English Title: Aria Dream Song New Year Concert
Japanese Title: アリア　夢唄 New Year Concert
Romanized Title: Aria Yume Uta New Year Concert

Troupe: Snow
Year: 1995
Performances: Theater Drama City, 1/12 - 1/14; Aichi Annuity Hall, 9/24 - 9/26

Director: Kusano Akira
Composer: Terada Takio, Yoshida Yuuko, Takahashi Kuni, Mori Konate
Choreographer: Jim Clark, Miori Yumino

Available on DVD: No (VHS only)


Stars: Ichiro Maki, Hanafusa Mari

Drama City Ken-1 Supporting Performers: Kiriya Hiromu, Narumi Jun, Sen Hosachi, Ayabuki Mao, Miya Erika, Kuji Akari, Haru Ayuka, Momoka Sari, Kanon Shiori, Mei Karen

Aichi Annuity Supporting Performers: Mirai Yuuki, Mizutani Shino, Takase Yuu, Haru Ayuka, Mariho Erina, Sugata Kou

WARNING!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!

This concert is modelled a little after a typical Takarazuka show, with the first half being a skit about two cats, and the second half more of a revue-like show.

It starts out with nearly fifteen minutes of monologue from Maki, who is dressed as a ragged tomcat in a rainbow-colored, tattered sweater and furry ears. She builds a house out of cardboard boxes, tells the audience a story with animated character-voices, and basically fools around onstage for quite a while. I think the point of this is to show the audience that "Macky" (the cat's name, a play on Maki's own name) is a very lonely kitty. After a long time, however, a beautiful white cat appears and dances. Macky is quite taken with her, and tries to make friends with her, but she doesn't seem interested and dances away. Macky mopes sadly until she comes back. He follows her around a little more, and she tells him her name is "Mary" (a pun on Mari's name). She dances off again. It begins to snow, and Macky goes to visit her, bringing her a Christmas ornament as a gift. He shyly tries to ask Mary if she'll stay with him, and she hops up like she didn't hear. Just as he's feeling rather dejected, however, she removes his scarf and replaces it with one she's knitted for him.

In the next scene, Macky and Mari have moved in together in Macky's little cardboard house. They either have, or are planning to have (I couldn't quite tell) five kittens, named Do, Re, Mi, Fa and Sol. But when Macky runs offstage, Mary is hit by a car. Macky comes back to find her lying on the ground. Devastated, he watches over her and falls to his knees, praying that she won't die. After a long moment of angst, Mary wakes up, and Macky runs to her and hugs her as the skit ends.

The second half of the show, "Ichiro Maki at Drama City," is more like what you would expect from a concert. Maki sings a medley of well known musical themes including "Hello, Dolly!", "Old Man River," "The Sound of Music," "I Could Have Danced All Night," etc., etc. She also does a cute little dance using the spotlight as her partner. Hana appears and sings her own medley of rather oddly chosen songs: "Moon River," "The Sound of Silence," "The Saints Go Marching On", "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing," etc. Maki appears in a tuxedo, top hat and cape and strolls around the audience singing. She removes the hat and cape and sings several songs into a standing microphone, then does a costume change and joins Hana for a truly beautiful couple-dance, followed by a more energetic number where finally(!) some backup dancers are allowed a little stage time. Mao Ayabuki and Hiromu Kiriya are among them.

Maki and Hana have a brief discussion about their cats skit. Maki goes through a couple more costume changes and sings several more songs; there's a very cute point where she and Hana start giggling — really girly giggling — together, and finally Maki does a final song to end the show.


I've heard that Maki and Hana wrote the cat skit themselves.


Reviewed by MerryShannon

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