NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Takarazuka Revue

The Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団 Takarazuka Kagekidan) is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

History

The Takarazuka Revue began in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1913 founded by Ichizo Kobayashi, the president of Hankyu Railways, who had the idea to boost sales by staging Western-style musical shows using only unmarried women. The name of the troupe comes from the Hankyu Takarazuka Line in suburban Osaka. The Revue had their first performance in 1914, and by 1924 the company had become popular and obtained their own theatre, the Dai Gekijō. Currently Takarazuka performs for 2.5 million people per year. The majority of the fans are women. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... , Takarazuka ) is a city located in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. ... HyÅgo Prefecture (å…µåº«çœŒ HyÅgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Ichizo Kobayashi ) was a Japanese industrialist and Minister of Commerce and Industry. ... Hankyu Railway (é˜ªæ€¥é›»é‰„ HankyÅ« Dentetsu) is a Japanese private railway that links major cities in the Kansai region. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... The HankyÅ« Takarazuka Line (é˜ªæ€¥å®å¡šç·š HankyÅ« Takarazuka sen) is run by Hankyu Railway and links Osaka, Takarazuka, and the suburbs between them. ... Osaka ) is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of HonshÅ«. The city is the capital of Osaka Prefecture. ...

Part of the novelty of Takarazuka is that all the parts are played by women, based on the original model of Kabuki, before women were banned from the theatre in Japan. The women who play male parts are referred to as otokoyaku (literally "male role") and those who play female parts are called musumeyaku (literally "daughter role"). The costume and set designs are incredibly lavish, and the performances are melodramatically emotional. The Kabukiza in Ginza is one of Tokyos leading kabuki theaters. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ...

Before becoming a member of the troupe, a young woman must train for two years in the Takarazuka Music School, one of the most competitive of its kind in the world. Each year, thousands from all over Japan audition and between 40 and 50 are accepted. They are trained in music, dance, and acting, and are guaranteed seven-year contracts. The school is famous for its strict discipline and for the custom of having first-year students clean the premises each morning. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to movement used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. ... Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ...

The first year, all women are trained together, but at the end of the first year, women are divided by the faculty and the current troupe members into otokoyaku and musumeyaku. Those playing otokoyaku take on a more masculine role in the classroom, cut their hair short, and speak in the masculine form from then on.

The company has five main troupes: Hana, Tsuki, Yuki, Hoshi, and Sora (Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos), and Senka (Superior Members), a collection for senior actresses who are no longer part of the regular troupes yet still wish to maintain their association with the revue and perform from time to time. Flower and Moon are the original troupes, founded in 1921. Snow Troupe began in 1924. Star Troupe was founded in 1931, disbanded in 1939, and reestablished in 1948. The newest troupe, Cosmos, was founded in 1998.

Note on male members

During the founding era of the comapny (1914) and post-war era (1946), the company had employed male members for performance and ther were being trained separate from the female population. However, the female members went against the idea of having the male counterpart within the company. Therefore the male department was dissolved very soon for both attempt (the year 1954 is the final termination). Recently, a Japanese musical name Takarazuka Boys is based on this piece of the company's history.

The troupes

The five troupes of the Takarazuka Revue have certain differences of style and material which make each troupe unique. Image File history File links Oscar_Takarazuka. ... Image File history File links Oscar_Takarazuka. ...

Flower Troupe (Hana)

The Flower Troupe is considered the "treasure chest" of otokoyaku. In 2003, 3 out of 5 of the top otokoyaku stars (Sumire Haruno of Flower, Hikaru Asami of Snow and Jun Shibuki of Moon) were from Flower Troupe. Their performances tend to have larger budgets, with lavish stage and costume designs, and are often derived from operatic material. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Sumire Haruno. ... Hikaru Asami (æœæµ·ã²ã‹ã‚‹, born January 24, 1972) is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Moon Troupe (Tsuki)

While it tends to be a home for young performers (with Yūki Amami, who hadn't reached her seventh year, reaching the status of top star in the 1990s), the members of Moon Troupe are also strong singers. The term "Musical Research Department" is occasionally used in articles about the troupe, portraying the troupe's focus on music. Their material tends towards drama and modern musicals. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Yuki Amami (å¤©æµ·ç¥å¸Œ Amami YÅ«ki, born August 8, 1967 in Ueno, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress. ...

Snow Troupe (Yuki)

Snow Troupe is considered the upholder of traditional dance and opera for the whole company, being the vanguard of traditional Japanese drama in a company that tends towards Western material. However, they were the first troupe to perform Elisabeth in Japan. Recently the troupe has been moving towards the opera and drama style that Moon and Flower perform in. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Pia Douwes as Elisabeth and Viktor Gernot as Franz Josef in the original 1992 Vienna production Kata Janza as Elisabeth and Szilveszter P. Szabo as Death in Budapest 2002 Stanley Burleson as Death and Pia Douwes as Elisabeth in Scheveningen 1999 Elisabeth is a German-language musical commissioned by the...

Star Troupe (Hoshi)

Star Troupe tends to be the home of the stars of Takarazuka. They, along with Flower Troupe, have very strong otokoyaku players. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... STAR is an acronym for: Organizations Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers], the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry in the UK. Society for Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, a non-profit New Jersey astronomy club. ...

Cosmos Troupe (Sora)

Cosmos, the newest troupe of the company, does not have the burden of tradition, and therefore tends to be more experimental. When it was formed it pulled talents from all the different troupes of the time. The troupe's style is influenced by performers Asato Shizuki, the founding otokoyaku top star; Yōka Wao and Mari Hanafusa, the "Golden Combi" who headed the troupe for six out of its first eight years of existence. Cosmos were the first troupe to perform Phantom, and to have a Broadway composer (Frank Wildhorn) write their musical score. Also, one notable physical characterstic of this troups is most of the otokoyaku are above 170 cm (the most notable is Hiro Yuumi, the tallest in the whole company is in this troupe since joining the company in 1997) Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Youka Wao. ... Mari Hanafusa. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Frank Wildhorn is an American composer. ...

Types of musicals they perform

Takarazuka works are usually adapted from Western classic musicals, operas, plays, novels or even films:

They also adapt popular Japanese manga for their shows, such as Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles, about a young woman named Oscar de Jarjayes who dresses as a man and is a bodyguard for Marie Antoinette, and Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack and Phoenix. Historical stories based on Japanese and Chinese history are popular, like their rendition of the Beijing opera Farewell My Concubine detailing a romance between General Xiang Yu and his lover Madam Yu, as are biographical adaptations like Last Party: S. Fitzgerald's last day, about F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dean, about James Dean. Finally, they occasionally create their own stories, seen in Boxman: I can crack any kind of safe by Cosmos Troupe and Silver Wolf performed by Moon and Snow Troupes. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Phantom_Cosmo. ... Image File history File links Phantom_Cosmo. ... Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 â€“ August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. ... For other uses, see Age of innocence. ... Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (September 9 [O.S. August 28] 1828 â€“ November 20 [O.S. November 7] 1910) (Russian: , IPA: ), commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer â€“ novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher â€“ as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. ... Anna Karenina (ÐÐ½Ð½Ð° ÐšÐ°Ñ€ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð½Ð°) is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical Ruskii Vestnik (Russian: Ð ÑƒÑÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹ Ð’ÐµÑÑ‚Ð½Ð¸Ðº, Russian Messenger). Tolstoy clashed with its editor Mikhail Katkov over issues that arose in the final installment. ... War and Peace (Russian: Ð’Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð° Ð¸ Ð¼Ð¸Ñ€, Voyna i mir; in original orthography: Ð’Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð° Ð¸ Ð¼Ð¸Ñ€ÑŠ, Voyna i mir) is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published from 1865 to 1869 in Russki Vestnik, which tells the story of Russian society during the Napoleonic Era. ... Erich Maria Remarque (June 22, 1898 â€“ September 25, 1970) was the pseudonym of Erich Paul Remark, a German author. ... In the Arch of Triumph (1946), Erich Maria Remarque, the author of All Quiet on the Western Front, writes about stateless refugees life in Paris before World War II. The novel was originally published in German. ... John Ernst Steinbeck (February 27, 1902 â€“ December 20, 1968) was one of the best-known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century. ... East of Eden is also an English/French travelogue site, and a rock band East of Eden is a novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, published in September 1952. ... Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 â€“ July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... For Whom the Bell Tolls is a 1940 novel by Ernest Hemingway. ... For the Canadian politician see Margaret Mitchell (politician) Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 â€“ August 16, 1949) was the American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her immensely successful novel, Gone with the Wind, which was published in 1936. ... Gone with the Wind, an American novel by Margaret Mitchell, was published in 1936 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. ... James Hilton (September 9, 1900 - December 20, 1954) was a popular English novelist of the first half of the 20th century. ... This article is about the 1941 novel. ... Dickens redirects here. ... A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. ... Emily Jane BrontÃ« (July 30, 1818 â€“ December 19, 1848) was a British novelist and poet, now best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, a classic of English literature. ... Wuthering Heights is Emily BrontÃ«s only novel. ... Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige which depicts the effects of various Chinese political turmoils during the 20th century on a Peking opera troupe. ... The Phantom Lover is a 1995 Hong Kong film starring Leslie Cheung and Jacqueline Wu. ... Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (September 12, 1956 â€“ April 1, 2003) (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping: zoeng1 gwok3 wing4; Mandarin Pinyin: ZhÄng GuÃ³rÃ³ng, Wade-Giles: Chang Kuo-jung; nickname Gor-gor (å“¥å“¥, Elder Brother in Cantonese), was an actor and a musician from Hong Kong. ... JFK is an American film directed by Oliver Stone, first released on December 20, 1991. ... Somewhere in Time can refer to different things: Somewhere in Time was a 1980 movie starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. ... Manon is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on Lâ€™histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by AbbÃ© PrÃ©vost. ... The Can-Can is a musical by Jacques Offenbach from Orpheus in the Underworld: Notes: G, A-C-B-A-D-D, D-E-B-C-A-A, A-C-B-A-G-G-F#-E D-C-B-A-G, A-C-B-A-D-D, D-E-B... Copacabana is a musical written by Barry Manilow, based around the song of the same name. ... Pia Douwes as Elisabeth and Viktor Gernot as Franz Josef in the original 1992 Vienna production Kata Janza as Elisabeth and Szilveszter P. Szabo as Death in Budapest 2002 Stanley Burleson as Death and Pia Douwes as Elisabeth in Scheveningen 1999 Elisabeth is a German-language musical commissioned by the... Ernest in Love is a musical by Anne Croswell (book and lyrics) and Lee Pockriss (music), based on Oscar Wildes comedy The Importance of Being Ernest. ... The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic Comedy-of-Manners by Oscar Wilde. ... Flower Drum Song was originally a novel by Chinese American author C.Y. Lee. ... // Grand hotel is a term for a large and luxurious hotel, especially one built in a traditional architectural style. ... Guys and Dolls Original Broadway Cast recording (1950) Guys And Dolls is a hit 1950 musical, with the music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser. ... How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a 1961 musical, initially running for 1,417 performances. ... Me and My Girl is a popular British stage musical, with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. ... Oklahoma! was the first musical play written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II (see Rodgers and Hammerstein). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Singin in the Rain was a 1985 musical play adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name. ... The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, based on the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. ... For The Games song, see Westside Story (song). ... AIDA is an acronym used in marketing that describes a common list of events that are very often undergone when a person is selling a product or service: A - Attention (Awareness): attract the attention of the customer. ... Poster from the 1875 premiere of Carmen Carmen is a French opera by Georges Bizet. ... // Turandot Carlo Gozzi wrote Turandot for the Comedia dellarte. ... Riyoko Ikeda (æ± ç”° ç†ä»£å Ikeda Riyoko, born 1947) is a Japanese mangaka. ... The Rose of Versailles (ãƒ™ãƒ«ã‚µã‚¤ãƒ¦ã®ã°ã‚‰ Berusaiyu no bara), also known as Lady Oscar, by Riyoko Ikeda, is one of the best-known titles in shÅjo manga, which has been adapted into an anime television series, produced by TMS and broadcast by the anime television network Animax and Nippon Television. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Dr. Osamu Tezuka , November 3, 1928 - February 9, 1989) was a mangaka (Japanese manga artist) and animator. ... For other uses of the word Blackjack see Black Jack. ... Phoenix, originally Hi no Tori (ç«ã®é³¥) in Japan, is a manga series made by Osamu Tezuka. ... Farewell My Concubine is the English title of a play often performed in the Chinese Peking Opera. ... Xiang Yu (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsiang YÃ¼; 232 BC - 202 BC) was a prominent general during the fall of the Qin Dynasty. ... Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 â€“ December 21, 1940) was an American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories. ... James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 â€“ September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. ...

Personnel

Star personnel

The current top stars of each group are: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Note 1: The youngest member to ever serve on the board of directors
Note 2: Former top musumeyaku for Star Troupe, and the only musumeyaku in the current generation who has served as top of two different troupes.
Note 3: Notice of resignation has been announced on June 6, 2007 Yu Todoroki Yu Todoroki is a current member of Takarazuka Revue, where she play Otokoyaku. ... Sumire Haruno. ... Ayane Sakurano is the current musumeyaku top star off the Takarazuka Revues Flower Troupe. ... Jun Sena Jun Sena ) is the current top star (otokoyaku) for Moon Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. ... Kanami Ayano is a current top star (musumyaku) for Moon Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. ... Natsuki Mizu. ... Kei Aran (Japanese: Aran Kei, born 9 October) is a current top star otokoyaku (an actress who plays male roles) for the Japanese musical theatre group Star Troupe, part of Takarazuka Revue. ... YÅ«ga Yamato is a current top star (otokoyaku) for Cosmos Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. ...

Other notable stars of the company

Note 6: The current troupe leader (kumichou), former vice-troupe leader and troupe leader of Cosmos Troupe
Note 7: The younger sister of Nao Ayaki, the former top star (otokoyaku) of Moon Troupe
Note 9: The current troupe leader (succeeding Aya Izumo)
Note 10: The tallest actress in the entire company
Note 11: Former otokoyaku, switched to musumeyaku in 2004

Upper and lower classes

The terms upperclassmen (上級生) and lowerclassmen (下級生) (the Japanese terms are gender-neutral) are used to distinguish senior and junior members of Takarazuka. Lowerclassmen are the actresses who have been performers in Takarazuka for less than seven years. They are employees of the company, and usually work as background dancers and in shinjin kouen (performances exclusively for underclassmen). After the seventh year they become upperclassmen, and negotiate contracts with the company instead of being employed by it.

Former Takarasiennes

Takarazuka roster members who went on to work in stage, movies and television include: This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

Yuki Amami (å¤©æµ·ç¥å¸Œ Amami YÅ«ki, born August 8, 1967 in Ueno, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress. ... Fubuki Takane (é«˜å¶ºãµã¶ã Takane Fubuki; born 4 December 1965 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese actress. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Mayo Suzukaze (涼風 真世 Suzukaze Mayo, born September 11, 1960 in Miyagi) is a Japanese film and television actress who has done some voice work as a seiyu, namely the voice of Himura Kenshin in Rurouni Kenshin. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Youka Wao. ... Wataru Kozuki , born June 28, 1971) is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). ... Hikaru Asami (æœæµ·ã²ã‹ã‚‹, born January 24, 1972) is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). ... Risa Junna , born 15 March 1971 in Toyonaka, Osaka) is a Japanese actress. ... Kuroki Hitomi (é»’æœ¨çž³; born October 5, 1960 in Kurogi-Machi, Yame District, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actress. ... Mahiru Konno (ç´ºé‡Žã¾ã²ã‚‹ Konno Mahiru; born April 12, 1977 in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese actress. ... Mari Hanafusa. ...

Influence

Takarazuka has had a profound influence on the history of anime and manga especially shoujo. Osamu Tezuka, the so-called "God of Manga" and founder of modern Japanese manga, grew up in the town of Takarazuka. His mother was close friends with many of the Takarazuka actresses, and as a child he knew them and watched many of their performances. Based on their stories of noble princes played by female actresses, Tezuka created Princess Knight, the first manga aimed at a female audience, which tells the story of Princess Sapphire, a girl born with both a male and female heart who struggles between the desire to fight as a noble prince and to be a tender, gentle princess. The great success of Princess Knight and other Tezuka stories began the tradition of manga written for a female audience, especially the very influential Rose of Versailles and Revolutionary Girl Utena series, both of which borrow directly from Princess Knight by including specific Tezuka images, character designs and names, and both of which have since been made into Takarazuka musicals. Women in masculine roles continue to be a central theme in shoujo manga and anime as well as some shounen, and Tezuka himself explored the theme in many of his later works including Dororo, Phoenix and Black Jack. The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see AnimÃ© (oleo-resin). ... Manga ) (pl. ... Shōjo (少女 lit. ... Dr. Osamu Tezuka , November 3, 1928 - February 9, 1989) was a mangaka (Japanese manga artist) and animator. ... Princess Knight was a Japanese manga that ran through four serializations from 1954 to 1968, as weell as a 1967 Japanese childrens animated series called Ribbon No Kishi. this show that was dubbed into English and brought over to Western audiences in 1970, where it was called Choppy anf... Princess Knight was a Japanese manga that ran through four serializations from 1954 to 1968, as weell as a 1967 Japanese childrens animated series called Ribbon No Kishi. this show that was dubbed into English and brought over to Western audiences in 1970, where it was called Choppy anf... The Rose of Versailles (ベルサイユのばら Berusaiyu no bara), by Riyoko Ikeda, is one of the best-known titles in shōjo manga. ... Revolutionary Girl Utena ) is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. ... Princess Knight was a Japanese manga that ran through four serializations from 1954 to 1968, as weell as a 1967 Japanese childrens animated series called Ribbon No Kishi. this show that was dubbed into English and brought over to Western audiences in 1970, where it was called Choppy anf... Dororo ) is a manga series from the well-known Japanese mangaka Osamu Tezuka in the late 1960s. ... Look up Phoenix in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Black Jack or Blackjack may refer to: Blackjack, the gambling game In products: Blackjack (weapon), a small, easily concealable club weapon Black Jack (stamp), the two-cent postage stamp depicting Andrew Jackson, issued by the United States in 1863 BlackJack (phone), a mobile phone made by Samsung Black Jack (gum...

While the influence of Osamu Tezuka and Takarazuka on anime and manga is general, there are still many series which show more specific influences. The Takarazuka Revue inspired the plot of the original Sakura Wars video game, along with additional inspiration from Takarazuka's one-time competitor the Shochiku Kagekidan (Shochiku Revue). The Zuka Club in Ouran High School Host Club is based on the Takarazuka Revue. Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh of Sailor Moon were loosely based on the actors of the Takarazuka Revue.^[1] Dr. Osamu Tezuka , November 3, 1928 - February 9, 1989) was a mangaka (Japanese manga artist) and animator. ... Sakura Wars, also known as Sakura Taisen (ã‚µã‚¯ãƒ©å¤§æˆ¦), is a popular series of video games, manga, and anime created by Sega. ... Serialized in LaLa Original run August 5, 2003 â€“ Ongoing No. ... Haruka Tenoh , or Amara in the English anime) is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. ... Michiru Kaioh , or Michelle in the English anime) is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. ... Sailor Moon , officially translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) is the title of a famous media franchise created by Japanese manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. ...

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