Versailles' roses bloom (ベルサイユのバラが咲く)

I found out about Takarazuka while looking for The Rose of Versailles anime videos on YouTube.

I stumbled upon a 1989 Takarazuka version of it and fell in love.

Since then, I have always wanted to see The Rose of Versailles live.

My dream's come true (twice)! (^___^)

On January 14th and February 3rd I went to Takarazuka to watch the Moon troupe version of The Rose of Versailles -Oscar & André.

Actually, I didn't have tickets for it: I was planning to buy them, but didn't make it.

So I went there and bought standing tickets, which can only be bought on the day of the show. I was afraid that they would also be sold out, but they weren't! Actually, I understand that they sell about a hundred of those, so if you get there by 10am (or even slightly later) you can almost be sure you'll get one - at least, that's how it went for me both times.

The first time I had a student discount and only payed 1000 yen! That was not possible the second time, though, so I had to pay 2500 yen (which still sounds reasonable to me). Apparently the student discount is available only for certain shows and on certain days.

From the standing seats you get a pretty good view of the whole stage, a lot better than I thought. It is impossible, though, to see the faces and clothes in detail.

So I rented the opera glasses: they are 500yen plus you have to give 5000yen (which will be given back to you once you return the opera glasses) as a deposit. Using those I was able to see the actresses' faces better than when sitting on an S seat.

If you want to watch a Takarazuka show but have no tickets, I advise you to do as I did: it's totally worth it.

Both times Oscar was played by Ryu Masaki and André by Asumi Rio. I didn't get to watch the inverted roles version (Ryu Masaki as André and Asumi Rio as Oscar) or the versions in which Ranju Tomu (flower troupe top star) or So Kazuho (new snow troupe top star) played André.

I guess it's a pity, but at the same time when I first see a certain person in one role then I don't like to change. I end up associating that face to that character and seeing somebody else playing it feels a little bit weird.

At any rate: the show was really really really (really!) good. I always thought that it was over-the-top, over done, over rated (though lovely) and maybe even a bit ridiculous... but I ended up being moved to tears: I didn't actually cry, but the tears were there, lurking underneath my eyelids.

It was actually also the first time I saw a show starring Ryu Masaki and Asumi Rio, and I liked them both. They both have great voices and Masa's face is so delicate, she made a perfect Oscar.

I won't say anything else, just in case: I don't want to spoiler this for anybody. If you have any questions or want to know any details (or want to share and compare opinions) feel free to comment! I would actually enjoy that.

Both times I went with friends who had never been to Takarazuka before. It seems that they liked it and that makes me happy :D

We also went to the special Rose of Versailles exposition that was held in the Bow Hall and to the Petit Museum, in which were exposed the Romeo & Juliette clothes & props plus some other things.

I spent those two days feeling as if I were in heaven... no wonder above the entrance to the theater they have written "PARADISE"!

Last time I went to Takarazuka I didn't like the food, though it was pretty (but the taste...!!!)

This time I found a place that was great! Close to the Bow Hall, on the second floor, there is a old-fashioned tea-shop which has delicious high tea and rose tea. If you go to Takarazuka, that's where I advise you to eat ;)

Anyway, enough said! I'll upload some pics :)

Cheers!

P.S.: there's a picture of Masa... though it's almost impossible to tell it's her. I wish that 'Ziennes wouldn't wear scarves, glasses and hats all at once when they exit the theatre... sigh!

Roméo & Juliette -videos-

I've been thinking that yesterday's review might be difficult to understand if you have never seen any version of this show, so I have decided to link some videos of a few scenes in Romeo and Juliette.

The first video shows some bits and pieces taken from Snow troupe's version.

I couldn't find a similar video for Star troupe, so I'm linking two videos: the first scene of the show and the first Romeo-Juliet duet.

Enjoy!

Roméo & Juliette

*MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since yesterday was Valentine's day, I thought there would be no better way to celebrate than to watch something utterly romantic.

So, of course, I picked one of the most romantic, well-known love stories: Romeo and Juliet. Does anybody ever get tired of this story? I don't.

Anyway, I picked the 2010 Star troupe version (pic on the right), since I had already watched the 2011 Snow troupe version (pic on the left) some time ago... and way more than once.

As I have watched two versions of Roméo & Juliette by now, I believe a comparison is unavoidable.

First of all, though, I would like to give a general assessment and to point out some things that were in both versions and that I particularly liked.

No point talking about the plot, it's a masterpiece, that goes without saying.

The music is awesome, that's a good start. But not only the music is good, the costumes are rather original, not the usual Takarazuka style, and (generally) very beautiful.

The way the stage was set up was also nice, with a rotating part that made it possible to switch from Juliet's balcony to the front door to Father Laurence's place in the blink of an eye.

I totally loved the parts in which Love and Death danced together and/or with the characters. The musical would not have been as good without that. In some situations it really helped to understand what was going on, what would happen and how the characters felt. Simply gorgeous.

By the way, did anybody notice that Death and Elisabeth's Der Tod look really similar? I wonder if it is just a coincidence...

As I said earlier, I watched the Snow troupe version first and I think that's a factor to take into account: I have the tendency to like best the first version I watch, even though that does not always happen. So please bear this in mind while you read on ;-)

Let's start from the first main characters that appear: Tybalt, Benvolio and Mercutio (respectively Ouki Kaname, Suzumi Shio and Kurenai Yuzuru in the Star version, Ozuki Toma, Misuzu Aki and Sagiri Seina in the Snow version).

I loved both versions of Tybalt and I believe they were rather similar. They acted in a similar way and they had the same hairstyle and pretty much the same clothes. Both sang well, but I liked Ouki Kaname's voice best and I overall preferred her Tybalt. Whilst I only liked Ouzuki Toma's Tybalt, Ouki Kaname made me completely fall for her character.

Misuzu Aki didn't really impress me, but I must say her voice was good... which, I'm sorry, I can't really say about Suzumi Shio. I liked the looks of Star troupe's Benvolio better than in the Snow troupe version, but the singing... nope. In the part in which Benvolio sings about how he should tell Romeo of Juliet's supposed death, I didn't like the way Suzuki Shio sang, but I remember that, when Misuzu Aki sang that part, my eyes almost filled up with tears.

As for Mercutio, Kurenai Yuzuru seemed just plain to me. The look was nothing out of the ordinary, her voice not very powerful, her acting good but not excellent. I dare say her performance was a good one, but not up to the standards of some other actresses.

Segiri Seina, on the other hand, was extremely convincing in her role. Her hair made her look a bit insane, which I believe really fit with Mercutio's image. She acted a bit over the top, but I think that's also a characteristic of Mercutio's. I didn't like her voice that much, though, not very powerful and not too precise in my opinion.

Then, of course, I cannot but talk about the main characters, Romeo (Yuzuki Reon for the Star troupe and Otozuki Kei for the Snow troupe) and Juliet (Yumesaki Nene for the Star troupe and Maihane Mimi for the Snow troupe).

Let's start from Juliet.

From my point of view, both actresses are good but neither one is stunning. Yumesaki Nene probably has a better voice than Maihane Mimi (she seemed to struggle a little with the highest notes) but I don't like the way Yumesaki Nene looks in general, so I honestly couldn't love her performance. Besides, Maihane Mimi looks younger, or maybe just more "fresh", so to me the role of a sixteen years old girl deeply in love suited her best.

Anyway, I don't have anything especially bad to point out for either one - nor anything especially good, for that matter.

There's one other thing, though, even if it does not concern the actresses: Maihane Mimi's dress in the balcony scene... yuck! That combination of weird green and pink was absolutely yucky. Yumesaki Nene's dress was better, lacy white and pink, though not outstanding either. At least it was bearable to look at. As for the dress Juliet wears at the masked dance, on the other hand, they were similar, but I liked Snow troupe's best. The small hat slightly tilted on the head was really cute.

Romeo... well, what can I say about Romeo?

Actually, there is one simple word that can be used to describe both performances: WOW. Honestly, WOW.

Both Yuzuki Reon and Otozuki Kei are excellent actresses and awesome singers. It's been hard to pick my favourite, and I have swayed a few times, but I managed to make up my mind. Just like what I said regarding Maihame Mimi, I believe that Otozuki Kei looked closer to the image of Romeo - at least for me. Young, fresh and desperately in love, lively, with a slightly crazy air at times. Her smile was so open and sincere that it made my heart shrink.

Yuzuki Reon, on the other hand, had a completely different aura. I wouldn't know how to put it into words, but I think that she would suit better some other kind of role, something more... adult, maybe?

I don't know either Otozuki Kei or Yuzuki Reon well, so I can't be sure, but that's the way I felt about their performance.

There is one more thing, but a tiny one, about Yuzuki Reon that I didn't like. I noticed that she tends to twist her mouth slightly while she sings and, though I know it is only a very small and rather irrelevant thing, it grew a bit annoying by the end of the show. Sorry Yuzuki Reon, you are definitely awesome, but not my favourite.

It's not of much importance, but I liked better Otozuki Kei's clothes than Yuzuki Reon's. Oh well.

I will not analyse all characters, but I wish to say that I also liked Paris and the nurse better in the Snow troupe's version.

When Paris and Lord Capulet agree on Juliet's marriage, I loved the way they bounced about and looked so silly in the Snow troupe's version. It was more comical than in Star troupe's version.

The same also goes for the scene in which Lady Capulet and the nurse try to convince Juliet to marry Paris. It was really funny!

Well, I think you might have already guessed, but I overall preferred Snow troupe's performance.

However, they both were really good and it wasn't that easy to pick my favourite.

I would honestly advise to watch both, if you like the story and the music, because I loved them both and I would watch them again thousands of times!