![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
masahiSummary: Based on the Hemingway book of the same name. Robert Jordan, an American, steps in to assist Guerilla fighters during the Spanish civil war, using his expertise in explosives to destroy a bridge linking supply lines. He's confronted with love, loss, friendship and eventually death.
Personally, I'm not a fan of Hemingway. I made myself read the book, so I could loosely follow the story, but otherwise, I know I would have given up on it within the first few chapters. There's a lot of talkiness, and that the one weakness I find in this show. Maybe it's good talkiness in Japanese, but since I mostly don't know what's going on, the heated discussions about what I can only guess are surprise attacks/guerilla tactics etc bored me a little bit.
On the other hand, though, great songs, great action sequences, and the scenes which weren't talkieness around the strategy table, it was a fantastic show. The best thing about Japanese theatre is that there's such a history and stylistic quality there, even diluted by modern performing, that it really helps tell the story too.
I was never a Soragumi fan, really. I liked Zunko/Ohana back in the day, especially Zunko was my first Sienne smit, but since then, I've mostly been rather 'meh' about the troupe. It's a shame, because there is a lot of talent there and I can't deny they're very good at what they do, but the TakaHana era just left me cold, and while TaniUme were lovely together, it still did nothing for me.
I know there's various controversies and criticisms of the fact that Yuuhi and Sumika were imported to take Top Star positions in the troupe, but I don't care about this. What I do care about is the fact that Yuuhi is a strong leading force. I saw BaraAme live and Tani was nice and all, but she was a performer above all else. Yuuhi really does come across as a leader. It's the same energy that I felt from Kiriyan - here's someone who has been around a long time, has experienced dozens of Top Stars and seen how a troupe can run, and now, has taken everything she's learned to lead the troupe. I can see why they brought her into Soragumi. Plus, the fact that everyone dotes on her is adorable.
And to my surprise, Sumika has won me over completely. I watched Casablanca, and she really didn't do much for me, but I think that was because she was trying to imitate the film too much. Likewise, Trafalgar, she was interesting, but not a hugely varied character,
In Bell, she acted so wonderfully, especially given the backstory of Maria's character: parents murdered in front of her, gang-raped, and her hair shorn off as a reminder. She was a fragile, skittish doe, wide-eyed and nervous, when she first appeared but gradually giving way to show what she had survived and how strong she is becoming.
One of the most heartbreaking sequences is when Maria is telling her story, with flashback, and she's surrounded by friends and family, dancing and happy, and all at once, her parents are murdered and she's attacked herself. The joy of happy, innocent Maria at the start of the sequence, and the whole range of emotions that girl showed as people are murdered around her and she's torn down in pieces, and finally concluding with broken, but still-standing Maria telling Robert "and that's the way it is" was breathtaking.
Plus, it doesn't hurt that Yuuhi clearly has the biggest girlcrush on her and would walk through the fire for her. Their chemistry is lovely, and some of the scenes that were just them were so intimate and personal, it felt almost too private to be watching them. Little scenes, like Sumika resting her head on Yuuhi's knee while Yuuhi very, very gently and carefully ran her fingers through her hair, or when after Robert carefully kisses her for the first time, Maria going "OH! I LIKE! MORE!" and glomps on him. Although, one of my favourites of them together is still the nose-rub, where it really, really looked more like lip on lip than nose on nose.
Funnily enough, Robert/Maria was the thing I disliked most in the book, mostly because book!Robert is an arrogant git. Yuuhi gave him layers, and made him sympathetic, as well as making him an all round Bloke. Especially a bloke who is rather keen to jump his girl, but is decent enough to let her be the one to make the choice.
Those two aside, though, I loved me some Guerillas. Even if the show started with a post!Death wishful pair-dance, it cut back to cheerier times, with merry Guerillas generally having a lark in the mountains. I want the "Guerilla Wake-up Song" as my alarm on my clock. It's bouncy and cheerful and fun :)
Ranju Tomu was the leader of the pack as Agustin, and while she got some fantastic dance stuff, I was a bit disappointed by the character. He didn't get a lot to do, apart from bossing people around. Although, he and Robert got smashed on whisky and bonded in a bloke-way. The dance stuff, though. Wow. Flamenco dance is nifty anyway, but Tomu nailed it and got to use a bullfighting cloak.
I was a little puzzled as to the placement of Random Dance Sequence YAY, but from what I have figured, they were using them as either flashbacks, or daydreams or fantasies of various characters. Times like this, it would be handy to understand Japanese.
Hokushou Kairi on the other hand, was adorable. And got a lot of scenes, including a personal quest with Re-Re to deliver news. This was the point I realised that her promotion was getting increased in pace, and that Tomu would either be leaving Soragumi or retiring. I'm glad it was the former, and that she did finally get her Top Star position, even if it is in a different troupe.
Speaking of Sumireno Rei, she was just as cute as a button. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was playing Nagina Ruumi's sister. The two of them bounced off one another beautifully, and in such fun ways. There was so much poking and swatting and banter that it really did come across as a sibling relationship. Which made what followed heart-breaking (more to follow)
Oh, and on a Kacha-note, boo on her character getting killed again, and not even onstage. Joaquin still was a lovely character, very stompy grumpy teenage Guerilla, who got very flustered and teased merciless by everyone. Especially when Pilar flirted with him ;)
However, she did also get to be in 3-man Flamenco sequence, which made up for it, a little bit. Our mama-san went with us to see the show and teased me that she could always tell when Kacha was on stage and where, because my opera-glasses would swing towards her automatically :D
However, prize for biggest scene-stealer goes to Yuumi Hiro as Rafael. Seriously, I would put Tomomin and Tomochin on a stage together just to see who is the biggest attention-grabbing character. They're both as bad as each other.
On Robert's first arrival at the Guerilla band's hideout, Rafael is lounging about with a cigarette and a guitar, and is more than a little drunk. Serious exposition about the blowing up of the bridge is going on in the foreground, but I was too busy watching Tomochin in the background. Rafael - after getting in trouble for lighting a cigarette near the dynamite - is sitting happily strumming his guitar, tipping sideways, and giggling to himself. Not much, you say, but it was the expressions. I couldn't help watching for her after that.
Senior-wise, Hoshihara Misao and Kyou Misa were brilliant. I've been wanting to see Hoshi, ever since I saw her back in Elisabeth when I first fell into fandom. She definitely didn't disapopoint with such a bitter, worn down Guerilla who is frustrated and tired and annoyed by everything and everyone. It was a fantastic role for her to retire on and I feel so glad I saw her live before she left.
Kyou Misa, however, won my heart completely. Pilar is the kind of role that could go so wrong and become a farce: she's the tough matriarch who will smack any of the Guerilla band down or grab them by the ear and treat them like an errant schoolboy.
Instead, she became the driving force of Team Pablo, the heart and soul of the group. If Pablo said "do this", maybe a few would agree, but when Pilar says "do this", you do it, you do it fast, and you do it NOW. And they clearly loved her as well. She really was the stern but fair mother of the whole show.
Another role which really stood out for me was Junya Chitose as Rosa, El Sordo's daughter. This was a good show for the female roles. You had Pilar as the tough matriarch, Maria as the delicate but strong broken creature, Lucia as the innocent young woman pulled into a conflict without being fully aware of what could happen and Rosa who is a tough, aware woman.
She reminded me a great deal of Marimo's character in Legend II with the bolshy attitude, complete resolve and stubborn determination. Plus, she took great pleasure in deliberately interrupting Robert/Maria's snuggling scene, and was just such a fantastic side character.
But what really got to me about her was the closing scene of Act 1. I knew it would be this scene when I read the books, but I had no clue of how much it would hit me.
Basic outline: El Sordo's band are allies of our hero and his group. They've gone off to steal horses, but because it's been snowing, they're tracked and Team Pablo realise that El Sordo's crew have walked into a trap. Robert knows that if they try to help, they'll be outnumbered and killed themselves. Lucia is in hysterics because her brother's there. Rosa, on the other hand, is furious until the final assault happens and the bombs are dropped. You don't need to be told that El Sordo and all his men have been killed.
The Guerillas, all of whom had been roaring to go, fell deathly silent. And that was the point that Rosa just fell to her knees and screamed for her dead father.
I don't know if it was just me, but I'm sure there was a stunned hush, punctuated by faint sniffles, as the curtain came down for act 1. I was just sitting and blinking and going "...um... what just happened?"
That scene was painful in its simple intensity. And was matched by the final sequence, when Robert is shot and tells his allies to leave him behind. The boys help him to the gun, and when Maria is dragged away, screaming, he just sits. Calm and quiet, and despite knowing he's going to die, he's going to die saving his friends.
Again with the stunned hush as the lights went down. And then, amazing revue of dazzling awesome, to make your poor, crushed, aching little heart feel a wee bit better.
Before I forget, I loved the sets. Simple moving blocks, with very few locations persay: inside cave, outside cave, El Sordo's place, and most impressively, the bridge. It was in sections, so when they blew the bridge it collapsed with remarkable realism. I was definitely impressed :)
And regarding the revue, I would buy the DVD just for the mini-revue. It is by far and away the best I've seen, even surpassing the mini-revue for Legend II, which I loved. Siennes doing Spanish dance is amazing anyway, but a whole revue, Spanish style, was glorious :D
On the whole, it was a very, very good show, if only there had been less talkiness. I am seriously considering getting it, although I have others that are a little higher up my list first :)
Personally, I'm not a fan of Hemingway. I made myself read the book, so I could loosely follow the story, but otherwise, I know I would have given up on it within the first few chapters. There's a lot of talkiness, and that the one weakness I find in this show. Maybe it's good talkiness in Japanese, but since I mostly don't know what's going on, the heated discussions about what I can only guess are surprise attacks/guerilla tactics etc bored me a little bit.
On the other hand, though, great songs, great action sequences, and the scenes which weren't talkieness around the strategy table, it was a fantastic show. The best thing about Japanese theatre is that there's such a history and stylistic quality there, even diluted by modern performing, that it really helps tell the story too.
I was never a Soragumi fan, really. I liked Zunko/Ohana back in the day, especially Zunko was my first Sienne smit, but since then, I've mostly been rather 'meh' about the troupe. It's a shame, because there is a lot of talent there and I can't deny they're very good at what they do, but the TakaHana era just left me cold, and while TaniUme were lovely together, it still did nothing for me.
I know there's various controversies and criticisms of the fact that Yuuhi and Sumika were imported to take Top Star positions in the troupe, but I don't care about this. What I do care about is the fact that Yuuhi is a strong leading force. I saw BaraAme live and Tani was nice and all, but she was a performer above all else. Yuuhi really does come across as a leader. It's the same energy that I felt from Kiriyan - here's someone who has been around a long time, has experienced dozens of Top Stars and seen how a troupe can run, and now, has taken everything she's learned to lead the troupe. I can see why they brought her into Soragumi. Plus, the fact that everyone dotes on her is adorable.
And to my surprise, Sumika has won me over completely. I watched Casablanca, and she really didn't do much for me, but I think that was because she was trying to imitate the film too much. Likewise, Trafalgar, she was interesting, but not a hugely varied character,
In Bell, she acted so wonderfully, especially given the backstory of Maria's character: parents murdered in front of her, gang-raped, and her hair shorn off as a reminder. She was a fragile, skittish doe, wide-eyed and nervous, when she first appeared but gradually giving way to show what she had survived and how strong she is becoming.
One of the most heartbreaking sequences is when Maria is telling her story, with flashback, and she's surrounded by friends and family, dancing and happy, and all at once, her parents are murdered and she's attacked herself. The joy of happy, innocent Maria at the start of the sequence, and the whole range of emotions that girl showed as people are murdered around her and she's torn down in pieces, and finally concluding with broken, but still-standing Maria telling Robert "and that's the way it is" was breathtaking.
Plus, it doesn't hurt that Yuuhi clearly has the biggest girlcrush on her and would walk through the fire for her. Their chemistry is lovely, and some of the scenes that were just them were so intimate and personal, it felt almost too private to be watching them. Little scenes, like Sumika resting her head on Yuuhi's knee while Yuuhi very, very gently and carefully ran her fingers through her hair, or when after Robert carefully kisses her for the first time, Maria going "OH! I LIKE! MORE!" and glomps on him. Although, one of my favourites of them together is still the nose-rub, where it really, really looked more like lip on lip than nose on nose.
Funnily enough, Robert/Maria was the thing I disliked most in the book, mostly because book!Robert is an arrogant git. Yuuhi gave him layers, and made him sympathetic, as well as making him an all round Bloke. Especially a bloke who is rather keen to jump his girl, but is decent enough to let her be the one to make the choice.
Those two aside, though, I loved me some Guerillas. Even if the show started with a post!Death wishful pair-dance, it cut back to cheerier times, with merry Guerillas generally having a lark in the mountains. I want the "Guerilla Wake-up Song" as my alarm on my clock. It's bouncy and cheerful and fun :)
Ranju Tomu was the leader of the pack as Agustin, and while she got some fantastic dance stuff, I was a bit disappointed by the character. He didn't get a lot to do, apart from bossing people around. Although, he and Robert got smashed on whisky and bonded in a bloke-way. The dance stuff, though. Wow. Flamenco dance is nifty anyway, but Tomu nailed it and got to use a bullfighting cloak.
I was a little puzzled as to the placement of Random Dance Sequence YAY, but from what I have figured, they were using them as either flashbacks, or daydreams or fantasies of various characters. Times like this, it would be handy to understand Japanese.
Hokushou Kairi on the other hand, was adorable. And got a lot of scenes, including a personal quest with Re-Re to deliver news. This was the point I realised that her promotion was getting increased in pace, and that Tomu would either be leaving Soragumi or retiring. I'm glad it was the former, and that she did finally get her Top Star position, even if it is in a different troupe.
Speaking of Sumireno Rei, she was just as cute as a button. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was playing Nagina Ruumi's sister. The two of them bounced off one another beautifully, and in such fun ways. There was so much poking and swatting and banter that it really did come across as a sibling relationship. Which made what followed heart-breaking (more to follow)
Oh, and on a Kacha-note, boo on her character getting killed again, and not even onstage. Joaquin still was a lovely character, very stompy grumpy teenage Guerilla, who got very flustered and teased merciless by everyone. Especially when Pilar flirted with him ;)
However, she did also get to be in 3-man Flamenco sequence, which made up for it, a little bit. Our mama-san went with us to see the show and teased me that she could always tell when Kacha was on stage and where, because my opera-glasses would swing towards her automatically :D
However, prize for biggest scene-stealer goes to Yuumi Hiro as Rafael. Seriously, I would put Tomomin and Tomochin on a stage together just to see who is the biggest attention-grabbing character. They're both as bad as each other.
On Robert's first arrival at the Guerilla band's hideout, Rafael is lounging about with a cigarette and a guitar, and is more than a little drunk. Serious exposition about the blowing up of the bridge is going on in the foreground, but I was too busy watching Tomochin in the background. Rafael - after getting in trouble for lighting a cigarette near the dynamite - is sitting happily strumming his guitar, tipping sideways, and giggling to himself. Not much, you say, but it was the expressions. I couldn't help watching for her after that.
Senior-wise, Hoshihara Misao and Kyou Misa were brilliant. I've been wanting to see Hoshi, ever since I saw her back in Elisabeth when I first fell into fandom. She definitely didn't disapopoint with such a bitter, worn down Guerilla who is frustrated and tired and annoyed by everything and everyone. It was a fantastic role for her to retire on and I feel so glad I saw her live before she left.
Kyou Misa, however, won my heart completely. Pilar is the kind of role that could go so wrong and become a farce: she's the tough matriarch who will smack any of the Guerilla band down or grab them by the ear and treat them like an errant schoolboy.
Instead, she became the driving force of Team Pablo, the heart and soul of the group. If Pablo said "do this", maybe a few would agree, but when Pilar says "do this", you do it, you do it fast, and you do it NOW. And they clearly loved her as well. She really was the stern but fair mother of the whole show.
Another role which really stood out for me was Junya Chitose as Rosa, El Sordo's daughter. This was a good show for the female roles. You had Pilar as the tough matriarch, Maria as the delicate but strong broken creature, Lucia as the innocent young woman pulled into a conflict without being fully aware of what could happen and Rosa who is a tough, aware woman.
She reminded me a great deal of Marimo's character in Legend II with the bolshy attitude, complete resolve and stubborn determination. Plus, she took great pleasure in deliberately interrupting Robert/Maria's snuggling scene, and was just such a fantastic side character.
But what really got to me about her was the closing scene of Act 1. I knew it would be this scene when I read the books, but I had no clue of how much it would hit me.
Basic outline: El Sordo's band are allies of our hero and his group. They've gone off to steal horses, but because it's been snowing, they're tracked and Team Pablo realise that El Sordo's crew have walked into a trap. Robert knows that if they try to help, they'll be outnumbered and killed themselves. Lucia is in hysterics because her brother's there. Rosa, on the other hand, is furious until the final assault happens and the bombs are dropped. You don't need to be told that El Sordo and all his men have been killed.
The Guerillas, all of whom had been roaring to go, fell deathly silent. And that was the point that Rosa just fell to her knees and screamed for her dead father.
I don't know if it was just me, but I'm sure there was a stunned hush, punctuated by faint sniffles, as the curtain came down for act 1. I was just sitting and blinking and going "...um... what just happened?"
That scene was painful in its simple intensity. And was matched by the final sequence, when Robert is shot and tells his allies to leave him behind. The boys help him to the gun, and when Maria is dragged away, screaming, he just sits. Calm and quiet, and despite knowing he's going to die, he's going to die saving his friends.
Again with the stunned hush as the lights went down. And then, amazing revue of dazzling awesome, to make your poor, crushed, aching little heart feel a wee bit better.
Before I forget, I loved the sets. Simple moving blocks, with very few locations persay: inside cave, outside cave, El Sordo's place, and most impressively, the bridge. It was in sections, so when they blew the bridge it collapsed with remarkable realism. I was definitely impressed :)
And regarding the revue, I would buy the DVD just for the mini-revue. It is by far and away the best I've seen, even surpassing the mini-revue for Legend II, which I loved. Siennes doing Spanish dance is amazing anyway, but a whole revue, Spanish style, was glorious :D
On the whole, it was a very, very good show, if only there had been less talkiness. I am seriously considering getting it, although I have others that are a little higher up my list first :)
