"The Circus! Episode 2: Separation," an original musical starring Tomoyuki Yara, a celebrated dancer and actor with Johnny & Associates, is playing at the Yomiuri Otemachi Hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, through July 1.
Also a successful choreographer, Yara played a key role in the long-running musical "Endless SHOCK," which stars Koichi Domoto. In addition, Yara has played lead roles in a number of stage productions, but he seems to be particularly attached to "The Circus!" musical series.
This musical and its two prequels have been directed and choreographed by Tetsuharu, who used to give dance lessons to Yara, starting when the actor was in his early 20s. Their relationship brought this musical series to life.
"The Circus!" series may remind people of the world of American comics, with many attractive heroes. Yara shows off his full abilities in dancing, action scenes and singing.
The musical series was first staged in 2016 under the title "The Circus! Episode 0." It depicted the meeting of Kent Barnes, a police detective played by Yara, and members of a street circus troupe. However, the troupe is actually a front for a secret organization, named the Circus, directly under the U.S. president that protects the state's security.
The first sequel, titled "The Circus! Episode 1," was staged in 2017 and featured Kent as a full-fledged Circus member. In the story, Circus members successfully block a dictator's evil ambition, but they are exposed to a beam emitted by a mysterious extraterrestrial ore.
The latest production features the dangerous power brought about by exposure to the beam, and how the members are shocked and distressed after finding this out. It also depicts the conflict between these members and Carlos (played by Yuki Koshioka, a member of Johnny & Associates' group 4U), the only Circus member who did not participate in the previous mission and was therefore not exposed to the beam.
The musical has many dynamic dancing and action scenes, while also presenting a moving human drama.
"The Circus! Episode 2: Separation" thrills the audience as soon as the curtain opens.
Yara as usual appears on the stage to introduce himself, saying, "I'm Kent Barnes, a former ace police detective in an American city... " Although this was followed by the stage going dark in previous productions, an eye-catching action scene starts in the new work and lasts for a few minutes.
A large panel bearing images of 11 actors featured in the musical is on display at the gallery on the third floor of The Yomiuri Shimbun head office, which houses the musical's stage. Yara's image is almost life-size on the 6.5-meter-long, 2.3-meter-high panel.
For more information, call the Ticket Space at (03) 3234-9999. The musical will also tour Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture; Osaka; Nagoya; and Fukuoka.
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