On Flower Troupe Performance: Endless Flight / Season of Angels / Applause Takarazuka!


Haruno: For the first half of the rehearsals, I was just frantically practicing my lines.

Sena: I had my hands full just with my own part too.

Haruno: Yes, you did, didn’t you ? (laughs) Well, it seemed as if everyone was desperately busy with their own part. Although we didn’t particularly have more lines than usual.

Sena: True, so I wonder why…?

Haruno: Maybe it was after all because it’s a comedy and we all considered it our duty to make the audience laugh (laughs).

Sena: Yes, maybe (laughs).

Haruno: But when we got into later rehearsals, I started to want to see how the whole play was shaping up.

Sena: Yes, I started to watch the people around me on stage.

Haruno: Mm.

Sena: It’s a normal thing to do, but I hadn’t even been able to do that before!

Haruno: Yes, in that sense, the rehearsals were quite hard.

***

Haruno: I have two roles in the play and I have to keep changing wigs. The one I wear as Gustave isn’t fastened with pins, so I was always worried that it would come off. But against all expectations, it was fine.

Sena: It would be hilarious if it came off. (laughs)

Haruno: I’d just have to turn it into a gag, wouldn’t I? (laughs) But in fact it was the other one, the king’s wig, which slid around more.

Sena: Yes, it did, didn’t it?

Haruno: After I say “How rude!” to Margerita (Fuzuki Miyo), I stand up straight, but after that I bend over quickly and the wig sometimes slips backwards.

Sena: “Ack ack ack!”

Haruno: (laughs) As far as incidents go, that’s about it for me. I bet you have lots to tell though, Asako (Sena).

Sena: Yes, actually, I do have a few. The worst was the time when, at the point when I come on stage at the top of the steps with Gustave, the beads came off my wig. Just the “clatter-clatter-clatter” noise in the middle of the scene…

Haruno: It was loud, wasn’t it? (laughs)

Sena: It really made me jump.

Haruno: Yes, me too! (laughs)

Sena: Neither of us knew what to do about it…

Haruno: I thought a set had broken backstage or something.

Sena: So did I. But then I saw the beads scattering around the stage and I thought “Ah, it’s me!”

Haruno: But you looked pretty calm, you know. Kind of like “Well, what are we going to do?”

Sena: I figured it couldn’t be helped.

Haruno: (laughs)

Sena: Then when I next went offstage, I told everyone that my beads had come off on stage and to be careful not to step on them. I didn’t want anyone to fall over on them.

Haruno: No, naturally… Do you have anything interesting to tell about the part where Assala (Sena) is being pursued by various people and flees into the audience?

Sena: Once there was a little kid who shouted “Aaah, a kidnapper!”(1) and when I got close, started to cry! I didn’t quite know what to do.

Haruno: Scary! (laughs)

Sena: I did say “Sorry!” (laughs)

Haruno: If you terrify the kids, they might start hating Takarazuka. (laughs)

Sena: Yes, I thought that too - “Please don’t hate Takarazuka!”. But the mother was delighted!

Haruno: Mummy!!! (laughs) What else?

Sena: Hey, why always me? (laughs)

Haruno: Because you seem to goof up a lot. (laughs)

Sena: (laughs) I wish I had the ability to turn even the goofs into something good.

Haruno: I think I’ve managed to let go a bit on stage.

Sena: Masa-chan (Haruno), don’t you suddenly shout “Iiiiiiiiiiii!”? (laughs)

Haruno: Oh, that - you did that first! (laughs)

Sena: Did I?

Haruno: Yes, you did. I even thought you were some kind of wild animal. I used to live up in the mountains, and you could hear that kind of cry at dawn.

Sena: (bursts out laughing)

Haruno: So I thought: “What’s wrong with her?!”

Sena: You know at the beginning of the escape scene, when I’m running away from Yumiko (Ayabuki Mao) and the officers, and I run into the king…(2)

Haruno: He’s waiting for you.

Sena: It becomes a confrontation, doesn’t it? At that point, you suddenly yell.

Haruno: No, no, I don’t! (laughs) You yell first!

Sena: (laughs) Yesterday, your voice was great!

Haruno: It was, wasn’t it?

Sena: It was a good yell. It’s become a contest for who can get most laughs, hasn’t it?

Haruno: Yes, it has. When you were talking to Gustave, you were going “Mm, mm, mm, mm…” weren’t you?

Sena: (laughs) As hard as possible.

Haruno: That was hilarious. The audience was laughing too.

Sena: Really?

Haruno: How do you suddenly come up with these things?

Sena: I don’t know. I don’t do it consciously. I’m just concentrating really hard on listening to Gustave closely. Even while I’m doubting his words, I’m thinking “Let’s let this one pass, and listen carefully to the next bit.” Somehow, that kind of turned on a switch…

Haruno: (laughs)

Sena: “Mm, mm, mm, mm…”

Haruno: Who is that character, really? (laughs)

Sena: In true princely manner, he tries to listen very carefully to the common people. (laughs)

Haruno: (laughs) He’s a prince, but all sorts of characters come out in him, don’t they?

Sena: As you know, he’s “ 魅惑の王子 ” {miwaku no ôji, “Prince Charming”}.

Haruno: It’s not really “ 魅惑 ” {miwaku, “charm”} is it?

Sena: No. More like “ 微 ” mi/bi(3) in “ 微妙 ” {bimyô, “dubious”].

Haruno: Yes, “ 微惑の王子 ” {“Prince Dubious”} (laughs)


***

Haruno: In the revue, we used to dance together in the “SAVAGE-K” bit, but now I’m dancing with the special guests…

Sena: I can’t remember the time when we danced it together. (laughs)

Haruno: I wonder whether we’ll still be able to do it properly when we go back to the standard Hanagumi version.

Sena: I’m more worried than you! But it would be good if we could make it seem not that we had simply gone back to the original version, but that we have created something new.

Haruno: Yes, we want to feel we’re doing something new for ourselves too. For this production, we have three directors and every scene is really grandiose. And since they each have their own style, every scene is fun to do, and I like all the songs.

Sena: I like the short play in the “Fallen Angel of the Backstreets” where you try to throw away your gun. (laughs)

Haruno: (laughs)

Sena: That bit is getting longer and longer, isn’t it? (laughs)

Haruno: It’s not that! (laughs) I was actually asked to make that bit longer. (laughs)

Sena: Really? I thought you were making it longer yourself.

Haruno: No, no. (laughs) I was asked to make it longer to help with the scene changeover. But maybe I’m making it longer than necessary (laughs).

Sena: No, it’s fine. Make it even longer – do it for a whole minute.

Haruno: (laughs)

Sena: I think it’s your highlight in the revue. You’re kind of drunk with yourself, aren’t you?

Haruno: Yes, carried away… no, I’m not! (laughs)

Sena: “My goal is five minutes!” (laughs)

Haruno: That’s too long! (laughs) But lately, I’ve been thinking it’s getting a bit long myself, so I’ll be careful.

Sena: Why? It’s fine, it’s your highlight after all.

Haruno: Really? Then I’ll do it. (laughs)

Sena: Yep. Though I’m deciding as I please what your highlight is. (laughs) You should choose it yourself.

Haruno: That’s it! (laughs) It’s that bit! (laughs)

Sena: It is, then. (laughs)

Haruno: What about your highlight then?

Sena: Hmmm, it’s probably in the Latin dance scene, to see how far I can dance within the spotlight.

Haruno: Your shoulders stick out from the spotlight, don’t they?

Sena: Yes, they do.

Haruno: (laughs) Why don’t you have them make the spot a bit bigger? It’s not as big as everyone says.

Sena: Thank you! Keep talking.

Haruno: It’s really not that big in fact, even though it looks like it.

Sena: (laughs) It’s a powerful dance precisely because I can dance energetically but stay within the spotlight. That’s my highlight.

Haruno: We get some hot bits in the Spanish dance, don’t we?

Sena: Yes. What with the special guests, it’s the only scene where I dance with you, so it’s really fun. It feels like “I finally got to dance!”

Haruno: There is a special something we can’t give unless we’re together. Then it just kind of clicks. “That’s it!”

Sena: Yes, I feel that too. In the past, we’ve been together in various scenes, but this time I felt it especially. It’s not a very gracious thing to say, but having the special guests has made me feel our bond all the more.

Haruno: In that scene, when we’ve united our efforts, it feels great, doesn’t it? In this show, we’re receiving the stars from each of the other troupes as special guests, each with a completely different style from Flower Troupe, so on the one hand, our troupe will be influenced by them, but on the other, and it may sound presumptuous to say this, but I hope that they will also get something from Flower Troupe. The audience is also more excited than usual so the ambience is great and it’s easy for us to perform.

Sena: They each have their own character, so we get led in different ways by each. So we follow in different ways too, and it’s quite refreshing.

***

Haruno: When I see Kasugano-sensei, Matsumoto Yuri-san and Todoroki Yuu-san dance in "Endless flight", I am very moved to think that these are the people who have been the backbone of Takarazuka up until now. After them, it's our turn on stage, and I get all tense thinking that we have to take over from them. It makes me think again how great our theatre company is and how lucky I am to be part of it at this time.

Sena: The first time I saw the (Japanese) Dance for Celebration in rehearsals, I actually had tears in my eyes. It was as if deep inside, my heart was crying.

Haruno: Mm.

Sena: I was impressed by the way that when they went on stage, they immediately commanded everyone's attention, though I wasn't surprised.

Haruno: As soon as Kasugano-sensei appears on the rising platform, she immediately owns the stage.

Sena: She creates her own world, doesn't she? Just calling her 'great'(4) doesn't seem to do her justice, but really, she is great!

Haruno: Yes, isn't she?

***

Sena: The 15 minutes of Japanese dancing(5) are wonderful of course and the play is endlessly light and amusing. The show benefits from the efforts of three different directors, so everyone, please come to see us in Tokyo as well!

Haruno: This play marked the beginning of the 90th anniversary of the troupe, so even in Tokyo, without losing that impetus, we hope give the audience a whirlwind of dreams and emotion...

Sena: A whirlwind. (laughs)

Haruno: (laughs) I want to envelop you in a whirlwind, so please, please come and see us! I hope we can make our audience feel the power of Flower Troupe!


******

Notes:

(1) The quote is ｢人質だー！｣　"Hito jichi da !" which literally means "a hostage", but I interpret from the context that the child is afraid of being taken hostage himself.

(2) I can’t find this shout on the DVD version I have of Season of Angels, so I suppose that they only started doing this after the filming day for the DVD. But if I’ve missed something, please point it out to me!

(3) Kanji usually have several readings, and this particular one (微) is pronounced bi in the word ”微妙” (bimyô, here meaning “dubious”), but could also be pronounced mi in the imaginary word “微惑” (miwaku) to replace the “魅” mi in the real word “魅惑” (miwaku, meaning charm).

(4) sugoi in the original text.

(5) "祝舞"　is not simply Japanese dancing, but a specific dance; literally Festive or Celebratory Dance. I can’t for the life of me figure out how it’s pronounced, so if anyone knows, please enlighten me!