Beth Winter

Tomu - oh. I need to rewrite my letter, because I wrote it yesterday on the plane.

Basically, I looked at her on Saturday and I said "Top Star". I was right. (And she's going to be aces with Ran-chan. I wanted Eritan, yes, but wherever Tomu goes, she will be beautiful and brilliant.) Mind you, I would have preferred Sora-Top Tomu. Just because she has so much fun there ♥

Teru - um. Basically, whut? She was just getting used to Hoshigumi! And she was so brilliant at being evil to them in Officer that I'm really, really surprised. (Although I guess this creates a void for Hoshi-nibante. And there's a can of worms that I don't want to open.) And the whole Soragumi situation in this case - I don't think a nibante was ever demoted to sanbante, so either Yuuhi goes and Micchan's top, or... Yeah. Whut. It's a good word.

Yuki retirements - poor Yuuki Senju :( I hope she'll recover from whatever laid her out so badly. Shinko has me all @.@ though - Manaka Ayu as third Juliette? Though Shou-kun Tybalt will be good :)

And just to reiterate: WHUT.

*stares* Okay, they're keeping Death and it's Makaze. I'll be rolling around laughing here ---->

Mickey got Paris ♥ Yay for a grown-up role. Other very very yay casting is Yuzurun as Mercutio, paired with Toyoko's Benvolio. Looks like they're going for the Paris cast all the way, with a bouncing crazy Mercutio versus a calmer Benvolio that's in over his head. Except for Junna!Prince of Verona - don't think it's likely for them to keep the opening and power songs, might be too major a role for her.

Shirahana Remi's role as Nurse means a transition to upperclassman roles. Can't say I'm surprised, but she'll slay that role, opposite Kumichou as Friar Laurence (and hey, she gets groped by Yuzurun!Mercutio).

And then of course there are the leads. I so called Teru!Tybalt.

I fear this may be a DVD I'm bound to get :)

Gekijou cast - Escamillo! Tomomin's Escamillo will be something else entirely, I expect :D

They kept the narrator and Garcia roles together for Toyoko again, and I'm sure she'll have fun with that. Seara got the fiancee, and just about everyone else is gypsies. Not like this show is hard to cast with this troupe, especially with half of it, but...

Escamillo :)

I kind of don't believe my eyes, but apparently the new production of Presgurvic's Romeo et Juliette? Japan, Umeda Arts Theatre, Takarazuka Star Troupe. Directed by Koike Shuuichirou, the guy who did all Takarazuka Elisabeths, Legend, Scarlet Pimpernel... take your pick.

I am, in order of importance:

- aflail at not seeing it live
- overjoyed by the fact it'll be Out On DVD and I will be able to acquire it
- cast speculating :D

What Hoshigumi excels at, lately, is drama and fighting. And here we have power ballads galore, several duels, battles on stage, more death than you can shake a stick at...

The cast falls into place. Chie will be Romeo and Nene, Juliette, of course. Kumichou as the Prince making everyone fall in line and opening the show. Tybalt - this has got to be Toyoko, she's so brilliant at being evil. Unless they make it Teru (no slouch at evil-ness), with Toyoko as the Prince - giving Toyoko the extra Prince's songs which often get dropped - which would let Tomomin and Beni be Mercutio and Benvolio. I may be stuck on the Hungarian version, with Kerényi Miklós Máté's Benvolio bouncing all over the place, but Beni would make the sweetest, bounciest Benvolio ever. In which case Kumichou could be the Nurse and break my brain completely if Tomomin!Mercutio hits on her ♥

I'd love it if they keep the French version's ballet-dancer Death. (In Takarazuka terms, think Itsumine Aki in Brothers Karamazov. If they get Itsumine Aki to do it, it would be extra-brilliant.) She might get dropped for the same reason Hungary dropped her - it kind of makes people remember Romeo got molested by Death already last month as Rudolf...

But oh, it's another musical with a metric tonne of roles, with great music and great drama, allowing everyone to show off at their best. What demon did Hoshigumi make a pact with, anyway?

(And for the Takarazuka fans: look up either Les Rois du Monde or Lehetsz Király or Verone/Verona on Youtube, any concert/videoclip/promo version. Especially the latter. These songs are energy personified.)

-crossposted because hey! fandom worlds intertwining!

I don't exactly keep a ranking of favourite Takarazuka plays, but I do keep a running tally of the ones I can see myself rewatching over and over again. There are several categories in the tally, and under 'comedy of manners', Epiphany has just shot to the top, possibly even overtaking Ernest in Love. It's got crossdressing, plays-within-plays, Shakespeare, kabuki, and Ayaki Nao/Saeko in a variety of kimono - I had a feeling I would like it even before I got the DVD.
( Shakespeare meets kabuki )

The review's a bit late (though not as late as the Elisabeth one!), so to make up for it, I added pictures :) Life's been crazy since I got back.

This was another show with a plot famous for confusing people. I'm rather proud of myself - with rudimentary Japanese and no knowledge of the original Korean drama, the only part of the plot I wasn't able to follow was the actual Four Gods thing, and that was the one thing I'd read up on before. Overall, this was a gorgeous show - perfect cast, perfect energy, gorgeous visuals and engaging characters. I'll be buying this one on DVD!

( With pictures, courtesy of Asahi.com )

For the past three days it's been cold and raining almost constantly. Two thunderstorms so far. In other words, the sort of weather to curl up under a duvet with a book or a DVD, or both.

( Liza Dalby: East Wind Melts the Ice )

( Takarazuka Cosmos Troupe: Jose and Carmen )

( Across (Kozuki Wataru Dancing Recital) )

( Albatross, Go South! )