I remember, vaguely, being told of the Takarazuka Revue in one of my university drama courses during the section on world theater. There wasn't much, a brief mention, along with Kabuki (歌舞伎) and Noh (能) and perhaps even Bunraku (文楽). They weren't gone into very much depth, but we were in a world of Shakespeare and Western theater tradition, so perhaps it was to be expected.
The blurb failed to mention how girly the Takarazuka Revue is.
Getting off the Osaka-Takarazuka train, I was immediately pointed toward the Grand Takakazuka Theater with posters of the latest production. I saw these on the train as well, and in all the shop windows along hana no michi ("the flower road") as I continued. And when I bought a ticket, amongst bubbly girls, middle-aged women and obas, with the only men around appearing to have been brought there by their wives and daughters, you can imagine I felt a little out of place. They had the look of men I'd seen only in sitcoms when their wives mentioned the topic of going to the opera for the night.
When I went to sit down, however, I sat next to a guy who must have been around twenty. It was not his first time to the Takarazuka Revue: he'd brought his own binoculars.
Takazakura otaku, apparently.
The play began, and I'll freely admit I had little-to-no idea what was going on. The first act consisted mainly of a 30-minute lavish dance and musical number that was light on plot and heavy on showcasing the talents of the women. The best choreography I'd probably ever seen, though admittedly I haven't seen a lot. Expressive and fluid, it really was a pleasure to watch.
And then it ended and there was a 30-minute intermission were everyone sat down and ate lunch in the theater. This is quite a common occurence at any Japanese event: everyone brings along a little bento box. I fell asleep during this portion.
It did start back up again, and we finally got into the plot (revolving around a Mexican revolution and a blossoming romance, from what I understood) and singing and dancing were toned down a bit. I spent a lot of time during this portion examining the costuming and how striking the women looked, even from the very back row of the theater.
This is were I want to get something clear about the girly part. I felt very out of place. It felt like I was intruding on a grandmother-mother-daughter activity. I saw no young men--save that otaku--anywhere. Where I had hoped to see some interesting sexual dynamics onstage, I got sense that this was a traditional, Japanese feminine passtime. It was rather the opposite of what I'd expected.
It was enjoyable, though. I saw a different side to this type of theater than I expected, and I got a certain sense of how its marketed. There are big names in the Takarazuka company, and those personalities are played up in the promotional materials and all the merchandise. It had a very broadway feel.
Further Clicks:
Wiki
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=lwq6ZfnyNv8
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=OIcWEWSp8mE
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