Hey so before that, apologies for not updating this place in months… /_\
It’s been a while since I wrote anything here so about time I posted something.
And with that said, let’s get back to the topic at hand!
Failing to procure tickets for Takarazuka’s production of “West Side Story” in January 2018 (Seriously tickets were sold out within minutes of opening sales, it was that bad), I decided to try and catch an evening show by getting a same day ticket [当日券 or “Toujitsuken”].
After lots of intense research on how early you should go to get tickets and the best days to catch a show, queueing up at 9:30am on a weekday wasn’t too bad. Later when a staff member came along with a counter and greeted us with a good morning (plus a “Thank you for waiting!”), asking her what number I was I realised I was only just No.14 in line for the last row of B seats at the 2nd floor.
My initial plan was to get a standing ticket since personally, my legs are fine and I don’t mind standing for hours (also yes it’s ¥1000 cheaper), but since I’m like around the middle of the queue and standing tickets don’t go on sale until all seats are sold, I decided to keep my space in the queue and just get the last row seat.
10 am came and picking Seat 19 for the last row, I squealed in delight while clutching my ticket in hand…
All I have to do now was survive the next few hours of university before the 6pm show.
~ INTERMISSION ~
Fast forward to 5pm plus a tiny break from university, I left the house aga
in and reached the theatre at 5:30pm.
That gave me some time to browse around the venue: from the gift shop to the rental counters and cafes, before reaching my seat inside the concert hall.
Also, it’s a good move to visit the bathroom before the show.
The bathroom queues during the intermission were terribly long.
The show I watched that day was called “Berlin, My Love” [ベルリン、我が愛]. It’s about wartime Germany and movies, and a director’s dream in making a “talkie” despite the rise of the Nazi Germany regime and troubles within the UFA; and like almost every Takarazuka show, there’s a budding romance between the director and film star he personally raised to stardom.
Despite my basic levels of Japanese, I was still able to follow the story and get what’s going on. Seeing all this live on-stage, I was blown away by how amazing it was to see everyone’s skilled acting, how amazing the stage looks and changes during certain scenes, even the set designs were amazing. The songs for this musical were alright to drive the story, but otherwise, they don’t really stay in your mind after the show.
One piece of advice though: bring some binoculars or opera glasses with you.
I was squinting a lot during the show from the very last row. Still, at least I could get a view of the entire stage and take note of things happening in the background. If you really want to get a closer look at the actresses’ faces and maybe details from the stage (be it sets and costumes), you might want to bring one with you.
Of course, you can rent one from the counter on the ground floor, keep in mind that the rental fee is ¥500 plus a refundable deposit of ¥5000.
The main musical lasts for an hour and we got a 30-minute intermission before the next part. After browsing the gift shop a second time yet not getting anything in the end, I decided to get myself a mocha softie from the cafe on the first floor (which was good 🙂 ).
After the intermission comes the liveliest part of the night: a mix of song, dance and vaudeville-style spectacles.
Although I was overwhelmed with the number of stories they’ve crammed into this 30-minute second act (I’ve lost count with how many stories were there and which story we are in right now), it was definitely more vibrant than the first act. I’m however still questioning how on earth does the audience know when to clap along during the show… (Perhaps there were some people who’ve attended the same show multiple times to get the gist.)
And with the screen (not the curtain) closing down on the stage, my night at Tokyo Takarazuka comes to a close.
For a first experience, I was really happy that I got a chance to catch this amazing troupe I’ve always heard about right here in Tokyo. Whether you’re a super fan of Takarazuka or you just love musical theatre, definitely go if you have the chance. Hopefully I can catch another show next month before the end of my exchange.
Here’s a helpful link on how to get tickets for Takarazuka that I’ve heavily relied on: [Link]
Xin's Exchange Adventures 