サー理念燐

Asaji Saki

In the 20th anniversary gala concert I'm very grateful I got to create something together again with the star troupe members I often meet offstage. Even though we each knew which paths the others had taken in life, I still wondered what it would be like to play the same parts after 20 years, and to begin with I grappled with rehearsals thinking I didn't want to be seen to fall behind the others around me. (Shiraki) Ayaka-chan had also married and had kids, matured and gained more depth, so I wondered how I should play Der Tod in relation to that - if I didn't show more depth too I would fail. Compared to my time in Takarazuka, after retiring and getting out in a different world, my perspective on things have changed, you know. In the old days the stage was the most important thing, but after retirement, the stage is my purpose in life while the most important thing is now my family. I performed while recalling that shift in importance and how I used to think in those days... Since my Takarazuka days there has always been a part of myself watching the part getting into a role, but I feel like the watching part has become more dominant.

During my time in Takarazuka there were two or three turning points, and Der Tod in "Elisabeth" was one of them, I think. I who rarely say no was in a bad mood at the beginning of rehearsals and wanted it to be over soon. Though the work started in bitter circumstances there was a dramatic turn-around, and then I got to play the role several times after retirement too - it makes me think life is funny. I think Koike-sensei wanted to keep it the same way as the snow troupe premiere, so I also had arguments with him about letting me do it my way. At the end of the first act, in order to surprise the spectators - oh, that's where she is? - I appeared silently from the orchestra pit and used my muscle strength to suddenly sit on the ginkyou without making a noise, and I also appeared with my hand first, and so steadily made it my own. Since there are few lines and almost only lyrics, I thought about how I could use preludes and interludes to express myself with my body. When I see recent versions, a lot of the movements I thought up remain, and I think it's great that there's a succession from the design I devised. Rika-chan (Shibuki Jun) who played Lucheni also played him as though seduced by Der Tod, moving when I turned my head, adjusting her posture when I passed in front and such things, giving a finely detailed performance of being completely Der Tod's subordinate.

I think cells and muscles are very important when you perform on stage. They start to move first, and then the body becomes expressive. Since muscles weaken with age no matter what, I now have to make an effort to do movements I used to be able to do without effort, so I feel I'm not getting younger. Fans tell me it would be great to be greeted by Asaji-san's Der Tod (laughs). I'd like to fire myself up with the idea of approaching the image of an ideal Der Tod you would gladly follow to the underworld, since death is something you cannot avoid.

Emao Yuu

In the previous gala concert I got to stand on stage together with the old star troupe memebers, and I returned to the feelings I had in '96 and felt just like I'd done a time warp to the past. Even though there's a slight change in outward appearance (laughs), Asaji-san's Der Tod, Minoru-san's Franz, Shiraki-san's Elisabeth and Tsukikage-san's boy Rudolf were just as before, and I instantly returned to Rudolf. I think it's only in Takarazuka you spend your time that closely together. At the time, the star troupe performance was about half a year after that of snow troupe, so we were in rehearsals before the enthusiasm for the premiere had cooled off. But at that time snow troupe and star troupe had completely different troupe colors, and star troupe had the spirit of sore losers to begin with, so I think we could immerse ourselves in rehearsals to an unusual extent. Each and every one was frantically searching for their roles and everyone wanted to create a star-troupe-like Elisabeth, so I feel that we were all brought together by heading towards the same goal.

While in Takarazuka, I played Rudolf three times. Victor who was modeled on Rudolf in the shinjinkouen for "Portrait of Lovers" in '91 and Rudolf in the shinjinkouen for "Ephemeral Love" in '93. When it was decided that "Elisabeth" would be staged, I was convinced that I was going to be Rudolf and didn't feel like playing any other role. I felt connected to him to that extent. At that time, there were also understudy rehearsals for the main roles, and I was Lucheni. But I was immersed in Rudolf and didn't want to do it at all. Koike-sensei was angry with me and said "other seito can memorise it all properly, so why can't you retain anything?" (laughs). I think I have a tendency to get possessed to begin with, so I could almost say that during the performance I was Rudolf rather than played him. Though I had things arranged in my head, I was angry with Noru-san (Minoru) - "why won't you understand me?" - and I thought that Mariko-san (Asaji) was the person who had told me she was my friend when I was a child. I also watched the parts around Rudolf's birth and Tsukikage-san's parts as boy Rudolf from the wings every time with the feeling of living my life over again. Now I have more experience and have learned ways to return to myself when the performance is over, but I think I will always be able to return to the spirit of Rudolf with a pop at the sound of the opening tune.

It's been 25 years since the Takarazuka premiere. Plenty of people have played the role until now, and in the Toho version idol-type boys appeared too. Among it all, it has happened that people who've seen various "Elisabeth" productions and who are not Takarazuka fans have said "Emao-san puts the most soul into playing Rudolf", and that makes me truly happy. I still think that the star troupe members of that time are the best, and I'm glad to be able to feel that, so my performance and spirit are the same as in those days, and therefore I think that the audience will have their youth restored together with us while watching.

Tsukikage Hitomi

When I look back on my life in Takarazuka, I think that I encountered the work "Elisabeth" at a very good time and that it became a turning point for me. Though it was impossible for me to play otokoyaku roles due to my height, I wanted to try other things than feminine roles and take on the challenge of boy roles and such, and that's when I heard of the audition for the role of boy Rudolf. Normally I always played musumeyaku roles so I felt some tension too, but I discovered a lot of new things in the boy role and could enjoy myself while playing it. Koike-sensei told me to cut my hair and the short hair also felt fresh, and I could play a boy role with all my might. Emao Yuu-san played Rudolf as a young man on, but she cared about me and told me "we two are one", and I also have memories of all of Der Tod's dancers doting on me. Even now during rehearsals I'm enjoying myself every day as though I'm returning to that time. I can have fun talking to Asaji Saki-san's Der Tod together with Izumo Aya-san's Sofie, Minoru Kou-san's father and Shiraki Ayaka-san's mother. Even now, thanks to my role, they're spoiling me and overlooking my mistakes. I think that all of Rudolf's character building is depicted in boy Rudolf's one song "Mama, where are you?". Sensitive, lonely, but with brutal aspects too. In that scene, you understand what kind of childhood he has had and there's a tie to the young man Rudolf who comes after, so it's a position of rather grave responsibility. I think I pondered how I should fasten the tie to Emao Yuu-san's young man Rudolf in a good shape.

Another memorable impression from that time is that my classmate Ayaki and I got to play Der Tod and Elisabeth in shinjinkouen. Classmates getting to play the leading part and heroine almost never happens, but it came true in our last shinjinkouen. How could I infuse the various things I had learned from Shiraki Ayaka-san, who played the real part, with my own personality...? It was fun to discuss doing this or doing that with Ayaki until late.

There are of course wonderful songs and wonderful dances, but isn't the charm of "Elisabeth" that it's a dramatization based on reality. It's the tale of a royal family hidden behind a veil, but the complicated human relations are easy for anyone to sympathize with and take an interest in. All humans must meet "Death" in the end, and even though that is cruel there are brilliantly depicted aspects to it, and I think the final outcome is fascinating.

When I met everyone in the gala concert 5 years ago, I had the impression that nothing had changed since my time in Takarazuka. The feeling of a nostalgic alumni meeting was very fun, so at least I want to enjoy myself this time too. I hope that the spectators will look kindly on what is probably the world's oldest boy Rudolf (laughs).

Ayaki Nao

When I participated in the 20th anniversary gala concert, I spent a lot of time in the rehearsal hall together with people who played the same role, and learned extremely much. It was also very stimulating to get the chance to perform in various different combinations. From day to day my scenes and my partners changed, and I enjoyed feeling the different kinds of tension. When I got to perform it throughout in make-up and costume I was able to focus to an extreme degree and to feel as one with the people around me and I entered into the fictional world of the work. I even had the feeling of having taken a trip somewhere... (laughs)

When I saw the snow troupe premiere on stage I was moved and received an impact, so I was happy that I got to partake in that work as a star troupe member. At that time, I played Der Tod in shinjinkouen, but it was when I took on the same role again in my retirement performance that I really felt more deeply how Asaji-san must have felt at that time and what she struggled with. When moon troupe got it, it was the fifth troupe, so there was that pressure too, but in the end it became an irreplaceably important role for me. There were times when various thoughts passed by like a revolving lantern, but I was only frantically living Der Tod, with no time to be soaked in retirement sentiments.

Before I played Der Tod, when I toured historical sites in Vienna, in the Augustinian Church I saw an image like Der Tod sitting on a chandelier laughing. At that time, I sensed that I had formed a link with Der Tod, and when I performed I had a strong image inside of me. This time too, I don't want to imitate but to perform what rises to the surface when I recall what remains in my cells of it. To perform a Der Tod who can wrap up the entire theater in that atmosphere... I will do my best.

The royal family feels extremely close, and among them the agony and disagreements in life are depicted - even though it's in a foreign musical Japanese people are familiar with it. Those things are the charm of the work too. There's also fantasy that employs the merits of Takarazuka to the utmost, and the imagination is stimulated by historical figures appearing in the work. And then of course I feel the charm of the wonderful music. The force of rock, sad and heartrending melodies - it's really complex and profound. During the play, making those melodies sound like a natural match to the feelings of the characters, deciding just what expression is needed. I feel a sense of responsibility (laughs). Der Tod is a presence you can imagine as you like, which on the one hand gives freedom and on the other comes with difficulties. After having grasped the intricacies of the plot, you have to take in the presence and expressions of your partner, else the role won't materialize... I think it's very precious to bring your accumulated experiences to the same work and face it again, so I'm grateful to get that opportunity anew.

Haruno Sumire

In the 20th anniversary gala concert, I appeared together with people I had not collaborated with before, so it was fun in a fresh way. Now that I get to sing the same role again with the various experiences I have accumulated, I'd like to express myself as I am now without overdoing it.

I now feel that Der Tod has a lot of feelings of jealousy. The jealousy of loving Elisabeth without her yielding, the jealousy directed at Franz, I think that must be the reason for the struggle. I created a role with a huge sense of superiority stemming from the title of "his Excellency Der Tod, sovereign of the underworld", but now I'd like to dig deeper in vivid feelings in my expression.

When I saw "Elisabeth" for the first time in the snow troupe shinjinkouen with my classmate Aran Kei in the lead role, it had a great impact on me and I was engulfed in the largeness and depth of the work.

When it was decided I would play Der Tod in my debut performance, I had just become top and lacked self-confidence, and I recall that I felt the strain and pressure of performing a great work.

I played Elisabeth in the Toho version after retirement, but the fictional world of the Takarazuka version is different. Rather than drawing on Elisabeth's experiences, I want to perform true to Der Tod's worldview, without bringing in Elisabeth's feelings. Although the Takarazuka version is realistic, there are plenty of fairytale-like elements and it's a lot like a dreamworld, I think.

I think it would be great if Der Tod really existed (laughs). A person you would like to follow to the land of the dead. Although I won't go since I don't want to go to the land of the dead yet (laughs), I think it would be great if I could have that feeling in my last moment. The time of death might not be such a beautiful thing, but it's the charm of the work to depict it so beautifully anyone would long for it.

I also aspire to the woman Elisabeth's way of life, surviving while holding on tightly to herself without being swayed by other people. I don't think I can live strongly like that at all, but by finally accepting Der Tod="Death", I understand that Elisabeth obtains the freedom she has pursued all along.

I hope to portray the large presence of a "Death" who can be loved.

The work has a deep interior, a magnificent fictional world, you can't describe it in a few words, and those aspects of marvel are also its charm, I think.

Mizu Natsuki

In the 20th anniversary gala concert I had the opportunity to perform in stage make-up and costume, and I thought after all Der Tod is the best. Since retirement, living through female roles, I can't really vent. In the midst of not being able to say things like "you should die!" (laughs), I could really let it out as Der Tod, and I also really felt the difficulty of the tunes again. Considering the acting craft I've studied after retirement, I decided to stick with the Der Tod I had played in Takarazuka. At the moment of meeting Elisabeth, human feelings well up in the god of death for the first time. Irritated and angry by impossible feelings out of control - I want to properly express the chaos and conflict of such a Der Tod this time too. Playing an otokoyaku with a different gender from myself after retirement, I lose sight of my real-name self and inside of me there is 99.8% of the otokoyaku Mizu Natsuki, but my grown-up self who doesn't live as a woman is also there. I've fumbled around for what a woman is for about five years, and I've also studied how to act using my own natural body and voice. Earlier I played Der Tod with parts different from myself, but now I'd like to play Der Tod using my own natural body. The more time I spend studying, I have a real sense I've come to be able to hear sounds and rhythms I couldn't hear before, so I also hope to deliver a more closely examined music than five years ago.

There was a hanging advertisement inside a Hankyu railway can with only "Elisabeth" written on it and no photograph; that was my first encounter with the work. When I went to see the snow troupe premiere in which my classmates appeared, it was all songs and almost no lines, the tunes were catchy and the visuals cool. I became a slave to it. I wanted to appear in it one day, but since it was a work with all songs I thought I wouldn't get it. Therefore, despite wanting to play Der Tod, I couldn't imagine how I would do it when the time came. That is, the moment I had my makeup on for the poster shoot, I felt "that's it". Koike-sensei told me to do it with the feeling of a reptile or snake, and that also clicked. I like how rock songs with feelings of mayhem contrast with the romantic story. I think it's a work that allows me to let out the mayhem within me. Although it's fine to have feelings of mayhem, we mustn't let them show, and the more we grow up the more firmly resolved we become not to show them. Because it's a work that lets you show it to your heart's content I enjoy it, I think. When you repress it, the stress accumulates, so it's great to be able to let it out in your work (laughs). A happy end that's not simply bright but has dark aspects to it too, that tugs on the heartstrings of the Japanese, doesn't it. Everyone, like Elisabeth, lives through hardships dreaming of the moment when their spirit will be set free. It's best to find one's path in life by oneself, without anyone telling one what to do, but society can make that quite impossible, and I think that aspect of the work appeals regardless of era.

Bonus content from Izumo Aya's short interview:

Asaji Saki

The first time I saw "Elisabeth" was on a trip to Vienna. Since it gained popularity in its original location, a snow troupe performance was announced. As it's a musical made up of various wonderful tunes, I thought it was perfect for the snow troupe of the time, who had an established reputation for their singing. But I certainly didn't think my own troupe would get to do it next. The first time I was approached about it must have been when the curtain had risen on the snow troupe performance. "If you'd like to know what I think, I'm against it" I told them. I didn't think I could pull off a work centered on songs, and I had also just recently got together with my partner Shiraki Ayaka-chan and wanted to spend some more time together with her, but if she got the role of Elisabeth she would surely tell me she'd retire. Eventually the performance was decided despite the objections I raised, and for a short while I felt gloomy. Normally I'm rather bright and cheerful, but during that period only I barely spoke, and everyone around me really worried. Koike-sensei must also have worried about me, because when rehearsals started he often listened to my ideas, didn't stop me from making different movements than in snow troupe, and let me create the character quite freely.

I can't enchant with song like Ichiro-san. That being the case, I switched to the approach of enchanting with acting, and tried to follow the tunes with my movements. For example things like putting out a candle flame at the same time as the music stops - one idea led to another and in the end I suggested "I want to appear from the ginkyou and watch Elisabeth and Franz sing on stage together with the audience" (laughs). Sitting on the ginkyou with one's back turned to the audience was unthinkable in Takarazuka in those days. After that, when the curtain comes down at the end of act one, in the dress rehearsal I willfully inserted the movement of drawing down the curtain myself. Since the others are actual persons they have to be self-consistent, but Der Tod is free and I enjoyed that.

I never expected to be accompanied for so long even after retirement by a role I was so strongly against playing at the time. But now I'm grateful to have received that role. Ayaka-chan is not appearing this time, but members from that time are gathering, so there's a feeling of an alumni meeting once every five years. I also enjoy that the pecking order of our time in Takarazuka is gradually fading. It's 30 years since then. I can't lie about the years that have passed, but rather than weight and depth, if possible I'd like to convey something unchanged since that time.

Shizuki Asato

It was in 1998 that cosmos troupe performed "Elisabeth". I certainly didn't think I'd be accompanied by Der Tod for this long after retiring from Takarazuka too. The first gala concert was at the 10th anniversary of the Takarazuka premiere. Since then once every five years - every time I've done it thinking this might be farewell, and though I'm not Elisabeth it's like I'm continually chased after by Der Tod (laughs). In my own concerts too I'm including tunes from "Elisabeth" at the request of fans, and that also makes me grateful for having received the role.

Der Tod is not human, and it's difficult to interpret a mysterious being who is neither man nor woman. Since Koike-sensei is the one who understands that world better than anyone else, I relied on what Koike-sensei said when I grappled with creating the visuals and the acting. How to walk for one thing, how to reach out my hand or to sit, scene by scene he had a clear vision of it. But it was fun to play Der Tod. I tried various means to win Elisabeth, and others moved according to my calculations. Only, I think it was tough on Hanafusa (Mari)-san who played Elisabeth. Since she had to outdo herself in a role she had played once before. But those who watch her change from girlhood until death can clearly see how she gradually ages, and I think that power of expression is wonderful.

"Elisabeth" is a European historical drama, but it's funny how elements of rock are mixed into the music. That's the greatness of this work, how starting with Elisabeth the sound of the characters' hearts and feelings are all expressed in the songs. Though the melodies are classical there are upbeat accents added, and there are plenty of parts you can't express by just singing beautifully. Every time I sing it I feel that it's still difficult - it's a work where I make new discoveries every time.

The set with stairs in the gala concerts is frankly amazing too. It's not straight and the steps are not even, so it's difficult to go down and to stand and sing as well. But I have a sense it represents the unsettled spirits of the characters, starting with Elisabeth. My goal this time is first of all to safely descend those stairs (laughs). I would like the spectators to be immersed in the universe of the work and forget everyday life.

Kozuki Wataru

I witnessed the premiere with snow troupe from the audience, and it's moving to think that it's been 30 years since that impressive day. I have performed in the gala concerts once every five years, and with each time I come to love it more. The audience's enthusiasm is also amazing each time, and I'm very grateful that I get to take part in such a fascinating work.

No matter which work, the second time is very important and the evaluation of it decides its future. Following the extremely well-received snow troupe premiere, I remember that Koike-sensei directed the star troupe performance with great attention to detail. At that time I had just graduated from shinjinkouen and it was the first time I played a role who aged in the main performance, and Koike-sensei kept telling me to deepen my acting.

After that, I changed troupes and received the role of Lucheni in cosmos troupe. I thought I had received a difficult role, but it was significant for me that I had already experienced the work once and knew the arrangements and sense of tension. Only, it was trial and error how to manage my emotions in order to reach a state where I could utter the line "Un grande amore!" in the climax. I also recall asking Hoshihara Misao-san who played Max every time and receiving guidace. As a matter of fact, during the performance run I read an article saying that Lucheni's head had not been buried. Even 100 years after his death, his head was still exposed to the world. That story, I got the wild idea to show it, that perhaps that's why he says "just put an end to it" at the trial. I played the opening scene with that image in mind.

Since I started appearing in the gala concerts, I have a sense of being constantly put to trial as Lucheni. Even now I make new discoveries, and I really feel that's the fun of doing it over again. As for Der Tod, there have been a lot of upperclassmen until now, but the time before last I got the chance to perform together with Sae-chan (Ayaki) and Osa-chan (Haruno) and Mizu Natsuki-chan, and then I got the feeling that his Excellency was a character in my own delusional tale, whom I wanted to protect. I'm looking forward to the discoveries I'll make this time. This performance is realized thanks to the audience's love of the work. I want to perform it with love and gratitude.

Ayaki Nao

I've encountered "Elisabeth" at turning points in my life. I appeared in it for the first time in the 1996 star troupe performance, and this work was my last shinjinkouen. The snow troupe premiere was wonderful, and it had a great impact on me since the atmosphere was completely different from the musicals I'd seen so far. I was happy when we got to take part in it too. Only, the melodies were more difficult than anything I'd been involved in so far, and there were days of song rehearsals only. It was decided I would play Der Tod in shinjinkouen, and I followed Mariko-san (Asaji) who had the real role around. As far as I was concerned, Mariko-san's Der Tod was the image of Der Tod to aim for, so I remember staring a hole in her in the rehearsal hall as well as in the theater (laughs). Even now there are plenty of things I learned from her, starting with the inherited expressions of the hands.

And then the second appearance was in my own retirement performance. When I first heard the talk of it I was worried, but Koike-sensei talked to me and, as he said to me then, it became an important work for me and I'm very grateful. One of my memories is that, while I had always aimed for Mariko-san's fascinating otokoyaku dynamism and splendid carriage since my star troupe days, Koike-sense spoke these words to me: "you'd better not imitate Mariko-san". I was glad that it seemed the things I had learned from Mariko-san had become unconsciously ingrained in me.

Since Der Tod is a concept, I don't think there's anything like emotions from the start. Maybe when encountering Elisabeth there is a moment of shock upon feeling a shivering of the soul, and the ability to experience human emotions develops. Because it's a fictional being it's an interesting role since both the person acting it and the people watching can interpret it freely.

In the gala concerts, which scenes I appear in change from day to day so there's always a feeling of tension, as well as the fun of being put together up with different people each time. Singing the same score can feel so different when mutually giving each other new impulses, so it feels like a fantastic energy exchange. In order to bring forth resonances with the audience too, I will confront it with heart and mind, body and soul.

Mizu Natsuki

The first "Elisabeth" I saw was the snow troupe premiere in which Ichiro-san played Der Tod. I received a huge impact, so much so that I saw the following star troupe performance from tachimi any number of times. It's a work I love that much, but it's also a work composed of songs, and when it was decided on as my top debut performance I couldn't really imagine how I would play Der Tod. But when I was in make-up and costume for the first time for the poster shooting, the moment the first shot was taken, I thought intuitively "I might be able to do it". As a matter of fact, that first shot was the one actually used for the poster.

This is an anecdote I've told many times, but before the performance I got to go to Vienna with Yumiko (Ayabuki) and Tonami (Shirahane) for a Takarazuka Sky Stage program. The two of them who play actual persons were stimulated by a lot of impressions, but I... Afterwards, I went privately to Italy and received inspiration from depictions of God and the view of life and death in religious paintings, and I feel like that made the role. Koike-sensei told me "you have a sense of presence in your hands, so use your hands wisely", so I thought about how to express various things with my hands in my own way. However, I really struggled with the songs. Though the amount of singing increased dramatically when I became top, I was not prepared for it, and I lost my voice during rehearsals and felt frustrated. But on the other hand, thanks to receiving a masterpiece everyone in the troupe had to gather their forces to be able to match as my top debut performance, everyone could take the first leap forward as the reborn snow troupe, and I think that was great timing.

In the gala concert five years ago, it felt very fresh to sing together with Tonami's (Shirahane) Elisabeth for the first time in a long while. Since both she and I have grown with the passing time there are new expressions as well as stimuli from everyone around us. In the ascension scene, there was an agitation of feeling I had never expected. I think that Der Tod is a presence inside of Elisabeth, but in that scene it was as though a part of myself that had been unrecognized until then and a part of me who wanted to recognize it were in accord... I feel as though that had accumulated in my time with Tonami.

During my time in Takarazuka, I confronted roles by calculating everything from the method of seduction and the visuals, but I've experienced various things since retiring and become freer in my relation to the stage. In this now, I look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the members from that time and facing this work together again.

Makaze Suzuho

Having retired, this is the first time I get to appear in a Takarazuka OG performance. "Elisabeth" is a work I've appeared in and love, and I'm thrilled to get to stand on stage together with various seniors and people I haven't seen in a long time. Franz was a role which required me to bring out a lot of things I hadn't had until then. He ages during the play, but I had barely played elderly characters, and in the "Ships at night" scene Koike-sensei pointed out to me "your manner of walking is weird", so Susshii-san (Kotobuki Tsukasa) who was kumichou at the time walked with a cane for me and I practiced by frantically imitating her walk. In the kiss scene I was also told "Franz doesn't kiss like that" and studied presentation techniques. Since the work itself is centered on Elisabeth, I have memories of testing out through trial and error where his sensitive spots might be and how his spirits might realistically drop during scenes. Since the performance was staged exactly 100 years after Franz Joseph's death, I got to go to Vienna before the performance and see the exhibition held there. Carrying a country on one's back is a very heavy responsibility, but even so Franz was an emperor beloved by the people and called a wise ruler, so I think he must surely have been a man of confidence. Only, the work is a story revolving around Elisabeth, so what's depicted is Franz seen from her viewpoint. In order to create the role, a historical backbone was necessary, but I nevertheless feel it would be wrong to justify my character too much. I think I took pains to achieve a balance with the assigned role I had to fulfill in the story. And more than anything the tunes are difficult - I remember feeling the joy of everyone together getting through them little by little day by day.

Ichiro Maki

About a year before the snow troupe premiere performance of "Elisabeth" I saw the Vienna version and thought that, following Oscar in "The Rose of Versailles", Der Tod would be more charming when played by a Takarazuka otokoyaku. There was also talk of me playing Elisabeth, but since it was my retirement performance, I wanted after all to play Der Tod as an otokoyaku. There wasn't space for retirement emotions to overflow, but everyone in snow troupe wanted to create a great work, the troupe members gathered their forces, and I think it became an outstanding performance. And then in the following star troupe performance, Asaji-san brought out the eternal charm of Der Tod played by a Takarazuka otokoyaku. Because of that it became a work continuing to be loved for 20 years, I think.

Because the romantic component between Der Tod and Elisabeth is brought out strongly in the Takarazuka version, I played it like loving feelings budding in a being who hasn't known love, and who fights to possess it. But after that I played Elisabeth in the Toho version, and when I sang Der Tod again in the 2012 gala concert, I had come to the view that Der Tod and Elisabeth are one body and soul. In "Gone With the Wind" I played alternately Scarlett and her shadow, so I have experience of connected roles, and I came to have the same feeling about this. Although Elisabeth lives putting on a brave front, Der Tod sings everything she really feels, and I find that interesting. I've come to think Der Tod is the cry of her heart, and in the end she accepts what she's rebelled against and becomes one with it.

4 years ago I grappled with a Der Tod that was the culmination of my work, while this time I decided to participate as one of the premiere members to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the work. It's incredible, isn't it, that the music that was considered difficult 20 years ago has now permeated every cell of the audience's bodies. I am truly happy that the music tugs at the heartstrings of Japanese people to such an extent and that it continues to be a work in high demand.

Asaji Saki

"Elisabeth", which premiered in Vienna, is memorable for its wonderful compositions, which I picked up right away to the extent that I could play the melody of nearly every tune on the piano after only hearing it once. "Elisabeth" is such a musical, right. Since rock singers dressed in white played it, I thought the perfect last role for Ichiro-san had fortuitously appeared. I certainly never thought it would be my turn afterwards, and because of the pressure I originally refused it with an excess of youthful indiscretion (laughs). When I played Der Tod, I told Koike-sensei I couldn't do it like Ichiro-san, and he adopted several of my ideas, such as rising from the orchestra pit and appearing on the ginkyou at the end of act one, appearing with my hand first after "Ultimatum", and continuing as Der Tod in the finale too. There are things they have continued with afterwards, and I'm happy to see the results. Since I'm told I'm a manly-man otokoyaku, I thought I had to at least appear non-human, so I made sure my footsteps couldn't be heard and used traditional Japanese white stage makeup in order to have whiter skin than Elisabeth. A cold being who never dies comes to love a human and suffer like a human. I wanted to create a charming presence with the purity of a person who has never loved before and who loves and gets hurt. Since I loved having the actress Shiraka Ayaki-chan - who enters into it so naturally one forgets if it's acting or reality - as my partner, and it was also her retirement, I could chase after her with the natural feelings of "why are you quitting?". I think it became a Der Tod like that because I created it together with her Elisabeth. I've come to think that after "Elisabeth" you have to take on various challenges without getting to decide your own image, since Der Tod is your magnus opus. Every time I get to appear in an OG performance like this, I feel how much I love Takarazuka. I'm really lucky to get to be an otokoyaku, which I love, after retirement.

Ayaki Nao

The first time I saw "Elisabeth" in the theater, at the snow troupe premiere performance, I already loved historical dramas and I was moved by the profundity of the music and the fictional world which hadn't existed in Takarazuka until then. In the following star troupe performance I got to play the revolutionary Jula, and even though there were tough music rehearsals every day I enjoyed playing a character who aged for the first time, and to whiten my hair and come up with various devises. I played Der Tod in the shinjinkouen, but I was so frantic I barely remember anything (laughs). I remember staring a hole in Asaji-san from the wings of the stage, like Der Tod chasing after Elisabeth. When Koike-sensei told me I would get to play Der Tod in my retirement performance too, I thought it would probably suit my image, but at the same time the pressure of it being an otokoyaku's magnum opus was even greater. In order to focus on the work, I stood on stage every day aiming for self-possession.

When I performed in the 2012 gala concert, I only had to hear the music of the prologue to start to shiver with the revived tension of my retirement performance, and it was somehow extremely painful. And then when I actually started to act, though I had deliberately put a period to being an otokoyaku, I had a very happy feeling. By playing the same role as in my Takarazuka days again, I could come to grips with my past self, I think. With the irreplaceable experience of my time as an otokoyaku, I felt anew how profound, how interesting.

This time I'd like to create something new by facing the real me as I am now. Before I had a strong image of "stillness", I think, but this time I'd like to create more "motion", with the feeling of blue blood simmering, swelling and seething. In OG performances there's a good tension and a very relaxed feeling (laughs), there's a truly nostalgic sense of security but at the same time it's also a place where one receives plenty of stimuli.

Haruno Sumire

The first time I saw "Elisabeth" on stage at the snow troupe premiere, I felt an impact on me that I cannot express in words. Afterwards it was performed by star troupe and cosmos troupe too and the work gained notoriety, so when I heard talk of getting it as my own top debut performance, I was frankly scared and had a lot of worries. At the beginning of rehearsals, the impact was so strong within me of the afterimages of Der Tod played by my seniors in previously staged performances that I felt as though I had left my own feelings behind and was unable to move. As a result of trying to move according to the lyrics and my own unaffected feelings, I think it became a Der Tod with emotions like a human, not like ice or with cold expressions. I didn't understand it when I played Der Tod myself, but when I had played Elisabeth in the Toho version, I realised that although chased after and cornered, Elisabeth is always enveloped in Der Tod's largeness and deep love. With regards to her, even though she's seen with particular eyes due to being royalty, she's a human being with the same feelings as ordinary people, and there were plenty of points where I understood her emotions. Even so I think it's wonderful how she survived until the end without betraying her spirit. In the 2012 gala concert, I could play yet another Der Tod with a deeper understanding of the pursued object, Elisabeth's feelings. I think that Elisabeth could gain her highly sought-after freedom by loving Der Tod=Death and accepting death.

This time I'm getting to sing without stage make-up, so I don't just want to convey my feelings but carefully interpret the compositions packed with wonderful elements. Clearing away all the components that bound me down before and unaffectedly expressing and infusing my own feelings, I want to sing my own current Der Tod.

Mizu Natsuki

The poster for the snow troupe premiere I saw hanging inside a Hankyu railway car only had the letters "Elisabeth". When I saw it for real, I received an impact from the performance tied together only by songs like never before, I saw the following star troupe version too any number of times with tachimi and it became a favorite work. I always wanted to play Der Tod, so when I got the opportunity to take on the challenge in my top debut performance, I was happy. There was also the pressure of my debut, I wrecked my voice in rehearsals, the reborn snow troupe had no choice but to become one faced with a masterpiece, the audience received it warmly too, and thanks to the power of the work we were able to safely greet opening day.

Before the performance, I went to Austria with Ayabuki Mao-san and Shirahane Yuri-san, and since the two of them are portraying actual people they received stimuli in the palaces and museums, but I discovered nothing... (laughs). Afterwards I went to Italy, and while looking at religious paintings of the Annunciation and Christ, I sensed things like Heaven and Earth, God and the Devil, and received a direction. In rehearsals, Koike-sensei told me it might be a good idea to act like a reptile, so with serpents and rock as my theme, I devised my movements carefully for a creeping, slippery feeling.

This time, I'm doing an otokoyaku role in Takarazuka make-up and costume for the first time since retiring, and perhaps because it's been 6 years since I became an actress and I've reached the point where I can be neutral in either pants or a skirt, I finally have the motivation to do an all-out otokoyaku. This year, in the title role of "Sarah Bernhardt", I portrayed an actress, and furthermore a role with violent emotions unlike my own, and I have the feeling I'm finally standing at the starting line as an actress; during my time in Takarazuka I aimed to at least always look pretty, but "to live is certainly not only that, therefore it's not always necessary to be beautiful on stage". Right, I'm in the middle of relearning drama from scratch. Because that's where I am now, this time, when it comes to portraying the fictional sovereign of the underworld, Der Tod, expressions in song included, I want to pursue 200% flawless beauty.

Shirahane Yuri

Yurika's take on Der Tod in the Elisabeth 30th Anniversary Special Gala Concert was completely new, and just perfect for her. She perfectly draws on her larger-than-life aura to create a unusually calm and composed Tod, confidently waiting for Elisabeth to come to him. The closest predecessor is Osa's Tod, who similarly appears as a merciful deity with an eternal perspective on human lives, rather than as a malicious being too involved in human doings. However, OsaTod still seems more vulnerable to the novel emotions, and at times more sinister. Rather than being unsettled by the realisation of feelings for Sisi, YurikaTod just seems fascinated and intrigued by it, savouring every new emotion. I don't think he (because it's a rather male Tod, although with visible breasts) has a concept of "negative" or "positive" emotions, nor does he view death and suffering as bad, since it belongs to his realm. Rather, he's just naturally drawn to and energised by such emotions. He is only truly shaken once, in the Ai to shi no rondo reprise. Being Yurika, her Tod is of course also extremely sensual...

The new combi formed with Sakura was an unexpectedly successful one. Sakura's Sisi was also fantastic, with an equally fresh take on the role. She looks more childlike than most and her Sisi-as-a-girl is extremely naturalistic, but she also manages very well to mature as Sisi. She portrays a quite passionate Sisi who's struggling with her emotions, rather than elegant and composed. Somehow that spark she has reminds me of an opera primadonna. Her Sisi is also very haughty and full of herself, which is a good match for Yurika's smug and self-confident Tod. I've never before seen a Sisi who doesn't only resist Tod (that's in the script), or roar at him to get lost (like Gun's Sisi), but has the nerve to deliberately get close to him and stare him in the eyes before refusing him. Which only makes YurikaTod more smitten and fascinated by her. (A completely logical take, as it's her defiant "Watashi wo kaeshite!" that makes him fall for her in the first place.)

What I'm trying to describe here is not the usual the-more-she-resists-the-more-I-want-her dynamic, which is common with the meaner Tods like Mizu or Saeko. (Don't get mer wrong, I still love MizuTod too!) That vicious circle of increasingly frustrated possessiveness is not there in this version. Rather, YurikaTod has the magnanity to simply become more attracted to Sisi the more she exceeds his expectations and surprises him with new experiences and sensations. For example, he doesn't seem to kill Rudolf out of spite, but rather just to feel closer to Sisi. And YurikaTod's "door angst" in Sisi's bedroom scene was a completely fresh take, almost a reversal of the usual. Instead of being overwhelmed with the pain of rejection and then turning it into revenge to regain composure, YurikaTod just gets high on the sweet, sweet pain and channels that energy directly into that of the angry crowd.

A magnificient performance likely made even more magnificient by the experiences she has had since taidan. Performing like this just a few months after a C-section(!!) is a bit extreme, but I doubt she could have quite reached this level while still in Takarazuka. And in such great vocal shape too - singing the part was honestly what worried me most beforehand. Additionally, Sakura was such a great match for her, able to tease her and give her that little energy boost she needs in a similar way as Kano or indeed Maa! Speaking of, a YurikaTod and MaaSisi combi in the next gala would be quite something... Maa has already shown she can play Sisi to her Franz in "unknown". Though if they just repeated the combi with SakuraSisi I certainly wouldn't complain either.

Oh, another interesting detail is she played Tod completely without any jewellery. Surely a first? She looked great in MaaTod's costumes of course and she couldn't have picked a better wig.