Takarazuka Revue

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Image:Phantom Cosmo.jpg Image:Oscar Takarazuka.jpg

The Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団 Takarazuka Kagekidan) began in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1913 founded by Ichizo Kobayashi and had their first performance in 1914.

The president of Hankyu Railways was trying to find a way to boost sales, and began staging Western-style musical shows using only young, unmarried women. By 1924 the company had become popular and got their own theatre, the Dai Gekijō. Currently the Takarazuka shows gather an audience which totals at 2.5 million per year. Most fans of the group are women.

The novelty of Takarazuka is that all the parts are played by women, like a mirror-image of Kabuki. 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 company has five main troupes: Hana, Tsuki, Hoshi, Yuki, and Sora (Flower, Moon, Star, Snow, and Cosmos), and one extra troupe, Senka (Superior Members, which also consist of three member of the directors' board of the group) that supplies performers for particular roles to the other troupes as necessary. The Flower and the Moon troupes are the original troupes, founded in 1921. Snow troupe began in 1924. Star troupe was founded in 1931, disbanded in 1939, and restablished in 1948. The newest troupe, Cosmos, was founded in 1998.

There are two main categories of the musicals performed by the revue:

One are adapted from Western classic musicals, operas, novels or even films, and here are the lists:

Image:Singin' in the Rain.jpg

One special case of adopatation is The Rose of Versailles, which is based on the manga of the same name by Riyoko Ikeda. The plot revolves around a young woman named Oscar de Jarjayes who dresses as a man and is a bodyguard for Marie Antoinette.

Another are the stories adopted from Japanses history and Chinese history, like the romance between General Hong Yu and his lover Madam Yu (It became Farewell My Concubine in Northern Chinese Opera stream).

Beside, they have adapted the life of some famous people like F. Scott Fitzgerald (for a self-produced musical Last Party: S. Fitzgerald's last day)and James Dean (Simply refer as Dean)

They also have their very own creation: one of the examples is Boxman: I can crack any kind of safe by Cosmo Troupe in 2004 and Silver Wolf performed by Moon and Snow Troupes

The troupe's existence sometimes comes up as a kind of fetish in the yuri fandom community. It also appeared to inspire the Sakura Wars series.

Image:Ernest Moon.jpg

The current top stars of each group are:

Group otokoyaku musumeyaku
Special Course Todoroki Yu Template:Fn Tōno Asuka Template:Fn
Flower Haruno Sumire Sakurano Ayane
Moon Sena Jun Ayano Kanami
Snow Asami Hikaru Maikaze Rira
Star Kozuki Wataru Shirahane Yuri
Cosmos Wao Youka Hanafusa Mari

Template:Fnb the youngest member to ever serve on the board of directors
Template:Fnb the youngest member of Special Course up-to-date

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Former Takarasiennes

Takarazuka roster members who went on to become actresses on stage, movies and television:

otokoyaku musumeyaku
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References

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External links

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