My translation of the final interview Hana did with TakarazukaGRAPH in the July edition.
Enjoy!
Your final show has now opened, how do you feel?
There are still so many things to improve on, but I just have to keep doing what I can day by day! I really want to show my best to the audience who keep coming to see us, despite the unpredictable situation we are in at the moment. In “Augustus: The Illustrious One”, Pompeia, the character I play, says the line “Hatred will never end. As long as there are people on this Earth. But, it is for that reason that people pray.”. She means that “No matter what bad things may happen in this world, people will continue to live with hope in their hearts”. I now carry that message in my heart too.
Tell us about your time as a Junior Actress
I didn’t have very good grades at the Music School, and I didn’t get to be in any scenes other than the ones in Grand Theatre productions, so it was a very frustrating time for me. That being said, although I wasn't given many opportunities back then, it’s not like I regret it! It made me work super hard every day, I was desperate to improve. But I loved the theatre, so it didn’t matter that I was at the back of the stage in every scene, I was determined to stand on stage with as much enthusiasm as a leading lady would!
But one day, I was given the role of Giy (younger version in a flashback scene) (played by Asumi Rio in the Main Performance) in the Newcomer Performance of “The Golden Desert”. I was so shocked! Not only was I given a role, but it was Asumi Rio’s role…
I was also given my first ever named role in the main performance of that show too. When I found out, I was so happy that I couldn’t even eat, but I told myself not to get my hopes up for a role in the Newcomer show.
It's incredibly rare that a musumeyaku has the opportunity to play the top star role, and I had never even seen a “Young Boy Musumeyaku” role before, so whenever I was in rehearsals I was focusing on Asumi so much that it was like I had tunnel vision. I was just meticulously watching every gesture she made. I also got Asumi and a few other Otokoyaku to teach me their makeup routine, which I practiced over and over again.
In 2017 you played the role of young Takehiko in “The Wind Over Yamatai-Koku” and in the Newcomer Performance, you won the role of the heroine.
I played the young version of Asumi Rio’s role in the main performance this time, and then in the Newcomer Performance, I played Senna Ayase’s character, Himiko Mana, so it was a very valuable experience for me to be able to think about the play from each character's perspectives. When I actually started working on it, I beat myself up for not being able to get my performance to the standard I wanted, I wasn’t the “Newcomer Heroine” I had envisioned for myself. All the things Senna taught me back then became the roots of who I am today, but at the time, I just wanted to demonstrate in my performance what she had taught me as much as I could.
And in that same year, the chance arose to star as the heroine in “Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern”
Whilst I was starting to get roles, I didn’t believe that that meant I would get anything outside of Grand Theatre productions. But when I was told that we would be putting on a production of "Haikara-san" starring Yuzuka (Yuzuka Rei), who I greatly admire, it was the first time I felt like “I don’t care what part I play, I just want to be part of this production!”. And so when it was decided that I would play Hanamura Benio, it completely took me by surprise, it took a long time to sink in, I just couldn’t believe it!
Though when rehearsals started I found I just couldn’t grasp the character of Benio...
I lacked experience and technique and so Yuzuka and the other senior actresses would stay late into the night to rehearse with me until I was finally able to play the role how I had hoped. People have praised how I embodied the frantic and reckless nature of Benio, but whenever I go back and watch the footage from opening night, I always think that I wouldn’t have achieved it without the support of everyone around me.
I remember Yuzuka saying to me “You are doing everything right, just keep doing what you are doing” and so with those words I thought that I must keep going, and do my best.
After that, we got to see you as Marybelle in “The Poe Clan” didn’t we?
That was the first time that I had a big role as part of the main cast for a Grand Theatre show, and getting to play alongside Asumi, Yuzuka and Senna really made my weaknesses stand out...
Our director Koike Sensei would point out to me that “You have no dreaminess or ethereal nature”, and one time he said to me “If we compare your performance to ‘Heidi, Girl of the Alps’, Marybelle is Clara and you are Heidi!”(Translators notes, see end of article) (laughs). I think maybe Benio’s power was still left in me from "Haikara-san", and that’s why I found Marybelle difficult. The rehearsals were very hard for me to get through, but I had many one-on-one scenes’s with Edgar (Asumi Rio) and I found that by focusing on her performance, little by little, it was easier to understand my own character. Marybelle has become a role that I really deeply cherish in my heart from my Takarazuka life.
Speaking of your favourite roles, have you changed your mind about any roles you’ve been given?
Even when I started to get proper roles, that strong feeling I had of wanting to do my absolute best remained. Also, I admit, though it may be very improper for me to say, I wanted to do my best so that I could perform next to Yuzuka again.
And then, in Yuzuka’s next starring production, the national tour “Melancholic Gigalo/ EXCITER!! 2018” I was given the leading lady position in the revue part of the show. I remember thinking that I couldn't just be happy, I needed to work on improving my singing and dancing. Even once we had opened, I continued to rehearse. I would practice in empty classrooms across the country, only stopping when we had to perform. The fact that I was given the responsibility to play a role which I was well aware I was not suited for, was a very big deal for me.
And then in 2019, you took over as Top Musumeyaku
It was so unbelievable...
Asumi had been Top Star ever since I first entered the Flower Troupe, I never even dreamed it was possible. Of course, it was a huge honour and I was very happy, but when it was officially announced that I would be the next top musumeyaku, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even know how to approach my rehearsals...During that time I was scared to stand in front of an audience because I had beat myself into a corner. When I made my debut as Top Musumeyaku in Koisuru Arena I was paralysed by thoughts like “I mustn’t cause any problems for Asumi” and “I must do everything perfectly like Senna did”. But Asumi said to me “Hana-chan, you are perfect as you are, you know?”. At one point during the show I got on a trolly and went round the audience where I got to see everyone's smiling faces looking up at me, it was in that moment that my heart finally felt at ease. Even though it was inevitable that I would compare myself to others, I think I was very preoccupied at that time by how far I felt I was from the talent of the other top musumeyaku I knew.
And then Asumi left Takarazuka with “A Fairy Tale: the spirit of the blue rose/ CHARME!”
I was so happy to get to work together with Asumi in her final performance, and I really enjoyed getting to play a character that we see grow from childhood to adulthood. But I still had this strong feeling that I shouldn’t get in Asumi’s way. But she always treated me as her “partner”...
Each supportive word she said to me touched my heart, she would say things like “Partner’s don’t stand one step behind the other, so please stand beside me”.
After that, you became Yuzuka’s partner
As soon as Asumi left we began rehearsals for “DANCE OLYMPIA”. The rehearsal period for this show was incredibly short, and Yuzuka and I spent a huge amount of our rehearsal time together. She taught me with so much passion that I felt this huge desire to really get in the zone and keep up with her. It was this show that made me vow “I will follow Yuzuka no matter what”. Also, the show was a really valuable experience for me as there were moments where I really felt my performance skills go up a level.
And then it was decided that we would be reviving “Haikara-san” for a Grand Theatre run. I felt that I had lost the innocence and fearlessness that I had when we first performed it back in 2017, and I was so determined that Yuzuka’s debut on the Grand Theatre stage was a good one, and to prove that I had improved since then, that I think I started to lose control of Benio’s character (laughs). It was only right before the opening night that I felt ready. And then, the performance got canceled…
When I look back on it, even after the opening night I was still having a hard time about it all, and whenever I felt that way I would think of Benio and she would cheer me up. No matter what bad things came her way she would continue to look toward the future and not take things too seriously, her attitudes have now become part of my own way of thinking.
Not only “Haikara”, but my own leaving performance has had canceled shows. Of course, I wanted to perform my final night at the Grand Theatre in front of an audience, but as Benio says “Crying and being serious will do no good, it's up to you what you do next”. I’m so happy to have been able to play such a role that has gone on to encourage me in my life even after saying goodbye to her.
Throughout your career what kind of musumeyaku have you aimed to be?
I was always trying to make up for what I lacked and I now have a little bit of regret because of it. Asumi said to me “Singing and dancing are just a matter of taking lessons. It’s your heart that makes theatre, your heart makes it ‘Takarazuka’. You have that Hana-chan, so you will be fine”. Of course, I still had to work on polishing my technique, but after hearing those words from Asumi, I thought that no matter what task I’m given, conveying what's in my heart is the most important part of being a musumeyaku. I also longed to be the classic image of a Takarazuka musumeyaku and so I wanted to become the kind with a dignified look about her, and a strong self-belief. But what I was aiming for most was to look complimentary when beside my partner. Ever since I was just a fan of Takarazuka I’ve always loved the euphoria I experienced when seeing a Top Combi together, so I’ve always been trying to make sure that I match the same aura that my partner has.
Please give a message to those who have supported you
“Is what I’m doing okay?” “For what purpose do I stand on stage?”
Whenever I have felt lost like this, I've found that once I look at the smiling faces of my audience, those feelings I had of wanting to be a Takarasienne come flooding back to me. When I hear that people have received great joy from watching a show, I am so happy that I decided to stand on stage. I think it was your love that cheered me on to keep going. I will do all I can to return this love to you, and will do my best until the end! Thank you all so much!
Off Shots/Behind the Scenes
Translators Notes:
"Heidi, Girl of the Alps" is an anime TV series from 1974, based on the Swiss novel "Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning" by Johanna Spyri (1880). Clara is a lonely girl with paralysed legs, Heidi is her energetic and enthusiastic playmate. Heidi sounds similar to Benio which is probably why Hana thinks Haikara-san was still influencing her acting.
