Wataru Kozuki
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue
, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the revue in 1989 and resigned in 2006. She is from Iruma
, Saitama
.
She is the only Otokoyaku and the only student in her class to reach top star status. (No musumeyaku in her class reached the status of top star). Also, she is the first otokoyaku top star who joined the company during the Heisei
era.
for Flower, Jun Shibuki
for Moon, Hikaru Asami
for Snow and Yōka Wao
for Cosmos). Because of her height, she provided a strong male image on the stage. She progressed gradually after graduating from the New Actor Show cast. One of her notable roles in the 1990s is Lord Henry Wotton of The Picture of Dorian Gray
. In 1997, she got her first Takarazuka Bow Hall show (Angels at Dawn).
One of the characteristics of her Takarazuka career is that she had participated in the most overseas performances among her generation: New York
in 1992, London
in 1994, Hong Kong
in 1998 (the founding of Cosmos Troupes with Asato Shizuki, Yōka Wao
, Mari Hanafusa
and Hikaru Asami
), and Seoul
in 2005 (performing Rose of Versailles as a part of the celebration of the establishment of Japan-Korea relationship).
Upon the founding the Cosmos Troupe, she participated in her second production of Elisabeth
in 1998 and got great applause with her portrayal of Luigi Lucheni
(she played Elmer Batthyany in the 1996-7 Star Troupe production). In the 1998 production of Wuthering Heights
, she had the role of Edgar (portrayed by Kei Aran
in the previous Snow production, who later succeeded her to be the top star of Star Troupe). During the founding era of Cosmos, she got her second Bow Hall lead (The Tempest
, as a part of Bow Shakespeare Series) in 1999.
When Yōka Wao
succeeded Asato Shizuki as the top star of Cosmos Troupe, she became the second man of Wao
. However, it was short lived because in June 2000, the directors of the company made a radical change on the troupe structure by sending the second and third tier actresses of each troupe to the Senka, which served as the waiting list for top stars of the troupes. She and Sakiho Juri
were the two from Cosmos that were sent to the "New" Senka (Ten in total, and the most junior, Kouki Naruse from Snow Troupe joined later on, dubbed "Senka's Eleven"). When she participated in Wao
's top star debut show at Grand Theater (Nostalgia Across the Sea), she and Juri
could be considered as members of Senka instead of Cosmos Troupe.
During her Senka era, she participated in the production of Cosmos, Star, Snow and Moon. Also, she got a lead of show at the Tokyo special performance Singing in the Midnight (a production of Snow Troupe). Joining her as female lead was Hikaru Asami
, a former troupe mate of Cosmos. When she participated in the Senka-Flower and Senka-Snow production of Gone with the Wind
in 2002, she became the first to be in all five troupe productions in the company.
Upon the resignation of Tatsuki Kouju, who previously transferred to Senka from Snow Troupe (one of the "Senka's Eleven"), she became the top star of Star Troupe and made two records among the "Senka's Eleven":
Also, she is the last of the Eleven to resign from the company.
In 2006, while having the Star production of Rose of Versailles, she had a special appearance in the Snow production: this is the first performance with former troupe mate Hikaru Asami
since they performed Gone with the Wind
together in 2002; it is also the last, given their resignations in November and December of the same year.
Her first performance after the resignation is the Japanese production of Damn Yankees
as Lola.
, who is a year senior than Kozuki, shares some similarities of their career related to Elisabeth
:
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the revue in 1989 and resigned in 2006. She is from Iruma
Iruma, Saitama
is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 149,269 and a population density of 3,340 persons per km². The total area is 44.74 km². The city consists of 6 areas, Toyooka, Kaneko, Higashikaneko, Fujisawa, Miyadera-Nihongi, and...
, Saitama
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
.
She is the only Otokoyaku and the only student in her class to reach top star status. (No musumeyaku in her class reached the status of top star). Also, she is the first otokoyaku top star who joined the company during the Heisei
Akihito
is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...
era.
Troupe History
-
Star Troupe: 1989–1997 -
Cosmos Troupe: 1998–1999 -
Superior Members: 2000–2002 - Star Troupe: 2003–2006
General information
Kozuki is 174 cm tall. When she gained the top star status of Star Troupe, where she started her Takarazuka career, she became the tallest of top stars of the five troupes in 2003 (with Sumire HarunoSumire Haruno
is a former member of Takarazuka Revue, specializing in otokoyaku. She joined the revue in 1991, became the top star in 2002 and resigned from the company in 2007...
for Flower, Jun Shibuki
Jun Shibuki
Tanazawa Rika , know by her stage name , is a musical actress and performer of Japanese stage acting. She is a former member of Takarazuka Revue, where she played Otokoyaku...
for Moon, Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1991 and resigned in 2006...
for Snow and Yōka Wao
Yoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
for Cosmos). Because of her height, she provided a strong male image on the stage. She progressed gradually after graduating from the New Actor Show cast. One of her notable roles in the 1990s is Lord Henry Wotton of The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine...
. In 1997, she got her first Takarazuka Bow Hall show (Angels at Dawn).
One of the characteristics of her Takarazuka career is that she had participated in the most overseas performances among her generation: New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1992, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1994, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1998 (the founding of Cosmos Troupes with Asato Shizuki, Yōka Wao
Yoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
, Mari Hanafusa
Mari Hanafusa
is a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, in which she specialized in female roles . She is from Tokyo and joined the revue in 1991 and retired in 2006...
and Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1991 and resigned in 2006...
), and Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in 2005 (performing Rose of Versailles as a part of the celebration of the establishment of Japan-Korea relationship).
Upon the founding the Cosmos Troupe, she participated in her second production of Elisabeth
Elisabeth (musical)
Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien , with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I...
in 1998 and got great applause with her portrayal of Luigi Lucheni
Luigi Lucheni
Luigi Lucheni was an Italian anarchist who assassinated the Austrian Empress, Elisabeth of Bavaria , in 1898...
(she played Elmer Batthyany in the 1996-7 Star Troupe production). In the 1998 production of Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
, she had the role of Edgar (portrayed by Kei Aran
Kei Aran
, , is a Japanese actress and former top star otokoyaku of the Japanese Takarazuka Revue's Star Troupe. She joined the revue in 1991 and became the top star in 2007, five years after her fellow classmates Sumire Haruno and Hikaru Asami became top stars...
in the previous Snow production, who later succeeded her to be the top star of Star Troupe). During the founding era of Cosmos, she got her second Bow Hall lead (The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, as a part of Bow Shakespeare Series) in 1999.
When Yōka Wao
Yoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
succeeded Asato Shizuki as the top star of Cosmos Troupe, she became the second man of Wao
Yoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
. However, it was short lived because in June 2000, the directors of the company made a radical change on the troupe structure by sending the second and third tier actresses of each troupe to the Senka, which served as the waiting list for top stars of the troupes. She and Sakiho Juri
Sakiho Juri
is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1990 and resigned in 2005...
were the two from Cosmos that were sent to the "New" Senka (Ten in total, and the most junior, Kouki Naruse from Snow Troupe joined later on, dubbed "Senka's Eleven"). When she participated in Wao
Yoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
's top star debut show at Grand Theater (Nostalgia Across the Sea), she and Juri
Sakiho Juri
is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1990 and resigned in 2005...
could be considered as members of Senka instead of Cosmos Troupe.
During her Senka era, she participated in the production of Cosmos, Star, Snow and Moon. Also, she got a lead of show at the Tokyo special performance Singing in the Midnight (a production of Snow Troupe). Joining her as female lead was Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1991 and resigned in 2006...
, a former troupe mate of Cosmos. When she participated in the Senka-Flower and Senka-Snow production of Gone with the Wind
Gone With The Wind (musical)
Gone with the Wind is a musical based on the Margaret Mitchell's novel of the same name and its 1939 film adaptation, with music and lyrics by Margaret Martin, and a book by Martin, adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn....
in 2002, she became the first to be in all five troupe productions in the company.
Upon the resignation of Tatsuki Kouju, who previously transferred to Senka from Snow Troupe (one of the "Senka's Eleven"), she became the top star of Star Troupe and made two records among the "Senka's Eleven":
- The only one that had not participated in any show of her preceder
- The longest running as top star among the five from "Senka's Eleven" who gained the top star status
Also, she is the last of the Eleven to resign from the company.
In 2006, while having the Star production of Rose of Versailles, she had a special appearance in the Snow production: this is the first performance with former troupe mate Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami
Hikaru Asami is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1991 and resigned in 2006...
since they performed Gone with the Wind
Gone With The Wind (musical)
Gone with the Wind is a musical based on the Margaret Mitchell's novel of the same name and its 1939 film adaptation, with music and lyrics by Margaret Martin, and a book by Martin, adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn....
together in 2002; it is also the last, given their resignations in November and December of the same year.
Her first performance after the resignation is the Japanese production of Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
as Lola.
Star New Actor Era
- I Won't Forget the Young Day's Song - Maki Bunshirou (First leading role)
- Casanova, Memento of a Dream - Casanova
- A Map Without Borders - Herman (Her role in regular cast is John Miller)
- The Story of a Sword, Love, and a Rainbow - Edmond
Star Era
- ElisabethElisabeth (musical)Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien , with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I...
- Elmer - The Picture of Dorian GrayThe Picture of Dorian GrayThe Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine...
- Lord Henry Wotton (Bow Hall Show starring Jun ShibukiJun ShibukiTanazawa Rika , know by her stage name , is a musical actress and performer of Japanese stage acting. She is a former member of Takarazuka Revue, where she played Otokoyaku...
) - The Spirit of the Samurai - Ryousuke Kuroda
- Angels at Dawn - Alvar (first Bow Hall leading performance)
Cosmos Era
- Excalibur - Andrew/Christopher (Replacing Yōka WaoYoka Wao' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
in the National Tour) - ElisabethElisabeth (musical)Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien , with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I...
- Luigi Lucheni - Wuthering HeightsWuthering HeightsWuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
- Edgar (Starring Yōka WaoYoka Wao' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
) - Passion: Jose and CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
- Escamillio - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
- Ferdinand (Bow Hall performance) - Black Rose of the Desert - Zelim
- Mayerling - Archduke Jan Salvador
Senka Era
- Gone with the WindGone With The Wind (musical)Gone with the Wind is a musical based on the Margaret Mitchell's novel of the same name and its 1939 film adaptation, with music and lyrics by Margaret Martin, and a book by Martin, adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn....
(Senka-Snow & Senka-Flower) - Ashley Wilkes (Starring Yu TodorokiYu TodorokiYu Todoroki is a current member of Takarazuka Revue, where she plays an otokoyaku. She joined the Revue in 1985, became the top star of Snow Troupe in 1997, transferred to Superior Members in 2002 and became the youngest member to serve on the company's board of directors in 2003...
)
With Cosmos Troupe
- Nostalgia Across the Sea - Akizuki Kuroudo
- Castel Mirage - Richard Taylor (only at Grand Theater)
With Moon Troupe
- Great Pirates - Edgar (only at Tokyo)
- At the End of a Long Spring - Claude
With Snow Troupe
- Singing in the Midnight - Lo Man-fu (leading)
- In Search of El Dorado - Soujirou Gotou
With Star Troupe
- Rose of Versailles - Andre (Sharing with Tatsuki Kouju and Sakiho JuriSakiho Juriis a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1990 and resigned in 2005...
in the Takarazuka run)
Star Top Star Era
- A Song for Kingdoms (Takarazuka's own version of AidaAidaAida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
) - Radames (Top Star Debut at Grand Theater) - Eternal Prayer: The Revolution of the World of Louis XVII - Louis
- A Love Story in 1914 - Aristide Bruant
- Ch'ang-an, Full of Swirling Flowers - Hsan Tsung
- Shigure Hill Road in Nagasaki - Unosuke (with special appearance of Yu TodorokiYu TodorokiYu Todoroki is a current member of Takarazuka Revue, where she plays an otokoyaku. She joined the Revue in 1985, became the top star of Snow Troupe in 1997, transferred to Superior Members in 2002 and became the youngest member to serve on the company's board of directors in 2003...
) - Rose of Versailles - Fersen and Marie-Antoinette - Hans Axel Von Fersen
- Rose of Versailles - Oscar and Andre - Andre (Special appearance for Snow Troupe, shared with Sumire HarunoSumire Harunois a former member of Takarazuka Revue, specializing in otokoyaku. She joined the revue in 1991, became the top star in 2002 and resigned from the company in 2007...
, Kei AranKei Aran, , is a Japanese actress and former top star otokoyaku of the Japanese Takarazuka Revue's Star Troupe. She joined the revue in 1991 and became the top star in 2007, five years after her fellow classmates Sumire Haruno and Hikaru Asami became top stars...
, Jun SenaJun Sena, is a Japanese actress and former top star of the Takarazuka Revue's Moon Troupe, a Japanese theatre organization in which women portray all parts. She was born April 1, 1974 and grew up in Suginami, Tokyo. During her time in the Revue, she was an otokoyaku, an actress who specializes in male roles...
, Natsuki MizuNatsuki MizuNatsuki Mizu is the former top star for Snow Troupe of Takarazuka Revue from 12/24/06 to 09/12/10. She joined the company in 1993 and became the top star in December 2006 upon the resignation of Hikaru Asami...
and Kei Takashiro) - CopacabanaCopacabana (musical)Copacabana is a TV-musical, stage musical, and nightclub show written by Barry Manilow, based on the song of the same name. The show toured the United States and, as of 2006, became available to license to performing companies and schools for the first time....
- Stephen/Toni Forte - Too Short a Time to Fall in Love - Fred Walbask(Michael Wayne) (Last musical with Takarazuka)
Stage
- Damn YankeesDamn YankeesDamn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
- Lola - Dancin' Crazy
- All Shook UpAll Shook Up (musical)All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe DiPietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.-Production history:...
- Miss Sandra - Calamity JaneCalamity JaneMartha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
- Calamity Jane
Wao, Kozuki and Elisabeth
Yōka WaoYoka Wao
' is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006....
, who is a year senior than Kozuki, shares some similarities of their career related to Elisabeth
Elisabeth (musical)
Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien , with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I...
:
- Both are the veterans from the production of 1997 Snow and Star when they participated in the Cosmos production.
- Wao portrayed Elmer in the Takarazuka run in the 1997 Snow production and Kozuki portrayed the same role in both locations.
- They became the top stars of the company later on (Cosmos and Star)
- During their junior years and before the founding of Cosmos Troupe, they had been in the same troupes with legend Mari HanafusaMari Hanafusais a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, in which she specialized in female roles . She is from Tokyo and joined the revue in 1991 and retired in 2006...
, who is the only star that portrayed Elisabeth in both Snow and Cosmos Production.