#2015.08

Interview with Makaze Suzuho

 - As you are originally from Kumamoto Prefecture, how did you come to want to join Takarazuka? How did you learn about it when you were young?

             When I was a junior high school student, I went with my mother to see the National Tour “Sarang Ai / Jazz Mania” that came to our area in Kumamoto. When we were going home, we found the pamphlet in the lobby. That was when I realized there was the ongaku-gakkou (TMS) and that you could apply… The first time I applied, I didn’t really know anything… I made it to the second round, but of course I failed….

           However, that just created even more interest within me and I thought, “I really want to go here!” So, I started taking singing lessons on top of more difficult ballet lessons… for that year I tried really hard but… I failed the second time, too.

           My desire to enter TMS only grew even bigger along with my chagrin towards having failed… According to my age, I could still apply two more times, but I decided myself that the next time would be the last. So I tried my best and applied a third time. Of course I’d been practicing ballet and other things so long but… the feeling I had for wanting to enter TMS was like ‘wanting to have fun dancing with everyone’…

           I stopped doing other things like calligraphy, piano, swimming… Even though I quit everything else, I kept practicing the abacus for a really long time… I really loved math (laughs).

 - How was your time in TMS?

             Life in the music school was almost too shocking, but it’s something that I will never forget!! I thought, “This is the only way to become like the shining people on stage… this training is necessary!” and did my best. After the first year of difficult preparatory training was finished, I got accustomed to that life with everyone and I was able to enjoy the lessons, too. Japanese dance, theater… even classes for things I haven’t been able to do yet, I was able to garner a lot of interest for different things. During the theater lessons, Shion Yuu-san taught us about the fun of being an otokoyaku, and it really increased my desire to become an otokoyaku.

 - Afterwards, you were assigned to Hoshigumi. At the end of your third year (ken-3) you received the main role “Joy Bee” in the shinjin koen for “My Dear New Orleans” (main performer, Aran Kei). And then you received the main role of Damduk in “The Legend of the Great King and Four Gods ver.II” shinjin koen (main performer, Yuzuki Reon).

             It was a very precious experience, but… my power was really not in a state to keep up at that time, so I really suffered. The shinjinkoen for “My Dear-“, I couldn’t remember the lines or lyrics… I was in a state that I didn’t even know what it was that I didn’t know. I was really aware of how deep Touko-san’s heart was. My own situation and feelings, I still couldn’t make sense of them… and then suddenly the grand theater show for “The Legend-“ was starting… I still couldn’t do anything right and I was so frustrated….

           I pushed myself into a corner and those days were just like constantly riding angry waves. It seemed like there were hundreds of thousands of things I asked and wanted to ask Touko-san and Chie-san (tear). I still think about it even now.

           But since I was able to receive such an experience while I was still no good, there were many things I could find out about myself. When I again received Chie-san’s role, a mountain of things I wanted to ask had piled up inside of me, so they kind of overflowed at that time.

 - When you were ken-5, you played in the first “Romeo and Juliette” as ‘Death’. It has the impression that it was the role that really created ‘Makaze Suzuho’s image’.

             It was our first time performing it, and we didn’t have much rehearsal time, but we still had to find a way to create it… I really worried about things like “Death??? How should I portray such a thing??” I was groping for answers. I received a lot of advice from Chie-san. I reviewed my dancing technique and I learned a lot about purveying messages through only movement. What kind of presence to be on the stage… that kind of intensive study, I was very grateful for it.

 - During “Nova Bossa Nova”, you had three roles due to the three cast changes. Ouro, Mar, and Ms. Mel. It was a big success. Then you had your first Bow Hall show “Lancelot” followed by “Ocean’s 11”, where your successes kept growing.

             During “Nova”, everyday was so busy. Now I can laugh when talking about it but with three roles… sometimes during rehearsal it’d be like “Huh? Which role am I supposed to be right now?...” It was like my brain couldn’t keep up. **(AN: There’s a weird phrase here I couldn’t figure out.)

           The other two involved in the cast change, Tomomin-san (Yumeno Seika) and Sayumi-san (Kurenai Yuruzu) really took care of me. But I think because I had that experience, when other cast changes came later, I was able to face them calmly.

           “Lancelot” was really a time of ecstasy. All the performers involved really supported me, and more than anything I was touched by the warmth of the fans. I could feel so much love, I was really happy.

           Around that time, I once again received Chie-san’s role in the shinjin koen during “Ocean’s 11”. She was with me both off stage and on stage, so I was able to learn a lot. My life of “earnestly listening” began… (laughs)

 - Afterwards was “South Pacific” and the second “Romeo and Juliette”. Your presence as a main member of Hoshigumi was really increasing then.

             “South Pacific” was my first time performing anything with Ishi-san (Todoroki Yuu) so I was really nervous. But I really learned a lot about “being an otokoyaku”. In the next “Romeo-“ I played both Tybalt and Death in the cast change. I thought that the image from the first death was still strong in the audience’s minds, and the memory of it was likely to be more beautiful than reality… so I worried about how to overcome that kind of wall.

           As Tybalt, I was happy to join the red team and have some allies there. From “Romeo-“, I also graduated shinjin koens, so it was my first time viewing it from the audience seats. Then I realized the difficulties the upper classmen have, and I felt like I couldn’t face them*.

           I knew everyone in the shijinkoen, so I felt like I should say something but… instead I ended up learning a lot from watching them. I felt like I understood the greatness of the Takarazuka system then. I thought it was a really happy thing, reviewing how I was in shinjin koens and looking towards how I’ll be from now on. I feel thankful that I had that kind of time behind me.

 - Right after, you received your second lead in the Drama City show “Towards a Day in the Sun”, where you challenged a role showing two different personalities.

             It was my first time working with Kimura-sensei, but he really allowed me to start rehearsals with a clean slate, so to speak. In order to move closer to what Kimura-sensei was seeking, I thought I had to increase this new sense of pushing myself so I kept thinking like “it’s ok to fail, or if it comes out weird at first- just do it!” I was able to bring out a lot of “raw feelings”. During this show, too, I could really feel the love from the fans, so during senshuuraku I was crying again…

 - The next show, “Napoleon, The Man Who Never Sleeps” was the first grand theater performance of the 100th year anniversary, but how was the year 2014 as a whole?

             It was really dense (laughs). But in retrospect, it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. In “Napoleon”, I received the heavy role of the military man, Miura. But Koike-sensei, every time, can really see through the essence of the performer and point out the weak points. Before, during “Ocean’s 11”, I had been worrying about “What is my individuality?” but this time with Miura, it was like “How can I express this type of man in one instant?” Seemingly, when I wanted to take the plunge to wear sideburns, it was like a “I want to be an extreme man!!” feeling. But as I worked my way through it, it was more like “Ah, this is a man---?” (laughs) So I discovered how to have fun while being manly (laughs). (There’s another sentence here about wondering if she tore something/messed something up. I wasn’t sure what it meant.)

           But for every show, there’s never a performance without worries, no matter how long you’ve been here, it’s still definitely not enough. I became keenly aware of this.

 - From the latter half of last year you had many opportunities to perform and stand on stage with the now graduated Yuzuki Reon in the Budokan performance and dinner show.

             That I was able to have such an experience like standing on the Budokan stage in my lifetime… I truly feel like it was an amazing incident.

           Being a performer who creates the stage and that feeling of happiness, it was like playing “catch ball” with the audience with those feelings at intervals, and the shouting… it was all completely different.

           I realized that that’s what Takarazuka shows are, after all. It shattered my concepts of selfish thinking, and made me realize that I had become a member of this concert and that the audience could receive such happiness from my performance became a very precious experience for me.

           Also, it was my first time to perform in a dinner show where the stage was mainly singing, it really felt like a miracle. And for it to be in Chie-san’s dinner show, with Sayumi-san as well, as the three of us. It was truly an honor. With Chie-sans amazing power, and Sayumi-san’s shining personality, I sometimes felt overwhelmed but I was enveloped with by their kind natures, I really felt truly happy in that moment.

          That I was able to still learn things from Chie-san until the very end, I truly felt like she was such an amazing Top Star.

 - After your last show with Hoshigumi “Like a Black Panther/ Dear Diamond”, you moved to Soragumi. How did you feel when you heard about the troupe transfer?

             I never once thought about a transfer, so of course I was really surprised. However, I was really happy that I was able to see off Yuzuki-san, who had always been guiding me, as a member of Hoshigumi for her last show. Through the show, I also had many strange feelings. We were seeing off the graduates, but then I would remember that I would no longer be here anymore either, so as I looked around at the members of the troupe I would begin to cry… I would think “Oi, you, be positive! You’re not the one retiring, are you?” and plunge myself back into rehearsals.

           And then during the performance, the warmth from the audience was so great. I felt that it was amazing how human feelings can actually travel (from one person to another).

 - And there, from “A Song for Kingdoms”, your life in Soragumi began.

             I was two weeks late to participate in rehearsals which was difficult, so I really concentrated on catching up with everyone. Because of that, I think being busy really helped me at points. Everyone in Soragumi is very nice, and I really felt accepted as a member of the troupe. I’m really happy that I was able to join for Manato-san’s top debut performance. I’m performing now with a feeling of I want to hurry and catch up with everyone and become a part of Soragumi’s power. It’s often said that “Takarazuka is one”. But… working to create performances, the feelings of wanting to give the audience a happy experience… those are definitely the same. Everyone takes their ambition and works hard to create the best production possible… in that respect; it feels like nothing has really changed.

 - To this point, you’ve had various experiences, but is there anything that you’d like to do?

             I still haven’t performed in a nihonmono (traditional Japanese show), so… that? I really like watching nihonmonos. When I watch other troupes perform them I always think they are so amazing. But I always think, if that were me I would definitely not be good at it.

           But I wanted to try something new, so for this personal book I tried a few photo shoots where I just stood around like that (in traditional Japanese clothes). (laughs)

 - Do you have a weak point?

             I really don’t excel at anything, so if I don’t make a lot of effort then I really fall behind. So I really have to try hard at rehearsals… whenever I think about that, my heart becomes clogged up and I start to feel really anxious and think things like “I’m no good!” …

           I guess I’m a little close-minded like that, but I think on stage the first thing that comes across is “ a person’s heart”. Therefore, in order to perform in my best state for every show… of course it requires technique/skill, but polishing your feelings and growing as a person and striving to improve yourself… I think if you can do those things then you can stand on the stage as a balanced performer.

 - Please tell us your ambitions from this point forward.

             I don’t want to strictly think things like “This is what an otokoyaku should be!”, and I want to treasure the traditions of Takarazuka… I think it would be good to take those aspects and become a performer who can express the “ideal man” that the current fans seek. The fans that watch Takarazuka, we the performers, everyone involved with a production… everyone has their own feeling of  “I love Takarazuka!” I feel like we all become responsible for the history of love following this theater. So I want to devote my days to treasuring that collective love… as well as taking everything I’ve learned to this point and handing it down to the underclassmen so that I, too, can continue to grow even more.