The Scarlet Pimpernel

I took the bus and rode it all the way to Shibuya where I made my way to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater to see a performance of the Scarlet Pimpernel done by the Moon Troupe (click HERE for more info about the performance).

For those who don’t know what Takarazuka is, it is an all-female musical acting troupe which is further divided into five troupes, each known for a certain kind of flair or style.  The women play all the roles, and are trained to play either male (known as otokoyaku) or female (known as musumeyaku) roles.  I must be cursed or something when it comes to this show though because I left with plenty of time to spare, and I still arrived 10-15 minutes late!  I have seen a performance of the Scarlet Pimpernel done before, but by the Start Troupe, so it was okay (for info about performance, click HERE).  I can’t get over the fact that not only did I arrive late (again), but I also got there at the exact same time as last time in the performance @_@.

The performance was really nice.  I did however find myself comparing it with the Star Troupe’s version throughout.  And visually, it was a little difficult, because they didn’t really look the parts… that and it felt like the entire troupe had been chibi-fied because everyone, including the otokoyaku leads for Percy and Chauvelin, were ridiculously short!  Save for one otokoyaku who played Antony, who was ridiculously tall!  She wore flats pretty much the entire performance while everyone else wore 3-4 inch heel boots, and she was still taller (I looked her up – she’s 5′ 7″).  Physical appearances aside, the music was spectacular.  The composition seemed different compared to the Star Troupe’s performance, more beautiful.  I guess it’s partially to be expected since the Moon Troupe’s focus is on music (Star Troupe’s emphasis is on its otokoyaku actors, in case you were curious).  Also the fact that the musumeyaku who played Marguerite was amazing was a big plus.  She not only pulled off the look so much better, her voice was incredible.  The members of the Moon Troupe are known for being strong singers, so all of the singing was great.  Chauvelin’s rhythm and melody was spot on and the reprises were really beautiful.  On the acting side, their humor, both dialogue and physical acting-wise, was really entertaining.  Kiriya Hiromu, who played Percy, was a riot.  All in all I’m happy I went.  Star Troupe will always be my favorite, but I really appreciated this performance.

From inside the program book, Kiriya Hiromu as Percy Blakeney.

Kiriya Hiromu as Percy (left) Aono Yuki as Marguerite (right)

The role for Chauvelin was double-cast, I saw the performance with Asumi Rio (right) as Chauvelin and Ryuu Masaki (left) as Armand, Marguerite’s brother.

In terms of Takarazuka in general, however, it really struck me this time how detailed each performer’s actions are, even the extras.  That, and I think I have evidence to disprove the belief that the only men who attend Takarazuka are guys accompanying their wives/girlfriends/etc…. I witnessed a whole PACK of guys, at least 15 of them, all sitting together enjoying the show!