Romeo & Juliette
It's an entertaining show. It's a spectacle. It's... pop and hip-hop dancing and crazy hair and a lot of gimmickry, okay.
I spent a good portion of the first act thinking how much it pandered to the new generation and wasn't quite worth all the hype... But by the time it was finished I felt like I had seen something good and decent.
It's still Romeo and Juliet, and all that entails. It's still the story of two innocents who "fall in love at first sight", make very ill-informed decisions and die tragically. The moral of the story is really that they teach their families to stop fighting (aka "make love not war, and by the way you are crappy parents").
It's... really, really not my thing to watch Takarazuka top stars be bright-eyed teenagers who are all naively, stupidly ♥♥♥In Wuv♥♥♥.
But hey, a lot of the big group scenes are great, and there are a lot of really awesome seito in Hoshigumi☆ I agree with people who say this cast was basically hand-picked.
My favorite person was... Shirahana Remi, the Nurse! She was brilliant and mysteriously believable despite the "fat suit" on the one hand and her thin, 20-something face on the other. Her mannerisms were just right and her role as the Voice of Reason, the world-weary adult who still kind of wants to believe in True Love was the best for me. The Nurse's solo is so necessary in my opinion and I'm so afraid they're going to cut it for Yukigumi.
My second favorite person was REI MAKOTO, LOVE. (Actual Love, that was her character you know.) So much amazing dancing. So amazing. So much the embodiment of an abstract concept and not too heavy-handed like Death. (I'm sorry I couldn't really watch Makaze; just her very existence was too clichéd even if her dances were sometimes cool.) BUT LOVE. SO PRETTY. I'm kind of sad she's actually an otokoyaku! In any case Koto, I am watching you *___*
My third favorite people were Doi-chan and Mariya, because they were absurdly awesome background people on a constant basis.
Beni was my favorite person during her death scene (OMG actual acting among all of the over-the-top-ness??), and Toyoko was my favorite person when she did her Oh God I Have to Give My Best Friend Really Bad News song. (Actually Toyoko was kind of perfect everywhere, but I was distracting myself with other Montagues. Beni was mostly... Beni ;)
Special mentions go to Senju Haru for totally tricking me into thinking she was she was an actual musumeyaku and/or Hatsuse Yuka momentarily... Shiotsuki Shuu and no one should have to ask why, with those cheekbones and that hair... And Kisaragi Ren, who blew me away because she has literally become Ayami Haya 2.0, Now with More Sugar.
And Hiroka Yuu and Murasaki Rira (Red Team), just because 95ths!♥ And Otosaki Itsuki and Kisaki Airi (pageboy types), because 96ths!♥
OH and Junna she was perfect, PERFECT as the Prince of Verona.
OH GOD and Koro-chan and Kawai Mizuho, that part at the end with the two mothers was the only place I thought I might cry. Also Koro-chan I'm sorry I ever doubted you, you were SO Lady Capulet and those things you did to Kaname were totally illegal.
Kaname. Was tall and hot and a rock star and stuff! Her "I Am Tybalt" song was completely ridiculous (if not quite as ridiculous as Chie's "I'm Afraid" song)! I found myself feeling a little bad for Tybalt, because he has to deal with all that creepy stuff from his aunt plus being in a family that's full of hate and hey who's to say he didn't have a chance with his cousin, they did that back then. And actually her song that was not the I Am Tybalt Song was really sexy, with all those musumeyaku and such ♥
Chie and Nene... Like I said, it was just hard for me to watch them. They did exactly what they were supposed to, they became Innocent Teenagers In Love to the fullest -- it's just that that turned me off. Especially with Nene. Her voice is okay now, but she's still very much not my style so -- no. Chie... sang really well? And had the depth of a high school student? Kind of a waste of her acting skills.
But at the same time I kept thinking to myself, I respect them for going all the way there, because it's looking like this show will be The Next Big Thing and in general Chie and Nene seem to be the money-making dream couple of the company. So, I say, fine then.
I can now kind of see it with Kimu.
I can now kind of see it with... Ami-chan. Because hey if Juliette is 16 then obviously Ami-chan is the closest in age. It would make the most sense for her to be pure and innocent and naive, with a voice like a clear, ringing bell. (Maybe my protective spirit has built her up in my mind a little, I don't know.)
(And I'm not saying this makes this all right, by the way. Watching R+J actually made me think a lot about how if Takarazuka wants to put on shows like this, they'll HAVE to have stars who are Chie's age and younger.)
I can imagine it with Mimi but really do not want. I was starting to almost accept Mimi because she's getting all grown up, but when she plays Juliette it will just heighten everything I didn't like again.
I can imagine it with Ayucchi, NENE'S SISTER why don't they give her a turn god so unfair on top of the unfairness already.
The rest of the casting for Yukigumi... will require some more thought.
Bottom line is watch this performance for the crack, not for the tops! Which is basically what I do with every show now anyway.
I spent a good portion of the first act thinking how much it pandered to the new generation and wasn't quite worth all the hype... But by the time it was finished I felt like I had seen something good and decent.
It's still Romeo and Juliet, and all that entails. It's still the story of two innocents who "fall in love at first sight", make very ill-informed decisions and die tragically. The moral of the story is really that they teach their families to stop fighting (aka "make love not war, and by the way you are crappy parents").
It's... really, really not my thing to watch Takarazuka top stars be bright-eyed teenagers who are all naively, stupidly ♥♥♥In Wuv♥♥♥.
But hey, a lot of the big group scenes are great, and there are a lot of really awesome seito in Hoshigumi☆ I agree with people who say this cast was basically hand-picked.
My favorite person was... Shirahana Remi, the Nurse! She was brilliant and mysteriously believable despite the "fat suit" on the one hand and her thin, 20-something face on the other. Her mannerisms were just right and her role as the Voice of Reason, the world-weary adult who still kind of wants to believe in True Love was the best for me. The Nurse's solo is so necessary in my opinion and I'm so afraid they're going to cut it for Yukigumi.
My second favorite person was REI MAKOTO, LOVE. (Actual Love, that was her character you know.) So much amazing dancing. So amazing. So much the embodiment of an abstract concept and not too heavy-handed like Death. (I'm sorry I couldn't really watch Makaze; just her very existence was too clichéd even if her dances were sometimes cool.) BUT LOVE. SO PRETTY. I'm kind of sad she's actually an otokoyaku! In any case Koto, I am watching you *___*
My third favorite people were Doi-chan and Mariya, because they were absurdly awesome background people on a constant basis.
Beni was my favorite person during her death scene (OMG actual acting among all of the over-the-top-ness??), and Toyoko was my favorite person when she did her Oh God I Have to Give My Best Friend Really Bad News song. (Actually Toyoko was kind of perfect everywhere, but I was distracting myself with other Montagues. Beni was mostly... Beni ;)
Special mentions go to Senju Haru for totally tricking me into thinking she was she was an actual musumeyaku and/or Hatsuse Yuka momentarily... Shiotsuki Shuu and no one should have to ask why, with those cheekbones and that hair... And Kisaragi Ren, who blew me away because she has literally become Ayami Haya 2.0, Now with More Sugar.
And Hiroka Yuu and Murasaki Rira (Red Team), just because 95ths!♥ And Otosaki Itsuki and Kisaki Airi (pageboy types), because 96ths!♥
OH and Junna she was perfect, PERFECT as the Prince of Verona.
OH GOD and Koro-chan and Kawai Mizuho, that part at the end with the two mothers was the only place I thought I might cry. Also Koro-chan I'm sorry I ever doubted you, you were SO Lady Capulet and those things you did to Kaname were totally illegal.
Kaname. Was tall and hot and a rock star and stuff! Her "I Am Tybalt" song was completely ridiculous (if not quite as ridiculous as Chie's "I'm Afraid" song)! I found myself feeling a little bad for Tybalt, because he has to deal with all that creepy stuff from his aunt plus being in a family that's full of hate and hey who's to say he didn't have a chance with his cousin, they did that back then. And actually her song that was not the I Am Tybalt Song was really sexy, with all those musumeyaku and such ♥
Chie and Nene... Like I said, it was just hard for me to watch them. They did exactly what they were supposed to, they became Innocent Teenagers In Love to the fullest -- it's just that that turned me off. Especially with Nene. Her voice is okay now, but she's still very much not my style so -- no. Chie... sang really well? And had the depth of a high school student? Kind of a waste of her acting skills.
But at the same time I kept thinking to myself, I respect them for going all the way there, because it's looking like this show will be The Next Big Thing and in general Chie and Nene seem to be the money-making dream couple of the company. So, I say, fine then.
I can now kind of see it with Kimu.
I can now kind of see it with... Ami-chan. Because hey if Juliette is 16 then obviously Ami-chan is the closest in age. It would make the most sense for her to be pure and innocent and naive, with a voice like a clear, ringing bell. (Maybe my protective spirit has built her up in my mind a little, I don't know.)
(And I'm not saying this makes this all right, by the way. Watching R+J actually made me think a lot about how if Takarazuka wants to put on shows like this, they'll HAVE to have stars who are Chie's age and younger.)
I can imagine it with Mimi but really do not want. I was starting to almost accept Mimi because she's getting all grown up, but when she plays Juliette it will just heighten everything I didn't like again.
I can imagine it with Ayucchi, NENE'S SISTER why don't they give her a turn god so unfair on top of the unfairness already.
The rest of the casting for Yukigumi... will require some more thought.
Bottom line is watch this performance for the crack, not for the tops! Which is basically what I do with every show now anyway.