuichiro Yamaguchi's Death, fresh out of the schoolroom and unsure of how to go about this mortal world business. (The angels help, doing the actual magical work.) Asako also brought the house down with her voice, easily the best in the troupe; she was taking advantage of both the otokoyaku depth and heights reaching into the soprano she had used as Elisabeth. Rather than Mizu's raw intensity in the 2007 production, Asako's Death was refined to the point where only the bones were left, the subtle essence of what the role is about. I loved her most in the sad scenes, where you could see that only willpower kept her from crumbling, rather than other Deaths' stubbornness and/or anger.
Two weeks after the performance we saw, Asako announced she's retiring in December. After seeing her Death, it didn't come as a surprise.