Watanabe Daisuke ～ FC Birthday Event 2018, Fan Report Part 1
Watanabe Daisuke - FC Birthday Event 2018 - Fan Report
It was a beautiful, warm Autumn day and the sun was shining when I arrived at the venue around 11:00 AM. I couldn’t help but smile thinking that Dai-chan really is a ‘hare otoko’ since the weather is usually great whenever he has some kind of event. Several fans were already waiting in front of the main entrance and for the next thirty minutes we enjoyed a lot of ‘Daisucation’ while we waited for the doors to open.
Around 11:30 o’clock some staff members appeared we could finally enter the lobby of the event hall where we were given a little birthday gimmick. Even though there were no special features at this year’s event the staff had prepared something for us, a bottle of mineral water with a special Dai-chan label and they had chosen a really nice picture for it. Being the imaginative fans that we are, we quickly created a nickname for this special edition of mineral water, calling it ‘Watanabe Water’.
Once I had received my bottle of ‘Watanabe Water’ I made my way over to the FC goods counter where three staff members sold FC and birthday event exclusive goods. This year’s goods included 4 special photograph sets, a ticket holder and Dai-chan towels which were available in red and blue and since it had been published only two months earlier Dai-chan’s latest photo book ‘La Scene’ was also on sale. I got everything except for the photo book, since I already have three copies of it at home because I attended the three book release events in September and then headed into the auditorium.
Next to the entrance several boxes for birthday presents had been prepared and I put the photo book ‘We are all under the same sky’, which I had made for Dai-chan with the support of many international fans, into one of the boxes together with a fan letter. I think it turned out a really beautiful book and I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to all those fans who took some time out of their busy schedules to submit a picture of the sky in their home countries together with a message for Dai-chan. I’m equally happy to be able to say that I have it from good authority that Dai-chan was really pleased with this special gift from the international fan community.
Anyway, back to the topic…
After I had deposited the gift for Dai-chan in one of the boxes I headed to my seat in the front row, my heart beating like a drum when I realized how close it was to the stage and to Dai-chan. I passed the time until the talk show started chatting with several fans and finally the MC, Yamazaki Aya-san, who always hosts the FC exclusive talk events appeared on stage and we welcomed her with a round of warm applause. She welcomed us to the event and as usual she asked us how we would like to call the birthday boy out onto the stage and as usual we opted for ‘Dai-chan’. The MC gave us a little count down and then we all shouted ‘Dai-chan’ as loud as we could.
For several seconds nothing happened and we all started to look around the room, knowing that Dai-chan loves to make surprise entrances, but finally the man in question burst through the left-hand doors in the back of the auditorium with a big smile on his face and we gave him loud applause as he made his way to the front and onto the stage and I took a moment to take in Dai-chan’s appearance. He was wearing a bordeaux-red suit with a simple black T-shirt and a black belt and needless to say he looked handsome and dashing…and he smelled really nice too (I had caught a whiff of his perfume when he walked by my chair).
Dai-chan took up the microphone and welcomed us all to the event.
He said that he was happy that he got the opportunity to celebrate his birthday, even though a little belatedly, with us fans and expressed his hopes that we would enjoy the time.
First, the MC announced that a birthday event wouldn’t be complete without a birthday cake and Dai-chan’s staff brought in a delicious looking cake while we sang “Happy Birthday” to Dai-chan who stood on stage smiling happily like a kid in a toy store. He happily admired his cake and then posed with it for a couple pictures taken by a professional photographer. Once he was done the MC suggested that Dai-chan should have a bite of his cake and naturally the birthday boy agreed.
We teased Dai-chan a little by saying “aaaahhh” as he brought the fork with some cake on it to his mouth and the birthday boy tried hard not to burst out laughing as he ate. Once he had swallowed his bite of cake he noted happily “it’s cheesecake! It’s so delicious...I’ll definitely have some more of it afterwards. It’s really good!” I looked at Dai-chan and then at the fan sitting next to me, an acquaintance of mine, and we both couldn’t stop giggling because we were thinking the same thing at that moment. Being fans of the ‘first hour’ we both couldn’t help but think of a certain someone who also loves cheesecake, a love which might well be a result of Dai-chan having a liking for this sweet treat.
The MC then mentioned that this birthday event was the first FC event of 2018 since the FC birthday event 2017 since Dai-chan’ has had a busy schedule. Dai-chan said that he had been really looking forward to this event and that he had been really keen on organizing a birthday event, even though it was on short notice. He explained that when he was working on “Fireflies of Kyoto” in 2017 he didn’t have much time to celebrate his birthday and he went on saying that this year he didn’t have much time either due to being in the midst of rehearsals for “On Your Feet”.
He revealed that there is a scene in the musical in which his character also says “today is my birthday” and that he actually had to rehearse it on his birthday which made us laugh. He said that he was suspicious thinking that something would happen at the end of the scene, like a birthday surprise, but the director just went on saying “okay, next scene” which left Dai-chan quite surprised and we couldn’t help but burst out laughing again, imagining how Dai-chan must have been on edge all day expecting something to happen at any given time during the rehearsal session.
He continued the story and told us that the cast members, the director and staff waited until the very end of that rehearsal day to surprise him with a cake in the greenroom and he also received a little birthday gift…a cactus…because Dai-chan’s character “Emilio” is from Cuba and there are lots of cacti there, especially in the Southeastern region of the island.
Dai-chan said that every year the feeling on his birthday is different depending on what he is doing, but that he is looking forward to it every year.
He also mentioned that this was his last birthday in Heisei, since in May 2019 a new emperor would be pronounced and with that the beginning of a new era with a new name, which is going to be “Reiwa”. Dai-chan explained that he wanted to start the new era in good spirits, continue to work hard and keep building his career. He mentioned that he is looking forward to the new era and the things that 2019 holds in store for him.
With that the MC went on to talk about the projects Dai-chan had been working on since November 2018 and they first talked about “Fireflies of Kyoto” a stage play set in the Edo Period in which Dai-chan played a double role as a samurai named Arima Shinichi and as a Nakamura Touju, a Ronin, meaning a samurai who isn’t in service of any lord.
He explained that it was very interesting to play a double role because the two characters were so different from one another. He said that Arima-san is a quite serious and sophisticated person while Nakamura has a bit more of a roguish side and is a bit more light-hearted and even funny at times. Dai-chan said that he learned a lot from playing in that production and that he really enjoyed it because he likes history and especially the Edo Period.
He said that he likes the fact that people wore traditional clothes like yukata, kimono and hakama and that the men wore swords and that playing a samurai in “Fireflies of Kyoto” was like going back in time and experiencing an era which he had studied about in school. He also mentioned that he had practiced kendo as a boy and that he also loves the historical buildings of the Edo Period.
The MC then asked about the fighting scenes Dai-chan had in the stage play and said that having experience in kendo must have been a big help for Dai-chan. He explained that kendo and sword fighting with a katana are quite different actually and that it was very tiring for him because he had to keep his legs apart and his knees bent during all of the fighting scenes and that it was quite hard, but that he enjoyed it a lot despite the muscle ache he had for almost the entire performance period, which was almost a month.
He said that he really loves to explore previous periods in history and briefly mentioned that he also loves historical drama and movies, not only Japanese but foreign drama too. Unfortunately, he didn’t go into detail as to what the titles of these drama series and movies were.
Next, the MC moved on to briefly talk about Dai-chan’s two Valentine Live concerts which were held in Tokyo on February 17th and his guest appearance in Oka-san’s concert. Dai-chan said that performing in a concert with a band was fun, but that he felt extremely nervous at the time and that his hands had been shaking so badly that he had to clutch the microphone extremely tightly in order to hide that. He also said that he thought Oka-san’s performance was so cool because he made it look so easy and seemed so relaxed.
He then explained that he had been working with Oka-san on several occasions like 1789 and Romeo & Juliette and that he feels really blessed to have the opportunity of working with such a great senior performer and that he learned a lot from Oka-san.
At that point the MC asked what Dai-chan would like to do in the future in terms of musicals and other stage productions. Dai-chan said that he would like play and explore a variety of different characters and that he would like to accept new challenges, like playing a villain for example…a statement which made me go all fangirly inside because after having seen his portrayal of Tybalt in “Romeo & Juliette” I can imagine him so well as a dangerous, bad guy…even though I don’t think of Tybalt as a bad guy rather than a tragic victim of circumstance, but I’m getting off track, so back to the topic…
Finally, the MC went on to talking about 1789 and Dai-chan’s Camille Desmoulins and I had really had to bite my lip in order not to let out a happy fangirl squeal because I love Dai-chan’s Desmoulins and I’m not ashamed to admit that I still have a huge character crush on that guy…he was so gorgeous…Dai-chan started by saying that compared to 2016 he had been playing the character for almost half a year this time, including the rehearsal period. The MC quickly summarized that performances had been held in Tokyo, Osaka and Hakata and that Dai-chan had played a total of 111 performances.
Dai-chan said that 1789 is a production that is very dear to him and that he had really enjoyed playing Camille Desmoulins. He also explained that he had felt much more relaxed this time compared to 2016 and that he could really enjoy every single performance because he hadn’t felt as much pressure as he had felt two years earlier. He also mentioned that, even though the performances ran for four months, he had never felt bored or had a feeling of the performances dragging on. On the contrary, he had so much fun performing and exploring Osaka and Hakata almost every day after performances once they had gone on the national tour that he barely noticed how quickly time was passing. I couldn’t help but smile because I had been not only to the Tokyo performances, but to some of the performances in Osaka and Hakata as well, including the final performance and at the time I had felt the same way.
The MC asked what Dai-chan had done during the time off after 1789 had ended and Dai-chan replied promptly “I started preparing for Titanic almost as soon as I got back to Tokyo”, but added that on a regular day off or when rehearsals finish early he likes to go for walks because it helps him to relax and to recharge. He went on saying, like he had many times before, that he also enjoys watching movies and often goes to the cinema by himself.
He said that he recently started watching the Marvel cinematic universe movies like “Avengers” and “Spiderman Homecoming”. He remarked with sparkling eyes “those movies are so much fun”…it was so cute and his statement also made me very happy because I love those movies myself (I have all of them on limited edition DVDs) and I felt elated at the thought of having yet another thing in common with Dai-chan in addition to the many interests we share including soccer, history, books and music.
He went on saying that since he is living alone, he does spend most of his free time by himself. He said that he also likes playing video or smartphone games and that he likes to go spend time in quiet, cozy cafés reading or memorizing his lines for a stage production.
The MC asked if he could imagine to play any other character in 1789, but Dai-chan said that he finds it difficult to imagine himself in any other role than that of Desmoulins. He added that playing Lazare Peyrol or Ramard would probably be fun and interesting.
With that the talk show ended and the MC announced that it was time for the lottery which happens at the end of every talk event. This time the prices included signed photographs, signed bottles of ‘Watanabe Water’ and several goods that had been bought by Dai-chan and his staff for the occasion. As usual the staff had collected our ticket slips with our seat numbers and placed them into the heart-shaped box Dai-chan always uses for the lottery. Dai-chan drew the numbers and the MC read them out and the lucky winners went up to the stage in order to receive their prizes.
Once all the prizes had been given away the MC announced that it was time to say goodbye. As always this announcement met with general disapproval from the entire audience including myself and several comments like “eeeehh?...really?....already?” kept echoing through the auditorium while Dai-chan took up the microphone once more to give us a farewell greeting.
The MC asked Dai-chan how he felt and he replied that times like this when he can be close to us fans and share time with us in a more intimate setting makes him really happy and that this FC birthday event is something he is really looking forward to every year. He said that it gives him so much joy to talk to us and to listen to our stories and comments and he finished by saying in the sweetest voice: “Minna-san, hontouni arigatou gozaimashita.”
He then went on saying that he will work hard for “On Your Feet” and expressed his hopes that we would enjoy the upcoming performances. He added that in this new year of his life he wants to continue enjoying his work as well as his private life and do his best. He took that opportunity and briefly explained that “On Your Feet” is very different from usual musicals because it’s completely made up of Latin-pop songs and has the flair of Latin culture and he hinted that he would be on stage in almost every scene. He also said that at times the musical feels more like a concert and that he loves the fact that it is a non-fictional story and that he is waiting to see us at the theater.
Finally, the MC announced that Dai-chan would be seeing us off one by one with a handshake and a personal greeting and we all got very excited. Under our applause Dai-chan left the stage and went outside into the lobby and the MC asked us to get ready for the send-off. We had to wait a coupe of minutes while Dai-chan got ready, but then the doors opened and the manager announced that everything was set and ready.
Since my seat had been in the front row I didn’t have to wait long before it was my turn to say goodbye to Dai-chan. As I went over to him, he offered me a huge, warm smile and took my hand firmly into his own and before I could say anything he said “thank you for coming today.” I smiled back at him and I could feel my cheeks burning. I wished him a happy birthday and told him that I would attend the second event as well, for which I was rewarded with a ‘thank you’ and another big smile.
I was very happy, not only about his words, but also about the fact that I had time to show him something I had prepared for the upcoming performances of ‘On Your Feet’. Knowing that we wouldn’t be allowed to wait for Dai-chan at the theater after the performances due to the regulations of Theatre Crie, I brought the item with me to the birthday event in hopes that I would get the opportunity to show it to Dai-chan.
I had asked a jewelry maker to create a silver pendant with a picture of ‘Emilio’ on it. Dai-chan was really surprised when he saw it and exclaimed “wow, it looks amazing”, which made me smile from ear to ear. He also noticed that I was wearing a necklace with a cursive ‘D’ pendant and he asked casually “Is it a D for Dai-chan?” I couldn’t help but blush a little when I replied “of course it is”, and Dai-chan started chuckling. “It’s really beautiful,” he said. With that our little meet & greet ended and I left the event hall with flushed cheeks and my heart beating like a drum.
Part 2: GO HERE
It was a beautiful, warm Autumn day and the sun was shining when I arrived at the venue around 11:00 AM. I couldn’t help but smile thinking that Dai-chan really is a ‘hare otoko’ since the weather is usually great whenever he has some kind of event. Several fans were already waiting in front of the main entrance and for the next thirty minutes we enjoyed a lot of ‘Daisucation’ while we waited for the doors to open.
Around 11:30 o’clock some staff members appeared we could finally enter the lobby of the event hall where we were given a little birthday gimmick. Even though there were no special features at this year’s event the staff had prepared something for us, a bottle of mineral water with a special Dai-chan label and they had chosen a really nice picture for it. Being the imaginative fans that we are, we quickly created a nickname for this special edition of mineral water, calling it ‘Watanabe Water’.
Once I had received my bottle of ‘Watanabe Water’ I made my way over to the FC goods counter where three staff members sold FC and birthday event exclusive goods. This year’s goods included 4 special photograph sets, a ticket holder and Dai-chan towels which were available in red and blue and since it had been published only two months earlier Dai-chan’s latest photo book ‘La Scene’ was also on sale. I got everything except for the photo book, since I already have three copies of it at home because I attended the three book release events in September and then headed into the auditorium.
Next to the entrance several boxes for birthday presents had been prepared and I put the photo book ‘We are all under the same sky’, which I had made for Dai-chan with the support of many international fans, into one of the boxes together with a fan letter. I think it turned out a really beautiful book and I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to all those fans who took some time out of their busy schedules to submit a picture of the sky in their home countries together with a message for Dai-chan. I’m equally happy to be able to say that I have it from good authority that Dai-chan was really pleased with this special gift from the international fan community.
Anyway, back to the topic…
After I had deposited the gift for Dai-chan in one of the boxes I headed to my seat in the front row, my heart beating like a drum when I realized how close it was to the stage and to Dai-chan. I passed the time until the talk show started chatting with several fans and finally the MC, Yamazaki Aya-san, who always hosts the FC exclusive talk events appeared on stage and we welcomed her with a round of warm applause. She welcomed us to the event and as usual she asked us how we would like to call the birthday boy out onto the stage and as usual we opted for ‘Dai-chan’. The MC gave us a little count down and then we all shouted ‘Dai-chan’ as loud as we could.
For several seconds nothing happened and we all started to look around the room, knowing that Dai-chan loves to make surprise entrances, but finally the man in question burst through the left-hand doors in the back of the auditorium with a big smile on his face and we gave him loud applause as he made his way to the front and onto the stage and I took a moment to take in Dai-chan’s appearance. He was wearing a bordeaux-red suit with a simple black T-shirt and a black belt and needless to say he looked handsome and dashing…and he smelled really nice too (I had caught a whiff of his perfume when he walked by my chair).
Dai-chan took up the microphone and welcomed us all to the event.
He said that he was happy that he got the opportunity to celebrate his birthday, even though a little belatedly, with us fans and expressed his hopes that we would enjoy the time.
First, the MC announced that a birthday event wouldn’t be complete without a birthday cake and Dai-chan’s staff brought in a delicious looking cake while we sang “Happy Birthday” to Dai-chan who stood on stage smiling happily like a kid in a toy store. He happily admired his cake and then posed with it for a couple pictures taken by a professional photographer. Once he was done the MC suggested that Dai-chan should have a bite of his cake and naturally the birthday boy agreed.
We teased Dai-chan a little by saying “aaaahhh” as he brought the fork with some cake on it to his mouth and the birthday boy tried hard not to burst out laughing as he ate. Once he had swallowed his bite of cake he noted happily “it’s cheesecake! It’s so delicious...I’ll definitely have some more of it afterwards. It’s really good!” I looked at Dai-chan and then at the fan sitting next to me, an acquaintance of mine, and we both couldn’t stop giggling because we were thinking the same thing at that moment. Being fans of the ‘first hour’ we both couldn’t help but think of a certain someone who also loves cheesecake, a love which might well be a result of Dai-chan having a liking for this sweet treat.
The MC then mentioned that this birthday event was the first FC event of 2018 since the FC birthday event 2017 since Dai-chan’ has had a busy schedule. Dai-chan said that he had been really looking forward to this event and that he had been really keen on organizing a birthday event, even though it was on short notice. He explained that when he was working on “Fireflies of Kyoto” in 2017 he didn’t have much time to celebrate his birthday and he went on saying that this year he didn’t have much time either due to being in the midst of rehearsals for “On Your Feet”.
He revealed that there is a scene in the musical in which his character also says “today is my birthday” and that he actually had to rehearse it on his birthday which made us laugh. He said that he was suspicious thinking that something would happen at the end of the scene, like a birthday surprise, but the director just went on saying “okay, next scene” which left Dai-chan quite surprised and we couldn’t help but burst out laughing again, imagining how Dai-chan must have been on edge all day expecting something to happen at any given time during the rehearsal session.
He continued the story and told us that the cast members, the director and staff waited until the very end of that rehearsal day to surprise him with a cake in the greenroom and he also received a little birthday gift…a cactus…because Dai-chan’s character “Emilio” is from Cuba and there are lots of cacti there, especially in the Southeastern region of the island.
Dai-chan said that every year the feeling on his birthday is different depending on what he is doing, but that he is looking forward to it every year.
He also mentioned that this was his last birthday in Heisei, since in May 2019 a new emperor would be pronounced and with that the beginning of a new era with a new name, which is going to be “Reiwa”. Dai-chan explained that he wanted to start the new era in good spirits, continue to work hard and keep building his career. He mentioned that he is looking forward to the new era and the things that 2019 holds in store for him.
With that the MC went on to talk about the projects Dai-chan had been working on since November 2018 and they first talked about “Fireflies of Kyoto” a stage play set in the Edo Period in which Dai-chan played a double role as a samurai named Arima Shinichi and as a Nakamura Touju, a Ronin, meaning a samurai who isn’t in service of any lord.
He explained that it was very interesting to play a double role because the two characters were so different from one another. He said that Arima-san is a quite serious and sophisticated person while Nakamura has a bit more of a roguish side and is a bit more light-hearted and even funny at times. Dai-chan said that he learned a lot from playing in that production and that he really enjoyed it because he likes history and especially the Edo Period.
He said that he likes the fact that people wore traditional clothes like yukata, kimono and hakama and that the men wore swords and that playing a samurai in “Fireflies of Kyoto” was like going back in time and experiencing an era which he had studied about in school. He also mentioned that he had practiced kendo as a boy and that he also loves the historical buildings of the Edo Period.
The MC then asked about the fighting scenes Dai-chan had in the stage play and said that having experience in kendo must have been a big help for Dai-chan. He explained that kendo and sword fighting with a katana are quite different actually and that it was very tiring for him because he had to keep his legs apart and his knees bent during all of the fighting scenes and that it was quite hard, but that he enjoyed it a lot despite the muscle ache he had for almost the entire performance period, which was almost a month.
He said that he really loves to explore previous periods in history and briefly mentioned that he also loves historical drama and movies, not only Japanese but foreign drama too. Unfortunately, he didn’t go into detail as to what the titles of these drama series and movies were.
Next, the MC moved on to briefly talk about Dai-chan’s two Valentine Live concerts which were held in Tokyo on February 17th and his guest appearance in Oka-san’s concert. Dai-chan said that performing in a concert with a band was fun, but that he felt extremely nervous at the time and that his hands had been shaking so badly that he had to clutch the microphone extremely tightly in order to hide that. He also said that he thought Oka-san’s performance was so cool because he made it look so easy and seemed so relaxed.
He then explained that he had been working with Oka-san on several occasions like 1789 and Romeo & Juliette and that he feels really blessed to have the opportunity of working with such a great senior performer and that he learned a lot from Oka-san.
At that point the MC asked what Dai-chan would like to do in the future in terms of musicals and other stage productions. Dai-chan said that he would like play and explore a variety of different characters and that he would like to accept new challenges, like playing a villain for example…a statement which made me go all fangirly inside because after having seen his portrayal of Tybalt in “Romeo & Juliette” I can imagine him so well as a dangerous, bad guy…even though I don’t think of Tybalt as a bad guy rather than a tragic victim of circumstance, but I’m getting off track, so back to the topic…
Finally, the MC went on to talking about 1789 and Dai-chan’s Camille Desmoulins and I had really had to bite my lip in order not to let out a happy fangirl squeal because I love Dai-chan’s Desmoulins and I’m not ashamed to admit that I still have a huge character crush on that guy…he was so gorgeous…Dai-chan started by saying that compared to 2016 he had been playing the character for almost half a year this time, including the rehearsal period. The MC quickly summarized that performances had been held in Tokyo, Osaka and Hakata and that Dai-chan had played a total of 111 performances.
Dai-chan said that 1789 is a production that is very dear to him and that he had really enjoyed playing Camille Desmoulins. He also explained that he had felt much more relaxed this time compared to 2016 and that he could really enjoy every single performance because he hadn’t felt as much pressure as he had felt two years earlier. He also mentioned that, even though the performances ran for four months, he had never felt bored or had a feeling of the performances dragging on. On the contrary, he had so much fun performing and exploring Osaka and Hakata almost every day after performances once they had gone on the national tour that he barely noticed how quickly time was passing. I couldn’t help but smile because I had been not only to the Tokyo performances, but to some of the performances in Osaka and Hakata as well, including the final performance and at the time I had felt the same way.
The MC asked what Dai-chan had done during the time off after 1789 had ended and Dai-chan replied promptly “I started preparing for Titanic almost as soon as I got back to Tokyo”, but added that on a regular day off or when rehearsals finish early he likes to go for walks because it helps him to relax and to recharge. He went on saying, like he had many times before, that he also enjoys watching movies and often goes to the cinema by himself.
He said that he recently started watching the Marvel cinematic universe movies like “Avengers” and “Spiderman Homecoming”. He remarked with sparkling eyes “those movies are so much fun”…it was so cute and his statement also made me very happy because I love those movies myself (I have all of them on limited edition DVDs) and I felt elated at the thought of having yet another thing in common with Dai-chan in addition to the many interests we share including soccer, history, books and music.
He went on saying that since he is living alone, he does spend most of his free time by himself. He said that he also likes playing video or smartphone games and that he likes to go spend time in quiet, cozy cafés reading or memorizing his lines for a stage production.
The MC asked if he could imagine to play any other character in 1789, but Dai-chan said that he finds it difficult to imagine himself in any other role than that of Desmoulins. He added that playing Lazare Peyrol or Ramard would probably be fun and interesting.
With that the talk show ended and the MC announced that it was time for the lottery which happens at the end of every talk event. This time the prices included signed photographs, signed bottles of ‘Watanabe Water’ and several goods that had been bought by Dai-chan and his staff for the occasion. As usual the staff had collected our ticket slips with our seat numbers and placed them into the heart-shaped box Dai-chan always uses for the lottery. Dai-chan drew the numbers and the MC read them out and the lucky winners went up to the stage in order to receive their prizes.
Once all the prizes had been given away the MC announced that it was time to say goodbye. As always this announcement met with general disapproval from the entire audience including myself and several comments like “eeeehh?...really?....already?” kept echoing through the auditorium while Dai-chan took up the microphone once more to give us a farewell greeting.
The MC asked Dai-chan how he felt and he replied that times like this when he can be close to us fans and share time with us in a more intimate setting makes him really happy and that this FC birthday event is something he is really looking forward to every year. He said that it gives him so much joy to talk to us and to listen to our stories and comments and he finished by saying in the sweetest voice: “Minna-san, hontouni arigatou gozaimashita.”
He then went on saying that he will work hard for “On Your Feet” and expressed his hopes that we would enjoy the upcoming performances. He added that in this new year of his life he wants to continue enjoying his work as well as his private life and do his best. He took that opportunity and briefly explained that “On Your Feet” is very different from usual musicals because it’s completely made up of Latin-pop songs and has the flair of Latin culture and he hinted that he would be on stage in almost every scene. He also said that at times the musical feels more like a concert and that he loves the fact that it is a non-fictional story and that he is waiting to see us at the theater.
Finally, the MC announced that Dai-chan would be seeing us off one by one with a handshake and a personal greeting and we all got very excited. Under our applause Dai-chan left the stage and went outside into the lobby and the MC asked us to get ready for the send-off. We had to wait a coupe of minutes while Dai-chan got ready, but then the doors opened and the manager announced that everything was set and ready.
Since my seat had been in the front row I didn’t have to wait long before it was my turn to say goodbye to Dai-chan. As I went over to him, he offered me a huge, warm smile and took my hand firmly into his own and before I could say anything he said “thank you for coming today.” I smiled back at him and I could feel my cheeks burning. I wished him a happy birthday and told him that I would attend the second event as well, for which I was rewarded with a ‘thank you’ and another big smile.
I was very happy, not only about his words, but also about the fact that I had time to show him something I had prepared for the upcoming performances of ‘On Your Feet’. Knowing that we wouldn’t be allowed to wait for Dai-chan at the theater after the performances due to the regulations of Theatre Crie, I brought the item with me to the birthday event in hopes that I would get the opportunity to show it to Dai-chan.
I had asked a jewelry maker to create a silver pendant with a picture of ‘Emilio’ on it. Dai-chan was really surprised when he saw it and exclaimed “wow, it looks amazing”, which made me smile from ear to ear. He also noticed that I was wearing a necklace with a cursive ‘D’ pendant and he asked casually “Is it a D for Dai-chan?” I couldn’t help but blush a little when I replied “of course it is”, and Dai-chan started chuckling. “It’s really beautiful,” he said. With that our little meet & greet ended and I left the event hall with flushed cheeks and my heart beating like a drum.
Part 2: GO HERE