Takarazuka Kagekidan

MOTTO OF THE TAKARAZUKA REVUE COMPANY:
"Modesty, Fairness, and Grace" (Trans. from Hankyu Corp. brochure of phrase "Kiyoku, Tadashiku, Utsukushiku." Another translation is "Pure, Righteous, and Beautiful।")

Did you know...?
...there are five troupes, plus an elite senka (special course) group?

Flower Troupe (Hana-Gumi, est. 1921)
Moon Troupe (Tsuki-Gumi, est. 1921)
Snow Troupe (Yuki-Gumi, est. 1924)
Star Troupe (Hoshi-Gumi, est. 1933)
Cosmos Troupe (Sora-Gumi, est. 1998)




Romance de Paris telephone card,
Snow Troupe, 2003




Tokyo Takarazuka Theater
train fare card





Click
more
http://www।katavila.com/asia/takarazukarevue.htm

มาดูละครเวทีคณะ Takarazukaกันไหมคะ?

Credit : shinigami-maya exteen blog।
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Takarazuka เป็นชื่อคณะละคร ที่มีหนังแสดงเป็นหญิงล้วน ย้ำหญิงล้วน

คนที่จะเข้ามาเป็นนักแสลงในคณะนี้ได้ ต้องเคยเป็นนักเรียนของโรงเรียนดนตรีทาคาระซึกะมาก่อน(เพราะนักแสดงคณะนี้ ต้องร้องเพลงเป็น ร้องพวกโอเปร่าอีกตะหากนะน่ะ) แต่!! ไม่ใช่ว่าคุณอยากเรียน แล้วเดินเข้าไปสมัครเขาก็รับนะคะ ไม่ใช่ๆ มันต้องสอบเข้าค่ะ และใน 1 ปีการศึกษา จะรับประมาณ 38-42 คนต่อปี ซึ่งคนสมัครทั่วประเทศ มีเป็นพันๆค่ะ มีการสอบ 2 รอบ ในรอบแรกถึงกับต้องแบ่งที่สอบเป็น 2 ที่ คือที่โตเกียวกับเมือง ทาคาระซึกะ คิดเอาเองเน้อว่าคนสมัครเยอะปานใด .......
(อ่านต่อ)

click this link!!!
http://shinigami-maya.exteen.com/20090503/takarazuka

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Tokyo Takarazuka Theater

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Tokyo Takarazuka Theater ［東京宝塚劇場］


The Tokyo Takarazuka Theater is Takarazuka Revue Company's theater which was made in 1934 as its Tokyo base.

The Takarazuka Revue Company is a women-only musical performance troupe and both male and female roles are played by women. Indeed, this is the only theatrical company in the world made up of female actors only. They have a wide variety of program genres such as musicals, revues, and shows. From "Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles) " to "Elisabeth," many different kinds of performances including western and traditional Japanese stories are performed. 　　

The distinctive characteristics of the Takarazuka Revue Company are its colorful costumes, bright makeup, and spectacular stage productions. The troupe is divided into 5 separate groups, "Flower", "Moon", "Snow", "Star," and "Cosmos," and a leading duo (one playing the male role, the other playing the female role) is selected for each. A grand staircase with 26 steps stands right in the center of the stage and the climax begins when the lead star starts descending it.

The Takarazuka Revue Company was formed in Takarazuka City of Hyogo Prefecture and the name also is taken from the city which is also its home base. It is overwhelmingly popular among women and the company is generally called "Takarazuka" for short. Many glamorous shows are being performed also at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater all year round, luring a large crowd to the venue.

The theater itself is designed in a way that the stage can be viewed regardless of where you are seated. A red carpet is spread throughout the entrance area while the glittering lights from the chandelier promote an elegant mood. With more than a total of 2,000 seats, this theater is extremely spectacular indeed and can hold a large audience for every performance.

Name:Tokyo Takarazuka Theater
Japanese Pronunciation:Tokyo takarazuka gekijo
Address:1‐1‐3 Yuraku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone Number:03-5251-2001
Access:5 minutes on foot from Yurakucho Station on the JR Line; within walking distance from Hibiya Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya and Chiyoda Lines; 5 minutes on foot from Hibiya Station of the Toei Mita Line.
Price:Prices depend on the performance
URL:http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/


http://www.japan-i.jp/explorejapan/kanto/tokyo/ginza/4oa00l0000004803.html

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Takarazuka: More Fascinating than a Real Man 70

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Haruno Sumire in a poster for Takarazuka's "La Esperanza"

By mqjeffrey



magine the perfect Japanese woman. Her svelte figure draped in a suit, her short hair ruffled by the breeze as she strolls confidently down the street, gaze defiant.

Not what you had in mind?

Perhaps you're not aware the woman is a "Takarizienne," a member of the all-female Takarazuka, an 86-year-old theater troupe that performs lavish musicals cross-country and draws an annual attendance of 2.5 million.

In 1914, railway magnate Ichizo Kobayashi founded the Takarazuka ("treasure mound") Revue to attract visitors to his resort. His goal was to present actresses that were "more suave, more affectionate, more courageous, more charming, more handsome, and more fascinating than a real man," according to the official website.

Takarazuka's ninety-five percent female audience thrills to see its favorite stars in shows like "West Side Story," and "Phantom." The women who portray the males are otokoyaku (literally "male role") and those playing female parts are musumeyaku (literally "daughter role").

"I wish that Japanese men could be as passionate as the otokoyaku," says one female fan. "The otokoyaku are so much cooler and more manly," another adds.

One visitor to Japan Zone writes that the popular Revue "must touch something deep in the [female] Japanese psyche. In Japan's male-dominated society... the otokoyaku represent a vicarious way for young women to live out fantasies of strength and power."

Since its inception, Kobayashi intended the Takarazuka training school to be a principled place, combating those who considered theater to be an indecent profession for women. Described by Arts and Culture as "a hybrid of Julliard and a military academy," the daily routine of the 400 15-to-18 year-old students begins with two hours of cleaning and ends in classes for dance, choral singing, Japanese music, and the art of the tea ceremony.

Receiving thousands of applications annually, but accepting only 40 to 50 new students, the Takarazuka school is as competitive as any Japanese institution. Students graduate only after completing two years of training. Afterwards, they're sent to one of the Revue's five troupes: Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, or Cosmos.

Each Takarazuka troupe specializes in an area of performance. The Flower Troupe (Hana) is famous for its otokoyaku; the Moon Troupe (Tsuki) is home to the younger performers and strong vocalists. The Snow Troupe (Yuki) is known for its performances of traditional Japanese drama, and the Star (Hoshi) and Cosmos (Sora) Troupes are more experimental. Recently, Broadway's Frank Wildhorn composed the musical score for the Cosmos' 2006 season.

The Takarazuka Grand Theatre's next offering will be Cosmos' "Valencia Passion," set during the political unrest between Napoleonic France and Spain. In the Revue's Tokyo theatre, audiences can watch the Snow Troupe in "Elisabeth," a musical romanticization of Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) von Wittelsbach of Austro-Hungary.

Says that same Japan Zone visitor, "Takarazuka has legions of loyal fans, not all in Japan, and certainly seems to provide a form of entertainment that is very important to a lot of people. It might just be your cup of tea."