Former Takarazuka Revue star Reon Yuzuki is taking on the play "Karaban Kaze no Matasaburo" (The Kara Version: Matasaburo of the Wind). First performed in 1974, this romantic fantasy was written by Juro Kara and inspired by Kenji Miyazawa's masterpiece novel "Kaze no Matasaburo."
Yuzuki plays Erika, a bar hostess who evokes the image of Matasaburo, the novel's protagonist.
"I'd like to bring winds into the theater," Yuzuki said. "The play contains episodes from 'Matasaburo,' of course, as well as from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice,' Greek myths and real-life incidents."
She admits she was confused when she first read the play. "It's got a curious atmosphere that I'd never encountered before, so it took me a while to understand it," Yuzuki said.
Yet she has a positive mind-set for the work. "I've been in showbiz for 20 years this year. I feel this work will help me jump one step higher," Yuzuki said.
A young man called Oribe escapes from a mental hospital and meets Erika, who has drifted in from Utsunomiya. Oribe adores Matasaburo in the novel, and sees the character's image in Erika. She is searching for her boyfriend, who's gone missing in a Self-Defense Force training plane, and the two start wandering together.
"There are a series of surprising twists, confounding our expectations. For example, there's a sudden scene change with the blasting noise of an airplane. I felt like I was in a dream," Yuzuki said.
The production is directed by Kim Sujin, who honed his skills under late director Yukio Nina-gawa and Kara. Sujin now heads the Shinjuku Ryozanpaku theater company.
Erika appears on stage in men's clothes and seems a perfect role for Yuzuki, who starred in male roles for the Takarazuka Revue. However, Yuzuki said she worked hard to show that Erika is not used to the guise.
She was able to overcome her struggles when Kim told her: "I actually want you to make the character closer to yourself. Use your own charm that you learned as a male-role star."
Oribe, the other lead character, will be played by Masataka Kubota. Yuzuki said: "He plays the role as if he's letting us see the character's past. I've learned a lot from him."
Regarding her role, she said: "Erika exploits Oribe at first, but in the end they nurture a love that transcends a relationship between a man and a woman. This work shows not only the pleasant side of people but also the dirty side. I want to raise winds that can blow away fixed ideas."
Erika has a floral scent, according to her character description. "I'm thinking of wearing perfume onstage and I'm looking for a good one right now, because I don't usually wear a sweet, feminine-type scent," Yuzuki said.
The cast also includes Morio Kazama and Yukiya Kitamura.
Yuzuki entered the Takarazuka Revue Company in 1999 and became the top performer of the company's Star Troupe in 2009. Since leaving the company in 2015, she has performed in various stage shows.
Yuzuki said various new challenges await her this year, such as the solo musical "Lemonade" and the musical "Factory Girls -- Watashi ga egaku monogatari," which was newly written by a composer and lyricist from Broadway.
"I'm ready to tackle them one by one with determination, and I'll enjoy them too," she said.
The play will run from Feb. 8 to March 3 at Theatre Cocoon in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. Visit www.bunkamura.co.jp/cocoon/lineup/19_kazemata/ for more information.
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