#ensemble stage

For ACT 4, “Witch and Gingerbread House” will be performed based on Grimms’ Fairy Tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

This work is an original story by the theater circle and theatrical company ‘Dramatica’ organized by Wataru Hibiki, a character appearing in the idol produce game Ensemble Stars!!.

The appeal of the theatrical company Dramatica is its ‘double theatrical structure’ in which the characters from the game play the roles. This is a stage where fans of the game hold high expectations as they will be aboe to see a new side of the characters.

Another popular stage project of Enstars!!, which has continued to adapt stage projects since the first performance of ACT 1 in 2021, will depict a new story based on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

We bring to you a detailed report on the stage, where the audience was captivated by the singing, dancing, and acting!

Wandering through the forest, the brothers arrive at an ‘unfinished gingerbread house.’

The play begins with a scene in which Hansel (played by Mika Kagehira / Hiroki Ino) and Gretel (played by Nazuna Nito / Natsuki Osaki), who were abandoned by their step-mother, wandered into a forest, huddled up together.

Hansel and Gretel realize that they have been abandoned, and try to act cheerful to shake off their sadness.

As they travel deeper into the forest, they discover a strange house. The house made up ‘sweets.’ In there, Patty (played by Wataru Hibiki / Kazuma Yasui) and Ark (played by Hokuto Hidaka / Ikkei Yamamoto) were are arguing over something.

The cause of their argument is that they cannot compromise to their commitment to each other in order to fulfill the request of “creating the ultimate gingerbread house.” When Hansel hears their argument, he offers to help build the gingerbread house.

Hansel is first asked to pick fruit for the raw ingredient of sugar. As he heads into the forest with his ‘taming whistle’ to ward off beasts, he is immediately attacked by a beast. Hansel was given a ‘taming whistle,’ but is unable to tame the beast because he has not been taught how to blow it.

In a tight spot, the witch Dicey (played by Shu Itsuki / Taiki Yamazaki) appears.

Dicey plays a beautiful tune and tames the beast in the blink of an eye. The beautiful sound and the kindness shown by Dicey captivated Hansel as if “time had stopped.”

Hansel is fascinated Dicey and asks to be his apprentice. Even though Dicey refuses, saying, “You are not a witch to begin with,” Hansel—with all his strength—pushes his way into Dicey’s house. Thus, Hansel became Dicey’s helper.

Just when it seems that they are living in peace, something strange begins to happen to Dicey. It appears that the ‘secret’ that the witches possess is affecting them. Once the ‘secret’ is revealed, their relationship begins to change.

A suspicious figure watches over Dicey. Lao (played by Tsumugi Aoba / Hiromu Kudo) calls himself “a strange person who likes to take walks,” but what exactly is his true identity and purpose...

Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 is based on the Grimms’ fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and begins with a new story involving the strange encounter between a witch and children. Please enjoy the ‘miracle’ they create in the theater☆

Cast Comments:

Dicey (Shu Itsuki) played by Taiki Yamazaki

I thought that this work, Dramatica ACT 4, which was challenged under a new organization, was a result of fearless triar and error. Although this work is derived from Ensemble Stars!!, I think it has been completed as a single story, and I feel that we are getting closer to the real ‘Dramatica’ one step at a time. I would be happy if you could come visit the theater.

Hansel (Mika Kagehira) played by Hiroki Ino

First of all, I am happy to be involved in Enstars!! once again. I would like to take on the baton firmly and pass it on to the next in hopes that the series of works that have been performed and weaved will continue to be loved for many years to come! The result is a typical fun and pop-like work of Dramatica. I know this is personal... But I am sure I’ll be able to show you a side of myself that can only be seen in this work.... (Laughs). Everyone in this company is looking forward to your sweets.... No, or rather, your ‘visit’!

Gretel (Nazuna Nito) played by Natsuki Osaki

Since it was my first time to join Dramatica, I was quite nervous until rehearsals started, but I read the script, shared lines with everyone, and had a lot of fun being engaged during the rehearsals. This is Gretel, not played by Natsuki Osaki, but played by Nazuna Nito. I would like to bring you the fresh ideas born out of our imagination during rehearsals!!

Lao (Tsumugi Aoba) played by Hiromu Kudo

This will be Tsumugi's first time participating in Dramatica troupe, and I am very much looking forward to playing him as completely different from the Tsumugi Aoba in Enstage, which I did in the past! This work is based on ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ a fantasy filled with a human touch. I look forward to working with Tsumugi to figure out how to portray this original role of Lao. I will do my best to convey a wonderful work and show you a new side of Tsumugi Aoba. Please look forward to it!

Patty (Wataru Hibiki) played by Kazuma Yasui

I am truly grateful that this theatrical company Dramatica has continued to ACT 4 and that I am still able to play the role of Wataru Hibiki! ACT 1, 2, 3 each had their own unique color, and we will bring you another unique color this time as well! Please enjoy the newly directed and powered-up Dramatica by Ikkei-kun, who plays the role of Hokuto!

Ark (Hokuto Hidaka) played by Ikkei Yamamoto

PRE-LV STUFF

BEFORE I aw the LV, I had kept track of some fan reports and stuff.The infamous; Shohei (Hashimoto who plays Reo) getting a nosebleed in the middle of the show and running of staged and adlibbing it so well that no one was worried and causes the rest of KNIGHTS to laugh so much they couldn’t get through the (what should’ve been a) serious scene. I also heard other random stuff like TakaChan (Takasaki Shouta who is Izumi) pulling MakiChan down the stairs but hopefully no one getting hurt and other stuff. And then there’s the infamous Shouta “accidentally” kissing MakiChan at one point xD Also, in MakiChan’s latest live stream, he talked about one time he kind of did fall asleep and his mic fell out of his hand and started going down the stairs xD he also mentioned another time where TakaChan was dancing in front but he got the moves wrong and he cracked up laughing. Another higawari was apparently a yelling contest between KNIGHTS while walking around the seating area and MakiChan cracked up so hard because the audience found it totally hilarious too. Thanks to fans, there were a lot of fanart thrown out too which caught the higawaris and stuff which you can find on twitter under the あんステ tag.

And THEN there’s the going and trading outside the venue for two days; the first day I felt pretty hopeless because MakiChan was THE desired bromides and everything but luckily through amazing friends and luck I manged to haul quite a bit of his stuff.

Look how beautiful he is ^_^

Also, I’m the type of person who’s very much like ‘well I might as well keep this rather than try and sell it because I paid for it anyway’ so I ended up trading and getting other whole character sets too! Which I’m glad I did because I ended up falling for quite a few of them during the LV and glad I got their stuff.

Who’s your favourite out of these guys?

---

The LV

I LOVE how they played the Manner video (here) while we were waiting for it to start xD the girls next to me were absolutely hilarious and knew all the words to this video and were saying all the lines - it was brilliant. I was trying not to die laughing next to them. Especially Wataru and Izumi’s parts xD

So Shouta being the ultimate troll and the fact that Marv’s directors always allow TakaChan and MakiChan to have so many “coincidental” scenes together xD so we had:

☆TakaChan dragging MakiChan down the stairs and MakiChan acting fast enough to use his hands to save himself from getting hurt. ☆Takachan getting ontop of MakiChan when trying to wake him up. ☆Takachan slapping Makichan’s butt and him automaticaly going ‘ita! Ouch’ . << in fact there were a few butt slapping moment.. Nazuna/Tomoya slapping Mitsuru’s butt(?)

Other higawari-like stuff that I loved was:

☆ All the puns with the tea! Hajime accidentally froze the tea and was like ‘ocha ga occhaimashita!’ and then Eichi got on board while MakiChan/Ritsu had to turn away to stop himself from laughing but he was laughing hard and then Eichi asked him to join in and he was like ‘ocha ga ochatta ne’ and Eichi immediately went ‘that’s not right! Say it again’ and MakiChan was just dying. Then he got really concerned that the teatpot’s lid wasn’t on properly xD MaeChan is always amazing at keeping in character and serious during hilarious moments. ☆Shohei was trying to remember Nazuna/Eichi’s name and he was like ‘A...a-’ and Tsukasa said ‘ari!’ (< MaeChan’s laugh at this moment was gold) but that was wrong so Shohei started yelling out names and finally he went ‘...ALEX!’ and he ended up doing a french double cheek kiss greeting - I died from two things; them somewhat ‘kissing’ and the fact that my name came up! I couldn’t help but think ‘Did MakiChan... mention me?’ but that’s probably NOT what happened, I know that xD ☆ In one scene, KNIGHTS are in the seating area, and Makichan asked to sleep on someone's lap but as he went to do so, there was a ‘HAI! ARASHI-CHAN STOP!’ from Arashi. Good Arashi teaching Ritsu about consent xD

☆ Kanzaki brings his damn turtle out at one part and puts him on the floor so they can do for a walk but Kanzaki just takes steps closer to him but is like ‘yeah you did great! okay a little more! Yeah! *turns to audience* doesn’t look like he moved right? But you’re wrong!’ xD ☆ When Tsukasa asks Ritsu for help and Ritsu is like ‘oh yeah THAT dance’ and then does a completely different dance and so Tsukasa tells him it’s the wrong one; Ritsu is like ‘oh yeah this one! Dubidubidoo~!’ and Tsukasa is like ‘NO!’ xD ☆ Also in this same scene as the bullet point above, Izumi and Arashi check in one the rehearsal, and before going in they’re like ‘we can dance’ and started off by doing a secret hand shake and then jumped into (bent) splits, BUT THEN they couldn’t get up from them xD

--

Also I am very happy most of these boys are of age because I was having nosebleed heaven; especially with MakiChan and all of Ra*bits. *does a quick search* PHEW they are all legal and over 20... okay I can carry on now...

SO MUCH HIP AND WAIST AND TUMMY FLESH!! I WAS DYING! 

EVERYTIME MAKICHAN ROLLED AROUND ON THE GROUND! EVERYTIME THE RA*BITS PERFORMED, THEY HAD RAISEY ARM MOVEMENTS SO THEIR TUMMIES AND WAISTS WERE EXPOSED AND IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL TO WITNESS! *dead* even my eyes are bleeding thinking about it.... DAMN boys. I’m gunna be screencapping the SHIT out of these moments.

I am such a Ra*bits fan after this stage cos of all this sexiness from them... also their crying scene was hilarious.

And speaking of sexy, can we talked about Toori’s fucking thighs and butt when he’s in his Live Outfit!!! - DAMN they’re so nice! I was like ‘damn I wish my legs and butt looked that good!’

--

Extra things I wanted to mention:

☆Stop making my Hajime cry!!! It breaks my heart! He’s too precious! Also I’m pretty sure Keito was dying to cry during the curtain call - either that or he was still super in character. It was freaking adorable. But yes, stop making my Hajime cry! ☆ I absolutely loved when, during Akatsuki’s live, Akatsuki - all THREE of them - pulled out swords! I was like YESSS!!!! It was so cool! ☆ Also Kanzaki smacking his chest a bit too hard in front of Keito ☆ I found it hilarious that Nozaki plays Yuzuki exactly the same as his female character in Banchou Boys (vid here). It’s totally adorable and I loved seeing Nozaki act like that xD ☆ Speaking of Nozaki; when he span Toori around! That was cool! ☆ I wasn't sure if it was a higawari or not but it’s been confirmed it wasn’t; after Eichi collapses, Keito flies/jumps down the steps and rolls to get to and aid Eichi. It felt very out of character so I felt like it was a mistake, but it wasn’t. ☆ ALL the Ra*bits members being mental (especially Miyazaki/Tomoya) and trying hard not to cry during the curtain call was both hilarious, adorable and I too wanted to cry. But I didn’t cry until Toori, MakiChan and Shohei spoke. Especially when Shohei spoke <3 his soeech was just so... good. And I love the way Yuzuki presents and speaks, t was so prim and proper <3 ☆ I am SO proud of MakiChan and his dancing <3 he made me a proud mother! I didn’t think he could really sing or dance but he proved himself in this; I can’t wait to see him improve from now ^_^

☆ I am very thankful to the director this time who handled the lives and how often and close together they are this time around. I felt like the first 30 minutes of the second stage were such a waste of time because it was just song after song of group introductions and just chunking it together at the beginning. But this time, they handled the lives much differently, spaced them apart, gave each group equal time almost (exception of KNIGHTS of course), and I’m thankful for it! It was so much more enjoyable this time around.

☆ I don’t really have any complaints about this stage except, I need more and I feel Shohei always plays the same type of character. I want to see him... not like this - any recs anyone? Also, he just drains energy from me. His energy when he’s in character always feels forced and it just takes the energy out of me watching him trying to be this over-genki character. 

--

Compulsory MakiChan Spam

---

This and Nanbaka and Yume Stage has made my year this year! Seriously, go watch all these of these stages. All of them have been phenominal and stayed in my heart and been amazing!

I am SO happy with this stage and so completely satisfied and it was enjoyable and had heart and the story was great and the visuals and everyone’s acting and the dancing and just goddammit this EnStage was A-MA-ZING!

From left to right: Ikkei Yamamoto (Hokuto Hidaka), Taiki Yamazaki (Shu Itsuki), & Kazuma Yasui (Wataru Hibiki)

QUESTION: Today is finally the opening day of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House”! This work is a unique 2.5 dimensional stage project in which the idol characters based on the popular app game ‘Ensemble Stars!!’ act as actors in an original story separate from the game's story. Please tell us the things that you keep in mind on stage when playing a role in the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’.

Yamamoto: As for the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’, I am conscious about the process of creating the stage and amount of time needed to interpret the role as a character since I think these are very important. For example, I played the role of Goku in Dramatica ACT 1 / “Journey to the West- The Eternal Legend,” but rather than deliberately expressing “Hokuto playing as Goku,” I think asked myself, “If I were Hokuto, how could I put a lot of effort and stress in playing as Goku?” and I think it is important to worry together with them during rehearsals. I felt for the first time that when the character and I—as the actor—are in harmony with each other, the two roles in my mind become one. And I think it would be great if that aspect becomes the charm of the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’.

Yamazaki: When I was asked to play in ACT 1, someone pointed out that I was acting too similar to Shu Itsuki. It's always a difficult thing to figure out the amount of seasoning to use. This time in “Witch and Gingerbread House,” I also still want to retain the character of Shu Itsuki in some parts of my performance.

Yasui: It is really difficult to play the role as Wataru-san. Since his character is an acting genius, I can never fail. During ACT 1, I honestly felt like throwing up because there was so much pressure (Laughs). But after finishing ACT 1, I think that pressure has changed for the better. I realized that if I think too much, I would get stuck. It's hard to express it well, but I believe I am more conscious of how much I can match with Wataru-san's mindset when he does theater performances.

QUESTION: All of you appeared in ACT 1 and ACT 2, what can we expect to see more of this time around?

Yasui: Although I play the same ‘Wataru Hibiki,’ the character I play changes drastically depending on the performance, which is always very refreshing. Of course, this time, ACT 4 also has a different role to play! Moreover, there will be interactions with idols who have not appeared before, so I hope you look forward to seeing how this will cause a chemical reaction to spread. I am sure that something new will happen that wasn't present in ACT 1 or ACT 2.

Yamazaki: During ACT 1, I started out feeling rather clueless about how to do it. But once it begun, I felt a great amount of strength to stand alongside with my colleagues. It is a memorable work in which we put in a lot of effort to establish one new genre. This time, since I also performed in the previous two productions, I am much more familiar with various aspects, so I hope to create it a work that will make people think, “This is Dramatica!”

QUESTION: In addition to appearing in Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” Yamamoto-san will also be in charge of directing the play. Please tell us your expectations in terms of the stage production.

Yamamoto: The most important thing is for the audience to enjoy the show, and I hope that my direction will help them immerse themselves in the performance. I would like for the audience to finish watching the play without leaving the world of “Witch and Gingerbread House” until the curtain rises and falls. Hence, there are various production devices, such as stage sets moving along with the scene and the changing of the lights, but I believe that it is ideal for the audience to enjoy this real-time changes than stress ahout them. The appeal of theater performances is that it allows you to enjoy the phenomenon happening in front of your eyes as a form of entertainment. Without that, it wouldn't be any different from watching a drama or a movie. I hope I can direct in a way that will make the audience feel the fun and greatness of theater as a ‘real’ thing.

QUESTION: Lastly, please tell us the appeal of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House.”

Yamazaki: In this case, the visuals are full of Shu's worldview, and are quite dense and extremely detailed. I will be performing with Mika Kagehira (played by Hiroki Ino) from the same unit for the first time in a while. In addition to Mika, there will be idols other than members of Dramatica who have not met in the previous stage plays, so I hope that you look forward to seeing how they will interact with each other!

Taiki Yamazaki

X (formerly Twitter): @TTTTTTAIKKI103

Born on October 3, 1995 in Shizuoka Prefecture. He won the Judges’ Special Prize at the 23rd JUNON SUPERBOY CONTEST. He began his acting career in 2011, and in 2017, he appeared in Uchū Sentai Kyuranger Hebitsukai Silver/Naga Ray. Currently, he has been active on several stages including “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Shu Itsuki, Musical “Thrill Me” as Him, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” as Anthony, and numerous other roles. In addition to acting, he has a wide range of activities, including music where he performs under the name Nemurinitsukumade Tsukiatte. The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Dicy¹ (played by Shu Itsuki) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

Ikkei Yamamoto

X (formerly Twitter): @IKKEI_YAMAMOTO

Born on June 1, 1989 in Tokyo Prefecture. He is active in 2.5 dimensional stage plays of various well-known works such as “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Hokuto Hidaka, “The Vampire Dies in No Time” as Draluc, Musical “Moriarty the Patriot” as Louis James Moriarty, “ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH ～Arrancar the Beginning～” as Byakuya Kuchiki, and others. In recent years, apart from acting, he has also expanded his range of activities, including directing. The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Arc¹ (played by Hokuto Hidaka) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

Kazuma Yasui

X (formerly Twitter): @XOXO_KID616

Born on February 12th from Aichi Prefecture. He has appeared on several popular 2.5 dimensional stage plays such as “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Wataru Hibiki, “Tokyo Color Sonic!! the Stage” as Kairi Kurahashi, and others, as well as in the Off-Broadway Musical “bare” starring as Jason. He also performs music under the name ‘Yasui Kazuma.’ The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Patty¹ (played by Wataru Hibiki) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

TAIKI:

Shirt ¥44,000, pants ¥44,000 (both GALAABEND / SARDIVISION PR), belt ¥7,150 (Wrangler / Edouin Customer Service), ring ¥63,800 (GARNI / Garni Tokyo), boots ¥45,100 (YOAK / Hemto PR)

IKKEI:

Shirt ¥89,650, tank top ¥80,300 (both SHEK LEUNG / INNOMENT), shirt around waist ¥60,500 (FACETASM / FACETASM AOYAMA), pants ¥39,600 (SHINYAKOZUKA), ear cuffs ¥10,890 (JUSTINECLENQUET / The Wall Showroom), tie ¥15,800 (Queen & Jack / Esteem Press), shoes ¥36,300 (Timberland / VF Japan)

KAZUMA:

Shirt ¥48,400 (RequaLL / Esteem Press), skirt ¥38,500 (GALAABEND / SARDIVISION PR), pants ¥22,500 (COS / COS Aoyama Store), glasses ¥36,300 (GENTLE MONSTER / M), necklace ¥28,000 (Marland Backus / Marland), ring ¥55,000, heart ring ¥30,800 (both from LAMBDA), shoes ¥46,200 (MIKAGE SHIN / Sakas PR), socks: stylist's personal items

MODEL: TAIKI YAMAZAKI (IMAGENE) @RRRRRLIGHT103, IKKEI YAMAMOTO (ARTIST JAPAN) @YAMAMOTO_IKKEI, KAZUMA YASUI (KETEL) ＠NATSUNOYASUI

PHOTOGRAPHER: NAOTO KAWATAKE ＠NAOTOKAWATAKE

STYLING: SHO FURUKAWA @SHOFURUKAWA_

HAIR: HIROKI KITADA ＠HIROKI_KITADA

MAKEUP: HINATA SAKURAGI ＠H__PPPPP

EDIT: SARA OMORI, AIRI ASAHI

TEXT: AIRI ASAHI, AYU TSUCHIYA

DIRECTION: YURIKA NAGAI

WEB DESIGN: NAO WATANABE, ANJU OKAWA

translator's note:

¹ - There are no official released English localization for the names of the characters in ACT 4, so I've decided to translate them literally instead. This will change once an English localization of their names is released.