My Heart : Haruno Sumire First Concert
On the stage is a pale blue rectangular box which turns out to be a music box. From it comes a lovely melody, unheard before. A male dancer appears on stage and picks up the box. The orchestra starts to play the same tune. Then from behind the stage appears Osa in a shimmering mauve long gown. Her shoulder-length hair is loosely slicked over to the side (I’m not good at explaining hairstyles. In a word, her hair was a bit like that of Maya Miki in Blue Swan. ) She starts to sing ;
1. My Heart (words and music by Haruno Sumire)
Well, I had not expected that a beautiful ballad with rich melody coulld be created by this beginner composer who just tried her hand at song writing for the first time. It sounded very professional. This piece tells about her retirement from Takarazuka, but it lyrically and subtly depicts the episode like this : “The end has come. I will be untied from the vow of dedication. I will return all I have earned”
My honest reaction: Oh well, Osa-san is much more talented than I have thought her to be!
I think I saw tears in her eyes toward the end of the song.
Her greeting to the audience, “This is Haruno Sumire again” was welcomed by a thunderous applause.
The dancers join her on stage and take her gown off. There comes Osa in a flashy fusha jacket and black fit pants with black over-the-knee boots worn over them.
2. (I Need a) Miracle (Y. Peifer/ M.Reuter)
3. A New Day Has Come (A. Nova/S.Moccio)
4. Nature Boy (E. Ahbez)
She sings the numbers 2 through 4 in English. Her pronunciation seems to have improved since her “White Christmas” on the Christmas Present CD. Now it sounds more a sort of transatlantic - or should I put it - “transpacific”?
Her voice was firm, strong and mellow. She seemed to have gained better control.
Osa enters into the audience from the left entrance door. She wears a small straw hat, a light-yellowish bare top dress, bright yellow leggings and bronze high-heeled strapped sandals. Osa looked lovely in this outfit. She walks through the aisle between the front seat section and the rear seat section while singing.
5. Feeling Good (L. Bricusse/A. Newley)
She continues to sing the numbers 5 through 7 in English. She is still very thin, but her revealing shoulders and arms are equipped with the muscles of an athlete (a top otokoyaku is a tough job!). Back on the stage Osa is joined by the dancers.
6. Reach (G.Estefan/D. Warren)
7. Conga (E.E.Garcia/E.Estefan)
She sings those upbeat numbers with vigor and passion, dancing with the supporting performers. Watching her fiddling with her hat got me nostalgic for a moment over the way she had done it with a fedora.
The LED screens set in the middle of the stage display layers of red curtains. They open up one after another and Osa appears in an otokoyaku attire with a pony tail (I’m not so in love with the grayish shirt with a zebra pattern worn under the black tuxedo). She performs this part all alone by starting with the theme song from her last stage with Takarazuka.
8. Bonsoir Marseille (from Adieu Marseille)
9. Kokoro no Hito Oscar (from The Rose of Versailles)
10.Takarazuka Medley A: Fuyu Monogatari (from Fuyu Monogatari)~ Hanagasane Koigasane (from A Flute named Wind) ~ Koi no Uta (from Akanesasu) ~ Asaki Yume (form Asaki Yumemishi)
11.Takarazuka Medley B: Prologue (from Southern Cross Revue) ~ Rhythm of World (from The Beauties!) ~ Aranjuez (from Enter the Revue) ~ Eien no Bolero (from Applause Takarazuka)
The selection is an interesting mix of the songs from her earlier years and those from her top era, some of them obscure and rarely heard before. She revisited those numbers more with fresh sensibility than with nostalgia. It peaked with the last 2 songs: Aranjez and Eien no Bolero. Funnily and strangely I said to myself, “Gee…she is a damn good singer!” as if I had never heard her sing those songs before.
12.Colombina (G.P.Reverberi/L. Giordano)
In this most dramatic part of the show, Osa wears stylish short dark hair and a beautiful satin long dress in pale grayish purple. She looked extremely gorgeous, elegant and very feminine (even without the curves XD).
13.Melodramma (P.Lucieni/P.Guerrini : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
14.Anytime, Anywhere (Peterson/Soltau based on Adadio by Albinoni : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
15.Sogno (G.Vessicchio : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
She demonstrated the wealth of her vocal expressions in those numbers, which was truly awesome. It was a sheer bliss. The choreography for Albinoni’s Adadio (which Osa danced with the male dancers) translated the music so well and was great to watch.
16.Once (G.Russell/J.Moss)
Osa reappears on stage wearing long wavy chestnut hair. That looked great on her! She is in a shiny white jacket and matching pants (very Zuka otokoyaku like) though, so she looks like a vocalist from a J-rock visual-kei band as a whole XD (I wished she had picked up a red long dress for that hair).
17.To Love You More (D.Foster/J.Miles)
18.The Greatest Reward (P.Obispo/A.Carlsson/J.Elofsson/L.Florence/P.Guirao)
She sings the numbers 17 and 18 again in English. She was tireless and energetic.
19. Naniyorimo Anata ga (Above all, you are) (words by Haruno Sumire / Music by Itsukida Takehiko)
The last number conveys her feelings toward fans through the time of her retirement and reemergence in a poetic expression. She was visibly delighted to deliver her own words to the audience.
Owari Nai Tabi (words by Oikawa Minko / music by Ohshima Michiru)
Her poignant and heart-felt rendition of this splendid ballad about a journey to distant places, which was written for Osa, was stunningly beautiful. The applause was deafening. Tears in my eyes.
The audience was extremely focused on every move and every sound Osa made on stage, and responded enthusiastically all through the performance. Some were weeping for joy of seeing her perform again.
In the final curtain call Osa was greeted by a standing ovation. Struck with emotions she uttered,
なんだかなつかしいなあ、こういう風景 “It gets me nostalgic to see such a scene.”
And she went on to yell out みんな、大好きだよ！ “I dearly love you all!!”
The fully packed audience responded with a roar of squees, cries and yells of “Osa-saaaaaaan!!” to which she replied,
ぜんぜん変わってない “You haven’t changed a bit” (laughs).
Then she gladly added 私の方がもっと大好きだよ! “I love you more than you love me!”
The last curtain fell around 20:15
My Impressions
It was an overwhelming performance delivered by an extraordinarily talented vocalist called Haruno Sumire. She gave her all for a full 100 minutes without intermission. Osa was fresh, vital and utterly brilliant all through the show. Especially the performance in the last 2 parts (Yumeno Kaori and My Love My Heart) and the encore number stood out brightly.
Unlike regular OG shows that usually are extensions of Zuka revues with dances and songs (bits of this and bits of that, often featuring a duet dance with a male performer), My Heart is clearly focused to present Osa’s singing and her musical talent. She does some dancing with other performers and it is good to see her dance again, but the center of this concert is Osa’s wondrous voice. I feel proud that she has identified a clear objective for her future career in the first concert after Takarazuka.
My Heart is highly recommended for those who love to appreciate a great singing voice, regardless of Zuka-fan or non-Zuka fan.
Frankly I had feared that this show might end up assuring me that my romance with Osa had ended with her otokoyaku era. I’m glad it didn’t prove so. She’s got “the voice” that fired me up years ago and has kept me holding her in such esteem to this day. And this voice has made a strong comeback. I’m happy to have discovered the new Haruno Sumire-san very attractive and have fallen in love with her again. I’m also glad I didn’t find an otokoyaku in drag, though her movements on stage still drag some otokoyaku-ness…XD The biggest surprise was I liked her in the dresses much more than the otokoyaku outfits in this show.
To me My Heart has arrived as Osa’s resolution to transcend and venture into a new phase of her career. I feel very honored and gratified to be able to have witnessed her first step forward.
Osa-san, please continue to write songs and make good music! I love you!!
DEMACHI
Unlike me who is never an iri/de person, I participated in the shonichi demachi. The countless fans were instructed to gather in the front setback area of the theater.
Osa showed up sometime around 21:10. Cheers and screams rose from the fans. She wore a black casquette, a white/black pattern short-sleeved see-through blouse layered over a black tank, black slim pants and black-rimmed glasses (never seen them before!). Very cute and neat. With full of glee and radiance, she took time to wave at the surrounding fans, trying to extend her waves and smiles to those who were in the far corner. She was very sweet as before.
(For the Tokyo run of My Heart, her fan club Dolce has decided to organize demachi only on the designated dates : Sept. 3, 5, 6 and 9. No irimachi is permitted.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The concert program is a must-buy for every Osa fan. It contains beautiful color photos of Osa dressed in various attires. A message from Osa. An interview with Osa. It also carries special messages forwarded to her from various people including those from Kuroki Hitomi-san (hmm, she seems to be fangirling Osa), Maya Miki-san (warm-hearted words from this great sempai to “my beloved Osa”), and the “A” person (yes, yes, yes, EVERYONE KNOWS you are dying to see her!).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-For those who are curious : Osa didn’t wear “that ring” during the performance.
-Hanano Juria-chan, one of the great Osa followers in Hanagumi, was in the shonichi audience.
1. My Heart (words and music by Haruno Sumire)
Well, I had not expected that a beautiful ballad with rich melody coulld be created by this beginner composer who just tried her hand at song writing for the first time. It sounded very professional. This piece tells about her retirement from Takarazuka, but it lyrically and subtly depicts the episode like this : “The end has come. I will be untied from the vow of dedication. I will return all I have earned”
My honest reaction: Oh well, Osa-san is much more talented than I have thought her to be!
I think I saw tears in her eyes toward the end of the song.
Her greeting to the audience, “This is Haruno Sumire again” was welcomed by a thunderous applause.
The dancers join her on stage and take her gown off. There comes Osa in a flashy fusha jacket and black fit pants with black over-the-knee boots worn over them.
2. (I Need a) Miracle (Y. Peifer/ M.Reuter)
3. A New Day Has Come (A. Nova/S.Moccio)
4. Nature Boy (E. Ahbez)
She sings the numbers 2 through 4 in English. Her pronunciation seems to have improved since her “White Christmas” on the Christmas Present CD. Now it sounds more a sort of transatlantic - or should I put it - “transpacific”?
Her voice was firm, strong and mellow. She seemed to have gained better control.
Osa enters into the audience from the left entrance door. She wears a small straw hat, a light-yellowish bare top dress, bright yellow leggings and bronze high-heeled strapped sandals. Osa looked lovely in this outfit. She walks through the aisle between the front seat section and the rear seat section while singing.
5. Feeling Good (L. Bricusse/A. Newley)
She continues to sing the numbers 5 through 7 in English. She is still very thin, but her revealing shoulders and arms are equipped with the muscles of an athlete (a top otokoyaku is a tough job!). Back on the stage Osa is joined by the dancers.
6. Reach (G.Estefan/D. Warren)
7. Conga (E.E.Garcia/E.Estefan)
She sings those upbeat numbers with vigor and passion, dancing with the supporting performers. Watching her fiddling with her hat got me nostalgic for a moment over the way she had done it with a fedora.
The LED screens set in the middle of the stage display layers of red curtains. They open up one after another and Osa appears in an otokoyaku attire with a pony tail (I’m not so in love with the grayish shirt with a zebra pattern worn under the black tuxedo). She performs this part all alone by starting with the theme song from her last stage with Takarazuka.
8. Bonsoir Marseille (from Adieu Marseille)
9. Kokoro no Hito Oscar (from The Rose of Versailles)
10.Takarazuka Medley A: Fuyu Monogatari (from Fuyu Monogatari)~ Hanagasane Koigasane (from A Flute named Wind) ~ Koi no Uta (from Akanesasu) ~ Asaki Yume (form Asaki Yumemishi)
11.Takarazuka Medley B: Prologue (from Southern Cross Revue) ~ Rhythm of World (from The Beauties!) ~ Aranjuez (from Enter the Revue) ~ Eien no Bolero (from Applause Takarazuka)
The selection is an interesting mix of the songs from her earlier years and those from her top era, some of them obscure and rarely heard before. She revisited those numbers more with fresh sensibility than with nostalgia. It peaked with the last 2 songs: Aranjez and Eien no Bolero. Funnily and strangely I said to myself, “Gee…she is a damn good singer!” as if I had never heard her sing those songs before.
12.Colombina (G.P.Reverberi/L. Giordano)
In this most dramatic part of the show, Osa wears stylish short dark hair and a beautiful satin long dress in pale grayish purple. She looked extremely gorgeous, elegant and very feminine (even without the curves XD).
13.Melodramma (P.Lucieni/P.Guerrini : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
14.Anytime, Anywhere (Peterson/Soltau based on Adadio by Albinoni : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
15.Sogno (G.Vessicchio : Japanese lyrics by Sakai Sumio)
She demonstrated the wealth of her vocal expressions in those numbers, which was truly awesome. It was a sheer bliss. The choreography for Albinoni’s Adadio (which Osa danced with the male dancers) translated the music so well and was great to watch.
16.Once (G.Russell/J.Moss)
Osa reappears on stage wearing long wavy chestnut hair. That looked great on her! She is in a shiny white jacket and matching pants (very Zuka otokoyaku like) though, so she looks like a vocalist from a J-rock visual-kei band as a whole XD (I wished she had picked up a red long dress for that hair).
17.To Love You More (D.Foster/J.Miles)
18.The Greatest Reward (P.Obispo/A.Carlsson/J.Elofsson/L.Florence/P.Guirao)
She sings the numbers 17 and 18 again in English. She was tireless and energetic.
19. Naniyorimo Anata ga (Above all, you are) (words by Haruno Sumire / Music by Itsukida Takehiko)
The last number conveys her feelings toward fans through the time of her retirement and reemergence in a poetic expression. She was visibly delighted to deliver her own words to the audience.
Owari Nai Tabi (words by Oikawa Minko / music by Ohshima Michiru)
Her poignant and heart-felt rendition of this splendid ballad about a journey to distant places, which was written for Osa, was stunningly beautiful. The applause was deafening. Tears in my eyes.
The audience was extremely focused on every move and every sound Osa made on stage, and responded enthusiastically all through the performance. Some were weeping for joy of seeing her perform again.
In the final curtain call Osa was greeted by a standing ovation. Struck with emotions she uttered,
なんだかなつかしいなあ、こういう風景 “It gets me nostalgic to see such a scene.”
And she went on to yell out みんな、大好きだよ！ “I dearly love you all!!”
The fully packed audience responded with a roar of squees, cries and yells of “Osa-saaaaaaan!!” to which she replied,
ぜんぜん変わってない “You haven’t changed a bit” (laughs).
Then she gladly added 私の方がもっと大好きだよ! “I love you more than you love me!”
The last curtain fell around 20:15
My Impressions
It was an overwhelming performance delivered by an extraordinarily talented vocalist called Haruno Sumire. She gave her all for a full 100 minutes without intermission. Osa was fresh, vital and utterly brilliant all through the show. Especially the performance in the last 2 parts (Yumeno Kaori and My Love My Heart) and the encore number stood out brightly.
Unlike regular OG shows that usually are extensions of Zuka revues with dances and songs (bits of this and bits of that, often featuring a duet dance with a male performer), My Heart is clearly focused to present Osa’s singing and her musical talent. She does some dancing with other performers and it is good to see her dance again, but the center of this concert is Osa’s wondrous voice. I feel proud that she has identified a clear objective for her future career in the first concert after Takarazuka.
My Heart is highly recommended for those who love to appreciate a great singing voice, regardless of Zuka-fan or non-Zuka fan.
Frankly I had feared that this show might end up assuring me that my romance with Osa had ended with her otokoyaku era. I’m glad it didn’t prove so. She’s got “the voice” that fired me up years ago and has kept me holding her in such esteem to this day. And this voice has made a strong comeback. I’m happy to have discovered the new Haruno Sumire-san very attractive and have fallen in love with her again. I’m also glad I didn’t find an otokoyaku in drag, though her movements on stage still drag some otokoyaku-ness…XD The biggest surprise was I liked her in the dresses much more than the otokoyaku outfits in this show.
To me My Heart has arrived as Osa’s resolution to transcend and venture into a new phase of her career. I feel very honored and gratified to be able to have witnessed her first step forward.
Osa-san, please continue to write songs and make good music! I love you!!
DEMACHI
Unlike me who is never an iri/de person, I participated in the shonichi demachi. The countless fans were instructed to gather in the front setback area of the theater.
Osa showed up sometime around 21:10. Cheers and screams rose from the fans. She wore a black casquette, a white/black pattern short-sleeved see-through blouse layered over a black tank, black slim pants and black-rimmed glasses (never seen them before!). Very cute and neat. With full of glee and radiance, she took time to wave at the surrounding fans, trying to extend her waves and smiles to those who were in the far corner. She was very sweet as before.
(For the Tokyo run of My Heart, her fan club Dolce has decided to organize demachi only on the designated dates : Sept. 3, 5, 6 and 9. No irimachi is permitted.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The concert program is a must-buy for every Osa fan. It contains beautiful color photos of Osa dressed in various attires. A message from Osa. An interview with Osa. It also carries special messages forwarded to her from various people including those from Kuroki Hitomi-san (hmm, she seems to be fangirling Osa), Maya Miki-san (warm-hearted words from this great sempai to “my beloved Osa”), and the “A” person (yes, yes, yes, EVERYONE KNOWS you are dying to see her!).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-For those who are curious : Osa didn’t wear “that ring” during the performance.
-Hanano Juria-chan, one of the great Osa followers in Hanagumi, was in the shonichi audience.