Review: Elisabeth - Hoshigumi 1996/7
Sep. 5th, 2009 05:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
masahiSummary: Elisabeth is the Gothic musical about the love story between Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Death. It follows her life, as an unhappy Empress through until her assassination in 1898, and Death following her steps. (In case you didn't realise this was my favourite :D)
I'll start by saying I'm incredibly biased about this production, and that's entirely because my favourite girl is the lead in it, but that doesn't stop it being a fricking brilliant show.
The second of the Takarazuka productions, Star took a lot of influence from the original production, but also had a glance at the Hungarian production as well, which was in production at the same time. It's not clear unless you know what to look for, but to me, it's clear Asaji Saki was impressed by Szabo Szilvester and his interpretation of the ethereal figure of Death.
Likewise, in this production, Elisabeth was much stronger than the more traditional Musumeyaku that Hanafusa Mari played. On the whole, I prefer this style, which is subtly more Westernised than the previous production.
There is more overt emotion, and the Death in this performance has moments of utter shattering emotion, which is sometimes lacking in other versions.
Cast-wise:
Asaji Saki as Death: This is the first show I saw with Saki, and I think is the most common one for people to have seen, because only 1 of her other shows made it onto DVD at all. Still, I saw it, and the first moment Death and Elisabeth met face-to-face had a Death who genuinely expressed the shock confusion he felt.
Bear in mind by this point, I had probably seen 5 or so other versions of Elisabeth, so my Death-vocabulary was already getting expansive.
What I love about Saki's Death is that he's such a guy. He's having these weird feelings and emotions and he doesn't know how to process it. And when they're rebuffed, the responses are spot on. Others may be mystical, androgynous, or merely uninterested, but this is a bloke having a desperate crush and not quite sure what to do with it.
This is a character who is ethereal and mystical, but underneath it all, there beats a heart that has humanity and emotions, and is just as confused as we are by the whole concept of love and emotion.
Plus, Saki is just beautifully expressive. She's one of the strongest actresses I've seen in all the shows I've seen from Takarazuka. Even in the slightest gestures, you know what she's about, and that is a skill itself.
Shiraki Ayaka as Elisabeth: Having recently re-watched this for the first time in ages, it suddenly brought home to me what a lovely, proud and strong Elisabeth Ayaka plays.
There is, unfortunately, the soppy, self-indulgent side which shows up in all Zuka productions, but Ayaka manages to avoid the trap of being a completely irritating Elisabeth, which many are guilty of.
She's never quite been my favourite Elisabeth, but she is a very strong singer and she really does match Saki very well :)
Minoru Kou as Franz Josef: She's my favourite of all the Zuka FJs, which is pretty impressive given how bland and dull I find the character. She gives him a dignity and a gentle hopefulness which I adore. There's so much effection expressed, despite his best efforts to conceal it, which I adore.
Ships in the Night and Franz Josef's Nightmare are my two favourite scenes, one when he's allowed to be frail and vulnerable and the other, when he's fighting to save the woman he loves. The range of emotion Noru shows makes me immensely happy :)
Shibuki Jun as Lucheni: She brings the crazy, but I'm afraid I've seen a lot better Luchenis than her. She's good at the sleazily-lurking, sinister figure, but I like my Luchenis much wilder and more anarchic.
Emao Yuu as Rudolf: I am very fond of Emao Yuu's Rudolf. He's got spunk and feistiness, which is very much a good thing and is too often overlooked in favour of emoting dramatically pre-suicide. This is a Rudolf who has Ideas, but simply lacks the ability to bring them into fruition, without Death's help, and even then, things fall down around his ears.
He's so desperate to make something happen, and when that fails, his despair at his failure is palpable. The combination of Yuu's son and Noru's father is a perfect dynamic, with Elisabeth balanced between them, unlike both, but the link that binds them.
Izumo Aya as Sophie: OWNED. Just. Fricking. Owned. I love Izumo Aya, and she arranged herself a nice little dictatorship, keeping strong female roles for the next 10 years :)
Ema Naoki as Ludovika: Despite being an otokoyaku, Ema Naoki played the fussy, primping mother with ambitions with far too much glee. She's a scene-stealing set-muncher, and I love her for it :)
Tsukikage Hitomi as little Rudolf: an up-and-coming Musumeyaku at the time, Hitomi managed to play a little frightened boy in a surprisingly convincing way. Plus, her dynamic with Saki's Death is lovely, with the clear affection there.
Kozuki Wataru & Ayaki Nao as Elmer and Jura: These two hardly got any scenes, bu the scenes they did get, they savoured. Determined, cunning little rebels may be an understatement for these boys.
And lastly:
Matobu Sei as Black Angel: since I have developed a large fangirling crush on Yuu, I was watching the angels carefully for her, since she was the youngest angel on record, and there she was, having a ferociously good time in the background.
Seven impending Top Stars there. I find that a sign of the quality of Star Troupe in this period :)
Also, last lastly: I loved the revue for this production. Saki getting a Musumeyaku dance instead of having to sing was lovely, plus, who doesn't love watching her do good, old-fashioned pair dancing?
I'll start by saying I'm incredibly biased about this production, and that's entirely because my favourite girl is the lead in it, but that doesn't stop it being a fricking brilliant show.
The second of the Takarazuka productions, Star took a lot of influence from the original production, but also had a glance at the Hungarian production as well, which was in production at the same time. It's not clear unless you know what to look for, but to me, it's clear Asaji Saki was impressed by Szabo Szilvester and his interpretation of the ethereal figure of Death.
Likewise, in this production, Elisabeth was much stronger than the more traditional Musumeyaku that Hanafusa Mari played. On the whole, I prefer this style, which is subtly more Westernised than the previous production.
There is more overt emotion, and the Death in this performance has moments of utter shattering emotion, which is sometimes lacking in other versions.
Cast-wise:
Asaji Saki as Death: This is the first show I saw with Saki, and I think is the most common one for people to have seen, because only 1 of her other shows made it onto DVD at all. Still, I saw it, and the first moment Death and Elisabeth met face-to-face had a Death who genuinely expressed the shock confusion he felt.
Bear in mind by this point, I had probably seen 5 or so other versions of Elisabeth, so my Death-vocabulary was already getting expansive.
What I love about Saki's Death is that he's such a guy. He's having these weird feelings and emotions and he doesn't know how to process it. And when they're rebuffed, the responses are spot on. Others may be mystical, androgynous, or merely uninterested, but this is a bloke having a desperate crush and not quite sure what to do with it.
This is a character who is ethereal and mystical, but underneath it all, there beats a heart that has humanity and emotions, and is just as confused as we are by the whole concept of love and emotion.
Plus, Saki is just beautifully expressive. She's one of the strongest actresses I've seen in all the shows I've seen from Takarazuka. Even in the slightest gestures, you know what she's about, and that is a skill itself.
Shiraki Ayaka as Elisabeth: Having recently re-watched this for the first time in ages, it suddenly brought home to me what a lovely, proud and strong Elisabeth Ayaka plays.
There is, unfortunately, the soppy, self-indulgent side which shows up in all Zuka productions, but Ayaka manages to avoid the trap of being a completely irritating Elisabeth, which many are guilty of.
She's never quite been my favourite Elisabeth, but she is a very strong singer and she really does match Saki very well :)
Minoru Kou as Franz Josef: She's my favourite of all the Zuka FJs, which is pretty impressive given how bland and dull I find the character. She gives him a dignity and a gentle hopefulness which I adore. There's so much effection expressed, despite his best efforts to conceal it, which I adore.
Ships in the Night and Franz Josef's Nightmare are my two favourite scenes, one when he's allowed to be frail and vulnerable and the other, when he's fighting to save the woman he loves. The range of emotion Noru shows makes me immensely happy :)
Shibuki Jun as Lucheni: She brings the crazy, but I'm afraid I've seen a lot better Luchenis than her. She's good at the sleazily-lurking, sinister figure, but I like my Luchenis much wilder and more anarchic.
Emao Yuu as Rudolf: I am very fond of Emao Yuu's Rudolf. He's got spunk and feistiness, which is very much a good thing and is too often overlooked in favour of emoting dramatically pre-suicide. This is a Rudolf who has Ideas, but simply lacks the ability to bring them into fruition, without Death's help, and even then, things fall down around his ears.
He's so desperate to make something happen, and when that fails, his despair at his failure is palpable. The combination of Yuu's son and Noru's father is a perfect dynamic, with Elisabeth balanced between them, unlike both, but the link that binds them.
Izumo Aya as Sophie: OWNED. Just. Fricking. Owned. I love Izumo Aya, and she arranged herself a nice little dictatorship, keeping strong female roles for the next 10 years :)
Ema Naoki as Ludovika: Despite being an otokoyaku, Ema Naoki played the fussy, primping mother with ambitions with far too much glee. She's a scene-stealing set-muncher, and I love her for it :)
Tsukikage Hitomi as little Rudolf: an up-and-coming Musumeyaku at the time, Hitomi managed to play a little frightened boy in a surprisingly convincing way. Plus, her dynamic with Saki's Death is lovely, with the clear affection there.
Kozuki Wataru & Ayaki Nao as Elmer and Jura: These two hardly got any scenes, bu the scenes they did get, they savoured. Determined, cunning little rebels may be an understatement for these boys.
And lastly:
Matobu Sei as Black Angel: since I have developed a large fangirling crush on Yuu, I was watching the angels carefully for her, since she was the youngest angel on record, and there she was, having a ferociously good time in the background.
Seven impending Top Stars there. I find that a sign of the quality of Star Troupe in this period :)
Also, last lastly: I loved the revue for this production. Saki getting a Musumeyaku dance instead of having to sing was lovely, plus, who doesn't love watching her do good, old-fashioned pair dancing?