Ocean’s 11

This is not my first time seeing a Takarazuka show, but it is my first time seeing one of the Flower Troupe’s productions.  I now understand why there is a difference in budget between troupes better.  If comparing to Star or Moon Troupes, overall the production value is drastically different.  The costumes fit (and looked) better and the sets were more elaborate.

One of the flaws of Takarazuka theater as a whole, however, is converting other media such as movies like Ocean’s Eleven into a musical format.  Certainly, Takarazuka would not be Takarazuka without music and dance, and using popular films or novels attracts viewers, but some stories are simply not musical material, especially stories as complicated as Ocean’s Eleven.  Story-wise, although the performance was interesting, it definitely wasn’t  Ocean’s Eleven.  Many of the characters were boiled down to little more than stereotypes, and changes to the plot were made so that characters like Tess were made more vulnerable and…feminine.  I personally wasn’t a fan of the Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Temptation theme that pervaded the story.  And although the music was catchy at times, it wasn’t very memorable.

Ranju Tomu, however, the star for Danny Ocean, was incredible.  Her performance alone held the entire show together.  Watching her act and dance, I forgot her gender entirely.  The other performers were strong as well, but as always the fell flat for me, especially when I consider that her role was originally played by Julia Roberts.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, although I found it better to consider it more of an original piece very loosely inspired by the film.  If anything, I was greatly impressed by the Flower Troupe, and am looking to attend another one of their shows, ideally a (proper) musical.