The Lobster Dance

Inspired by my tour of Matsumoto Castle in Nagano, I decided to go to Himeji Castle at the end of my spring vacation. While touring the castle, which is under renovation till 2015, was quite interesting, I actually had more fun going to the Takarazuka exhibit at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History nearby. I wouldn’t have even known about the exhibit if I hadn’t seen fliers for it in the train station, so it must have been fate!

Photography was allowed at the exhibit, so I’ve included some of the highlights here.

Takarazuka in the 1930s

The exhibit, which runs until June 2011, features a brief history of Takarazuka, its stars, and its shows from 1914-2011. The first part of the exhibit focuses on the history of the theatre from its founding to its role in WWII to its place in contemporary society. There are old photographs galore, and I loved seeing the top stars of years past, particularly how their clothes and makeup were done. Otokoyaku fashion is historically the best of men’s fashion, and the styles worn on the stage were the epitome of dapper.

Costume designs for Andre Grandier (left) and Oscar de Jarjeyes (right)

The next rooms of the exhibit focus on two of the most popular original shows: The Rose of Versailles (「ベルサイユのばら」), performed 11 times from 1974-2006, and Gone with the Wind (「風と共に去りぬ」), performed 13 times from 1977-2004.* Costumes from the shows are on display along with stage photos, costume- and set-design sketches, and a history of the content of the works and their adaptation for the Takarazuka stage. The Rose of Versailles section also has clips from the numerous productions of Rose of Versailles musicals (including the various “spin-off” shows that focus on particular characters).

Oscar's costume for The Rose of Versailles

Next, there is a section featuring the covers of magazines and fan goods from the beginning of the theatre to today, with more video clips highlighting the aspects of the Revue: Asian period pieces, foreign musicals, original shows, and the dance revues.

Vintage ads and playbills

The last part of the exhibit includes photos of the current troupes and their stars, and a place where a staff member will take a photo of you wearing the iconic feathers for the final parade of the show.

The costumes worn during the final parade of a show/revue. The peacock-style feathers you can try on are much smaller.

Even though the exhibit is small in size, there’s a ton of great information packed into it. The exhibit is Japanese-only, but if you’re a non-bilingual fan, there’s plenty to see even if you can’t read all the details. I spend about 1.5 hours in the exhibit because I was reading carefully and drooling over the costumes and the fan goods, but a faster reader or more casual fan could probably do the exhibit in 45 minutes.

一番素敵な扇子板

This exhibit is a lot of fun, and it’s directed at both the die-hard fan as well as the new to the Revue. My favorite items on display were the fans that had stars painted on them—if only they made Kiriyan and Yuuhi ones!

Access

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History 兵庫県立歴史博物館
〒670-0012　兵庫県姫路市本町68番地
670-0012 Hyogo-ken Himeji-shi Honmachi #68
TEL ： 079-288-9011

Special Exhibit Cost: 1000 yen

19 March – 12 June 2011
10:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Closed Mondays

The museum is close to Himeji Castle and the art museum; all are within walking distance (10-20 min) of Himeji Station.
Transit instructions and map: English, Japanese
Exhibit Information (Japanese)

Museum Website: Japanese, English

Notes
*Although Rose of Versailles and Gone with the Wind are both based on print media, the musicals themselves were originally written for the Revue, in contrast to foreign musicals/domestic period pieces that were translated and adapted (Elisabeth, Singin’ in the Rain, Romeo & Juliette).