Remi's Last Day(s) Part Three: Senshuraku and Toyoko's Sayonara Show
I've heard ad-lib is a big thing for a senshuraku performance, but if anything was ad-libbed for Danza, I didn't notice it.
Celebrity was a different story. ^_^
Remi Club sat together in the 19th and 20th rows, so I saw pretty clearly. Ad-libbed bits:
*Chie broke choreography twice to hug Toyoko. Not kidding. Once she just stopped and glomped Toyoko mid-stage; another time she swung towards Toyoko on the hanamichi and offered a warm handshake, which Toyoko accepted with a smile. The audience went wild both times.
*Yuzurun, after one scene, always asks the audience if we enjoyed the show. Today, she asked if we enjoyed senshuraku. (Mad clapping resulted.) She also screamed something running off-stage I didn't catch; if anyone sees a video and can make it out, let me know!
*Chie and Yuzurun tore apart their superhero scene, where Chie is a superhero battling evil alien Yuzurun. It's a silly scene to begin with, and they took senshuraku as an opportunity to be even more ridiculous: squeaky voices, evil coughing. There was apparently also a running joke from daigekijou senshuraku. When Chie "transforms" into her superhero costume, normally she asks, "What's with these clothes?!" At daigekijou senshuraku, she bounced forward saying, "Ooh! Good thing I wore these!" And this time, she sort of giggled her way up the stage saying, "Am I cool? Do I look cool? The clothes are cool?" To which Yuzurun laughed evilly and replied, "Whoo, love your outfit!" (Sono fuku ki ni itteru ze!")
*This isn't exactly an ad-lib, but it was pretty awesome. Makaze Suzuho leads a small dance number, with Rei Makoto singing. Except this time, Makoto's mike either died or fell off! She turned; when she turned back to us, her shirt was several buttons lower because she'd either been looking for, or fiddling with, her mike. No good. So she went with the dance for a minute and then finally started openly fiddling with her jacket and shirt WHILE singing and dancing. The entire audience was in hysterics. And then, God bless her--she shrugged. Just turned to the audience and shrugged at us. We gave her Chie-level applause for that. What a girl! (And what a voice!)
*All the taidansha wore flowers pinned to their chests.
*When Toyoko and Nene are playing lovers, Nene did a bit where she shoved Toyoko away and has a tantrum, because Toyoko tried to kiss her. ^_^
Then came time to prepare for Toyoko's sayonara show. While everyone set up, Yuzumi-san came out, thanked us, told us Hoshigumi's upcoming schedule, and read us Toyoko's sayonara message (the usual: thank you, I love Takarazuka, I'm so happy for your support). In it, Toyoko mentioned how she and Chie did shinkos together. Together, Toyoko wrote, they helped build the current troupe, and her gratitude was immense. I'd forgotten, but they have been troupmates since Chie debuted. That's like half their respective lives.
Toyoko's show was wonderful. Toyoko is so warm and alive. My Remi did her "Burlesque" number from Reon! to great applause too, yay.
The stars, especially Chie, impressed the hell out of me. I have watched other sayonara shows where a top star shows up and hijacks the performance, which I think is disgustingly rude. A top star will be a top star forever. They can't give their own troopmate 15 minutes to shine?
But Nene and Yuzurun joined a chorus line wearing the same clothes as everyone else. And Chie, in her one number with Toyoko, danced next to or behind her nibante, and then got out of the way. It was the most wonderful, respectful thing she could have done, humbly emphasizing the performance without ever drawing attention to herself. At the end, without even a spotlight, I realized she'd lined up behind Toyoko for the big finale; never once did she pull any attention to herself. If Chie could ever have done anything to make me respect her more than I already did, that was it.
She also, in her dance with Toyoko, raised a hand to Toyoko's face. Then she pulled it to her heart.
The audience made the taidansha encore four times. The third time the stage had been cleared except for Chie and the taidansha. Chie and Toyoko exchanged an exaggerated exasperated look (everyone laughed), and Chie had everyone say goodbye one last time.
"Right," said Chie to us. "Thank you. Very. Very. Much." Another goofy "is this FINALLY it?" look with Toyoko.
The audience laughed--but then exploded into more demanding applause when the curtain went down. Finally Toyoko alone stepped out, bowing and thanking us.
When she went back behind the curtain, Chie's voice came over the loudspeaker: "This is really, REALLY the end of the show!"
And so it was.
...Damn.
Celebrity was a different story. ^_^
Remi Club sat together in the 19th and 20th rows, so I saw pretty clearly. Ad-libbed bits:
*Chie broke choreography twice to hug Toyoko. Not kidding. Once she just stopped and glomped Toyoko mid-stage; another time she swung towards Toyoko on the hanamichi and offered a warm handshake, which Toyoko accepted with a smile. The audience went wild both times.
*Yuzurun, after one scene, always asks the audience if we enjoyed the show. Today, she asked if we enjoyed senshuraku. (Mad clapping resulted.) She also screamed something running off-stage I didn't catch; if anyone sees a video and can make it out, let me know!
*Chie and Yuzurun tore apart their superhero scene, where Chie is a superhero battling evil alien Yuzurun. It's a silly scene to begin with, and they took senshuraku as an opportunity to be even more ridiculous: squeaky voices, evil coughing. There was apparently also a running joke from daigekijou senshuraku. When Chie "transforms" into her superhero costume, normally she asks, "What's with these clothes?!" At daigekijou senshuraku, she bounced forward saying, "Ooh! Good thing I wore these!" And this time, she sort of giggled her way up the stage saying, "Am I cool? Do I look cool? The clothes are cool?" To which Yuzurun laughed evilly and replied, "Whoo, love your outfit!" (Sono fuku ki ni itteru ze!")
*This isn't exactly an ad-lib, but it was pretty awesome. Makaze Suzuho leads a small dance number, with Rei Makoto singing. Except this time, Makoto's mike either died or fell off! She turned; when she turned back to us, her shirt was several buttons lower because she'd either been looking for, or fiddling with, her mike. No good. So she went with the dance for a minute and then finally started openly fiddling with her jacket and shirt WHILE singing and dancing. The entire audience was in hysterics. And then, God bless her--she shrugged. Just turned to the audience and shrugged at us. We gave her Chie-level applause for that. What a girl! (And what a voice!)
*All the taidansha wore flowers pinned to their chests.
*When Toyoko and Nene are playing lovers, Nene did a bit where she shoved Toyoko away and has a tantrum, because Toyoko tried to kiss her. ^_^
Then came time to prepare for Toyoko's sayonara show. While everyone set up, Yuzumi-san came out, thanked us, told us Hoshigumi's upcoming schedule, and read us Toyoko's sayonara message (the usual: thank you, I love Takarazuka, I'm so happy for your support). In it, Toyoko mentioned how she and Chie did shinkos together. Together, Toyoko wrote, they helped build the current troupe, and her gratitude was immense. I'd forgotten, but they have been troupmates since Chie debuted. That's like half their respective lives.
Toyoko's show was wonderful. Toyoko is so warm and alive. My Remi did her "Burlesque" number from Reon! to great applause too, yay.
The stars, especially Chie, impressed the hell out of me. I have watched other sayonara shows where a top star shows up and hijacks the performance, which I think is disgustingly rude. A top star will be a top star forever. They can't give their own troopmate 15 minutes to shine?
But Nene and Yuzurun joined a chorus line wearing the same clothes as everyone else. And Chie, in her one number with Toyoko, danced next to or behind her nibante, and then got out of the way. It was the most wonderful, respectful thing she could have done, humbly emphasizing the performance without ever drawing attention to herself. At the end, without even a spotlight, I realized she'd lined up behind Toyoko for the big finale; never once did she pull any attention to herself. If Chie could ever have done anything to make me respect her more than I already did, that was it.
She also, in her dance with Toyoko, raised a hand to Toyoko's face. Then she pulled it to her heart.
The audience made the taidansha encore four times. The third time the stage had been cleared except for Chie and the taidansha. Chie and Toyoko exchanged an exaggerated exasperated look (everyone laughed), and Chie had everyone say goodbye one last time.
"Right," said Chie to us. "Thank you. Very. Very. Much." Another goofy "is this FINALLY it?" look with Toyoko.
The audience laughed--but then exploded into more demanding applause when the curtain went down. Finally Toyoko alone stepped out, bowing and thanking us.
When she went back behind the curtain, Chie's voice came over the loudspeaker: "This is really, REALLY the end of the show!"
And so it was.
...Damn.