Takarazuka & Fugu

Japan, Life, Travel Comments (2)

Takarazuka Revue and fugu — what more can you ask for from a day in Osaka? Some new photos in the Osaka album, but none from the play — no photos are allowed during the performance, of course. I’ve linked below to a few YouTube videos, however….

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Takarazuka Revue, it’s an all-female musical theater troupe (actually, several troupes) based in Takarazuka, Japan; you can read about its history at the official site and on TakaWiki. Although there’s no direct relationship, the revue continues a long history of theatrical crossdressing in Japan; Kabuki is well-known for its onnagata, the male actors who play women. Fewer people know that Kabuki was originally created by a woman and performed by all-female groups before such shows were deemed immoral and shifted into the hands of men, in a move reminiscent of what went on with theater in Elizabethan England. The women who play men’s roles in Takarazuka are otokoyaku (a bit more info, perhaps controversial, here).

The revue is wildly popular among many women in Japan, with dedicated fan groups and a cross-generational female audience demographic. The theater itself is designed in a feminine pink-and-floral design and I saw about one thousand women to one man. Also, as far as I can tell, I was the only foreigner in the entire theater. Certainly the only non-Asian foreigner, anyway. The program had a one-page plot synopsis in English (the same synopsis you can get from the website), and the rest was in Japanese — so this is not an attraction that’s been “found” by or that caters to foreign tourists yet. The shows are all matinees, for some reason. To serve its female audience, which is/was once expected back home by evening? I don’t know, but if you decide to go, keep in mind that it’ll take up a day.

Now, I have to confess that I don’t speak Japanese and I’m not a Takarazuka fangirl. However, I appreciate both gender-bending and musicals — and gender-bending musicals about the era of tall ships is sheer bonus — so watching the Takarazuka Revue perform was on my List of Things to Do while in Japan, and I’m delighted to have had the opportunity, thanks to my fantastic colleague and her generous mother. I enjoyed Trafalgar a great deal, even though I could only follow the play’s action in broad strokes. The costuming was wonderful, the music and dance lively and upbeat, and I enjoyed Yuhi Ozora’s performance as Horatio Nelson, even though I couldn’t help but wonder what the original Nelson would have said if he’d ever been told that his life story would eventually be played by a crossdressing Japanese woman…. Sumika Nono was charming as Emma, the Lady Hamilton. None of the other characters had large parts; Tomu Ranju as Napoleon was given fairly short shrift, I thought. I doubt Trafalgar will go down in history as one of the Revue’s greatest hits — it’s no Rose of Versailles or Elisabeth — but I had fun. One thing I could have passed on, though, was the final hero-in-heaven routine. I understand that the Takarazuka Revue’s style is to avoid leaving its audience saddened, even if the play is ultimately a tragedy, but I consider the heaven scenes rather trite.

The second half of the performance was the song and dance revue “Funky Sunshine,” in which all of the routines were based, however loosely, on the theme of the sun. Here’s where the Revue really got to strut its stuff, with lavish stage sets covered in electrical lights, outrageous costuming, and huge dance numbers; a real over-the-top spectacular. Interestingly, at the end the stars came out to film a short Q&A for a talk show, which is apparently new and not something that happens at every performance. Of course, I didn’t understand any of it, but I spent the time admiring their sparkling silver and gold costumes….

Speaking of costumes, visitors can dress up in one of the revue’s character costumes; it costs around $120 and takes an hour and a half if you want the full Takarazuka Revue style of make-up, hairstyle, costuming, and photographing. Although I’d dearly love to dress up as Lady Oscar, I decided it’d just have to wait until next time I get out there…. at which age I may be more suited to play Elisabeth‘s Death….

After the revue, Akiko and I returned to Dotonbori and went out for fugu at Zubora-ya, a restaurant well-known for serving fugu. About $30 bought a set meal of fugu prepared in just about every way possible: boiled, fried, grilled, in a salad, as sashimi, and as sushi. Fugu is, as I had been warned, a fairly flavorless fish — like eating chewy paper — but it was also on my List of Things to Do. Hmmm. The list is getting pretty short now; I think I’m down to trying a Mos Burger!

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A few Takarazuka Revue audience tips that I picked up: APPLAUSE: Clap the first time the stars appear and clap again the first time they walk across “the silver bridge,” a narrow sliver of stage between the audience and the orchestra pit that brings the characters closer to the audience. In the dance routine, clap every time a star appears in each new routine. The entire audience clapped in time to the dance music, as well. BATHROOM BREAKS: Use the restrooms outside the theater lobby before the show begins. When intermission begins, don’t join the queues; go out into the larger theater/shopping area and get a snack (keep your ticket with you so you can re-enter!). Then, about 10 minutes before the show starts again, use the restrooms. No line! (Hey, when the entire audience is female, you gotta be strategic about some things…!)

drupagliassotti @ June 4, 2010