Yukigumi Elisabeth (1996)
Oh my god, look. Not only am I writing a review, I am writing a review of a non-Soragumi show. ^^;;; I realized that of late my journal has been a non-stop Gospel of Soragumi... and, well, I don't entirely apologize, but I really should branch out more. ;-)
So! The original 1996 Yukigumi Elisabeth. (I think with the new production coming up, the two will have to be distinguished by something like "Yuki '96" and "Yuki '07". ^^;;) After the first act, I paused to write down some general thoughts. Basically they reflect my feelings as a whole.
ACT I
First, I have to say, OMG ELMER!WAO. (Aka "Julie obviously has her priorities wrong in this show". ^^;;;) Never have I cheered for the revolutionaries louder and more enthusicastically than when Wao was playing Elmer. Her hair... dear god, I am so in love.
And speaking of So In Love, in her dinner show Wao said that the part of Elmer was written for her. Did other people know this already, and I'm just slow on the uptake? I guess it makes sense, because I don't remember seeing an Elmer in the German Elisabeth...
Anyway, before Wao showed up the person who most impressed me was... Shu Michiru. I'm completely appalled that she didn't have a Wiki page earlier. Honestly, I think she's tied with Mimi Anri now as my second-favorite Sophie. (They both have the Evil Eyebrows of Doom!)
Next person who most impressed me: Tom. But I mean really, how can you not love Tom?
Also (perhaps a tie with Tom): O-Hana. I love seeing her first interpretation of Elisabeth as compared to her second. She's... softer. Definitely more emotional; in Soragumi Elisabeth she was very cold. I think I especially noticed the difference in "Watashi Dake ni". And of course there's also the "scared bunny face" in her first encounter with Death... (Who came up with that phrase? I can't remember who I picked it up from, but... <3)
I'm sorry to say that Ichiro Maki comes so low on my list, but it's true. I actually didn't like her singing very much. But oh, there are many, many moments of hotness to appreciate. ^__^
Takane Fubuki: I... didn't really like her singing either. T__T;; And to me she didn't "age" well as Franz-Joseph. She has a baby-face.
Other fun things: seeing Chiharu as Schwarzenberg, spotting Black Angels Yumiko and Susshii, then Kashi singing in the cafe, plus Kyami as a servant-girl... oh, and brief shots of Kero as Jura. :-D
Not-so-fun things: Like I said, to me the singing isn't the best. Death, Franz and randomly, Lichtenstein, all grated on me a bit. Also, it's one thing for the music to be a different tempo than I'm used to, and another for the singers to be behind in the tempo. Argh, that annoys me. And this isn't a critique, but I was sad at not being able to spot Hacchan (she was only a ken-2, so I wasn't likely to find her anyway), or Black Angel Itsumine Aki.
But! I still have Rudolf!Taatan and BabyRudolf!Touko to look forward to! So it's on to Act II~
During Act II, I wrote some more stream-of-consciousness reactions and ending thoughts.
ACT II (There was a little intermission before it; how weird.)
ELMER!WAO AGAIN YAYE. Silly moustache. But mostly SQUEE YAYE.
Oh, and I could totally tell it was Mirai Yuuki singing "Éljen" even before I looked it up. ^^;; 'Cause she has a kickass voice.
AND THEN BABY RUDOLF!TOUKO. She was *SO* sweet and adorable and sad. LOVE.
I finally realized that Cardinal Rauscher (Ami Jun) was the same person who played the hotel manager in Invitation from Alice. That's why I recognized her.
Chiharu making the "secret club" suggestion and stroking her moustache... XDDD
Hoshina Yuri as Madeline was pretty cool.
"Saigo no Chance" = possibly Death's best outfit.
Hospital scene = no one will ever beat Ryou Akino's Windisch for me, it seems. But hey, wasn't that Kashi in the wheelchair?
And then... Taatan's Rudolf. Wow. I really liked her. I mean, you could cut through that emotion with a knife. There was a certain quality to her voice that I really loved too. But... but... a little part of me was whining for more shots of Wao in "Hungary Dokuritsu Undou". ;___;
I take it back about Death's best outfit. Ichiro looks dreadfully hot in white. <3
But at the end, Hana was back to the scared bunny face. It was totally like she was giving up, giving in to Death instead of choosing Death.
Which, to be honest, is always the way I've felt about the Elisabeth story. She rejects Der Tod all the way until the end, so it never makes sense to me that she chooses to love him. ^^;;; Still, for some reason I love this musical so much...
Anyway, the revue. The line dance costumes for Elisabeth have always been one of my favorite choices. But I was sad watching it, because I know dear Hacchan must have been in there and it was of course impossible for me to find her. ;____;
Trying to decide if Ichiro is hotter with or without the wig. It's a toss-up... but I think I like her better with the wig. ;-)
Then I FINALLY spotted Itsumine Aki, grar. Right before the revue version of "Yami ga Hirogaru". God, I wish I'd been able to see her as a Black Angel...
In the otokoyaku dance, my eyes were always greedily finding Wao. She was front and center on the stairs right behind Ichiro, and then right behind Yuki... Honestly, her presence alone may have made this my second favorite version of the dance. That and the blue tailcoats. Because despite any of the otokoyaku involved, I've found I can't love that dance as much in red or lavendar. :-( Oh and, Ichiro exited up the stairs, which was interesting.
Next, the pair dance: "Watashi Dake ni" with some new lyrics. Well that's a switch. (Although it really isn't, I suppose, seeing as this was the first production. ^^;; The switches were later.) But oh, Hana looked beautiful in her white dress... Yeah, the pair dance was pretty good. <3
Shu Michiru got the etoile. Good for her! Well, she was retiring after this, so it seems only fitting.
In the parade... Ichiro all in white, and her wings... well, uh, wow. Interesting. So flat and bendy... almost as if you could actually fly with them. XDD;;
And that's basically the end of my thoughts. Someday I'll probably try to make a list of my favorite 'sienne in each role, and how I rank the Elisabeth productions in general. But I'll have to wait until I see Hoshigumi's... and the new Yukigumi. ;-D
So! The original 1996 Yukigumi Elisabeth. (I think with the new production coming up, the two will have to be distinguished by something like "Yuki '96" and "Yuki '07". ^^;;) After the first act, I paused to write down some general thoughts. Basically they reflect my feelings as a whole.
ACT I
First, I have to say, OMG ELMER!WAO. (Aka "Julie obviously has her priorities wrong in this show". ^^;;;) Never have I cheered for the revolutionaries louder and more enthusicastically than when Wao was playing Elmer. Her hair... dear god, I am so in love.
And speaking of So In Love, in her dinner show Wao said that the part of Elmer was written for her. Did other people know this already, and I'm just slow on the uptake? I guess it makes sense, because I don't remember seeing an Elmer in the German Elisabeth...
Anyway, before Wao showed up the person who most impressed me was... Shu Michiru. I'm completely appalled that she didn't have a Wiki page earlier. Honestly, I think she's tied with Mimi Anri now as my second-favorite Sophie. (They both have the Evil Eyebrows of Doom!)
Next person who most impressed me: Tom. But I mean really, how can you not love Tom?
Also (perhaps a tie with Tom): O-Hana. I love seeing her first interpretation of Elisabeth as compared to her second. She's... softer. Definitely more emotional; in Soragumi Elisabeth she was very cold. I think I especially noticed the difference in "Watashi Dake ni". And of course there's also the "scared bunny face" in her first encounter with Death... (Who came up with that phrase? I can't remember who I picked it up from, but... <3)
I'm sorry to say that Ichiro Maki comes so low on my list, but it's true. I actually didn't like her singing very much. But oh, there are many, many moments of hotness to appreciate. ^__^
Takane Fubuki: I... didn't really like her singing either. T__T;; And to me she didn't "age" well as Franz-Joseph. She has a baby-face.
Other fun things: seeing Chiharu as Schwarzenberg, spotting Black Angels Yumiko and Susshii, then Kashi singing in the cafe, plus Kyami as a servant-girl... oh, and brief shots of Kero as Jura. :-D
Not-so-fun things: Like I said, to me the singing isn't the best. Death, Franz and randomly, Lichtenstein, all grated on me a bit. Also, it's one thing for the music to be a different tempo than I'm used to, and another for the singers to be behind in the tempo. Argh, that annoys me. And this isn't a critique, but I was sad at not being able to spot Hacchan (she was only a ken-2, so I wasn't likely to find her anyway), or Black Angel Itsumine Aki.
But! I still have Rudolf!Taatan and BabyRudolf!Touko to look forward to! So it's on to Act II~
During Act II, I wrote some more stream-of-consciousness reactions and ending thoughts.
ACT II (There was a little intermission before it; how weird.)
ELMER!WAO AGAIN YAYE. Silly moustache. But mostly SQUEE YAYE.
Oh, and I could totally tell it was Mirai Yuuki singing "Éljen" even before I looked it up. ^^;; 'Cause she has a kickass voice.
AND THEN BABY RUDOLF!TOUKO. She was *SO* sweet and adorable and sad. LOVE.
I finally realized that Cardinal Rauscher (Ami Jun) was the same person who played the hotel manager in Invitation from Alice. That's why I recognized her.
Chiharu making the "secret club" suggestion and stroking her moustache... XDDD
Hoshina Yuri as Madeline was pretty cool.
"Saigo no Chance" = possibly Death's best outfit.
Hospital scene = no one will ever beat Ryou Akino's Windisch for me, it seems. But hey, wasn't that Kashi in the wheelchair?
And then... Taatan's Rudolf. Wow. I really liked her. I mean, you could cut through that emotion with a knife. There was a certain quality to her voice that I really loved too. But... but... a little part of me was whining for more shots of Wao in "Hungary Dokuritsu Undou". ;___;
I take it back about Death's best outfit. Ichiro looks dreadfully hot in white. <3
But at the end, Hana was back to the scared bunny face. It was totally like she was giving up, giving in to Death instead of choosing Death.
Which, to be honest, is always the way I've felt about the Elisabeth story. She rejects Der Tod all the way until the end, so it never makes sense to me that she chooses to love him. ^^;;; Still, for some reason I love this musical so much...
Anyway, the revue. The line dance costumes for Elisabeth have always been one of my favorite choices. But I was sad watching it, because I know dear Hacchan must have been in there and it was of course impossible for me to find her. ;____;
Trying to decide if Ichiro is hotter with or without the wig. It's a toss-up... but I think I like her better with the wig. ;-)
Then I FINALLY spotted Itsumine Aki, grar. Right before the revue version of "Yami ga Hirogaru". God, I wish I'd been able to see her as a Black Angel...
In the otokoyaku dance, my eyes were always greedily finding Wao. She was front and center on the stairs right behind Ichiro, and then right behind Yuki... Honestly, her presence alone may have made this my second favorite version of the dance. That and the blue tailcoats. Because despite any of the otokoyaku involved, I've found I can't love that dance as much in red or lavendar. :-( Oh and, Ichiro exited up the stairs, which was interesting.
Next, the pair dance: "Watashi Dake ni" with some new lyrics. Well that's a switch. (Although it really isn't, I suppose, seeing as this was the first production. ^^;; The switches were later.) But oh, Hana looked beautiful in her white dress... Yeah, the pair dance was pretty good. <3
Shu Michiru got the etoile. Good for her! Well, she was retiring after this, so it seems only fitting.
In the parade... Ichiro all in white, and her wings... well, uh, wow. Interesting. So flat and bendy... almost as if you could actually fly with them. XDD;;
And that's basically the end of my thoughts. Someday I'll probably try to make a list of my favorite 'sienne in each role, and how I rank the Elisabeth productions in general. But I'll have to wait until I see Hoshigumi's... and the new Yukigumi. ;-D