Hikaru Asami
Encyclopedia
Hikaru Asami 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 1991 and resigned in 2006. She is from Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken.
Her real name is Noriko Komuro (小室 德子) and her nickname is Komu (comes from the last name Komuro).
in the 1999 Cosmos production of Elisabeth
with Asato Shizuki as Der Tod. However, she was transferred to Snow Troupe right after the Takarazuka performance and the role was taken by Sakiho Juri
in the Tokyo performance.
While she was in Snow Troupe, she teamed up with fellow classmates Kei Aran
and Kouki Naruse, and the three had a performance at the Bowhall as The Wonder Three. Even though such a trio within the younger group could be found among the Flower Troupe (Haruno
, Sena
and Mizu
) and Moon Troupe (Ōzora, Kiriya and Yamato
), they were the only trio that was considered official. This trio was also the major cast for the special performance of Arch of Triumph
, which is the first case (and is the only one up to the date) for Takarazuka to have 3 versions of the cast (a major cast led by Yu Todoroki
, a new actor cast and the special cast led by Asami herself) for one peroformance.
Other than male roles, she also had performed in two female roles during her Takarazuka career: Yan-Gai Fan from Singing in the Midnight and Scarlett O'Hara
from Gone with the Wind
.
Upon the resignation of her predecessor Yū Emao she became the top star of the Snow Troupe with Rira Maikaze, a former fellow troupe member from Flower Troupe, by the reprise of Meet Again (in which the title role was played by Yu Todoroki
, one of the legends of the company, in the 1999 reprise).
In 2006, when the Star Troupe and Snow Troupe reprised Rose of Versailles (while Star performed the arc of Fersen and Marie Antoinette and Snow performed the arc of Oscar and Andre), she once again performed with a couple former troupe mates from Flower (Haruno
and Sena
), Cosmos (Wataru Kozuki
) and Snow (Kei Aran
) on the same stage.
After resignation from the company, she had her first concert (Primary Colors) at Tokyo
and Hyōgo
in May 2007.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue
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 1991 and resigned in 2006. She is from Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken.
Her real name is Noriko Komuro (小室 德子) and her nickname is Komu (comes from the last name Komuro).
Troupe History
-
Flower Troupe: 1991–1997 -
Cosmos Troupe: 1998–1999 -
Snow Troupe: 1999–2006
General information
As one of the founding members of Cosmos Troupe, she had given a performance as Prince RudolfCrown Prince Rudolf of Austria
Rudolf , archduke of Austria and crown prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, was the son and heir of Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and his wife and empress, Elisabeth...
in the 1999 Cosmos 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...
with Asato Shizuki as Der Tod. However, she was transferred to Snow Troupe right after the Takarazuka performance and the role was taken by 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...
in the Tokyo performance.
While she was in Snow Troupe, she teamed up with fellow classmates 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...
and Kouki Naruse, and the three had a performance at the Bowhall as The Wonder Three. Even though such a trio within the younger group could be found among the Flower Troupe (Haruno
Sumire 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...
, Sena
Jun 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...
and Mizu
Natsuki Mizu
Natsuki 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 Moon Troupe (Ōzora, Kiriya and Yamato
Yuga Yamato
is a former top star for Cosmos Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. She joined the company in 1995 and became the top star in February 2007 upon the resignation of Kei Takashiro, which made her the first otokoyaku to be top in her class...
), they were the only trio that was considered official. This trio was also the major cast for the special performance of Arch of Triumph
Arch of Triumph (novel)
Arch of Triumph is a 1945 novel by Erich Maria Remarque. In it, he writes about stateless refugees' life in Paris before World War II. It was the second book of his, after All Quiet on the Western Front, to appear on bestseller lists worldwide....
, which is the first case (and is the only one up to the date) for Takarazuka to have 3 versions of the cast (a major cast led by Yu Todoroki
Yu Todoroki
Yu 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...
, a new actor cast and the special cast led by Asami herself) for one peroformance.
Other than male roles, she also had performed in two female roles during her Takarazuka career: Yan-Gai Fan from Singing in the Midnight and Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
from 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....
.
Upon the resignation of her predecessor Yū Emao she became the top star of the Snow Troupe with Rira Maikaze, a former fellow troupe member from Flower Troupe, by the reprise of Meet Again (in which the title role was played by Yu Todoroki
Yu Todoroki
Yu 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...
, one of the legends of the company, in the 1999 reprise).
In 2006, when the Star Troupe and Snow Troupe reprised Rose of Versailles (while Star performed the arc of Fersen and Marie Antoinette and Snow performed the arc of Oscar and Andre), she once again performed with a couple former troupe mates from Flower (Haruno
Sumire 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...
and Sena
Jun 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...
), Cosmos (Wataru Kozuki
Wataru Kozuki
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 1989 and resigned in 2006. She is from Iruma, Saitama ....
) and Snow (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...
) on the same stage.
After resignation from the company, she had her first concert (Primary Colors) at Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Hyōgo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
in May 2007.
Flower New Actor Era
- Black JackBlack Jack (manga)is a manga written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka in the 1970s, dealing with the medical adventures of the title character, doctor Black Jack....
- The shadow of Black JackBlack Jack (character)is a fictional character created by Osamu Tezuka, introduced in Weekly Shōnen Champion on November 19, 1973.-Character:Black Jack is a medical mercenary, selling his skills to the highest bidder. He is a shadowy figure, with a black cape, eerie black-and-white hair, and stitched-up scars worming... - How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
- Bud Frump (act two) - Hollywood Babylon - Eliott Walker
- Blue Swan - Julian
Cosmos Era
- Excalibur - Paul
- 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...
- RudolphCrown Prince Rudolf of AustriaRudolf , archduke of Austria and crown prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, was the son and heir of Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and his wife and empress, Elisabeth...
Snow Era
- Meet Again - Jan
- Lovers' Suicide - Hachiemon Tanbaya (starring Kou Shiokaze)
- Say It Again - Proteus (co-starring with Kouki Naruse)
- The Man Called Bacchus - Lazlo
- Arch of TriumphArch of Triumph (novel)Arch of Triumph is a 1945 novel by Erich Maria Remarque. In it, he writes about stateless refugees' life in Paris before World War II. It was the second book of his, after All Quiet on the Western Front, to appear on bestseller lists worldwide....
- Rosenfeld (regular cast)/Ravic (special cast) - Singing in the Moonlight - Yan-Gai Fan (female lead, starring Wataru KozukiWataru Kozukiis a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters . She joined the revue in 1989 and resigned in 2006. She is from Iruma, Saitama ....
) - In Search of El Dorado - Yatarou Yajima
- Anna KareninaAnna KareninaAnna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger...
- Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky (Last leading performance before being top star) - Flaming Love - Feng Wu
- Gone with the WindGone with the WindThe slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
- Scarlett O'HaraScarlett O'HaraScarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
(female lead, 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...
) - Memories of Barcelona - Roberto
Snow Top Star Era
- Meet Again - Gerard (repraise, top star debut)
- In the Tender Light of a Fine Spring - Yasusuke Fujiwara/Yasumasa Fujiwara (top star debut at Grand Theater, two roles)
- Romance de Paris - Vincent Chevalier
- Susano-o - Susano-o
- Ano Hi Mita Yume ni - Michael
- In Quest of the Blue Bird - Vincent McNorton (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...
) - Nemureru Tsuki - Hamamatsu Chunagon
- Milan Wrapped in a Fog - Lorenzo Croce
- Silver Wolf - Silver
- Rose of Versailles - Fersen and Marie-Antoinette - Oscar (shared with 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...
, Kei Takashiro, Yūhi Ōzora and Hiromu Kiriya for Star special appearance) - Rose of Versailles - Oscar and Andre - Oscar
- Lucifer's tears - Lucifer (last show with Takarazuka)
Personal Concert
- The Wonder Three
- Dancer in the Dark
- Mannish
- Albatross, Go South (Bow Hall Special)
Stage
- Kiss of the Spider WomanKiss of the Spider Woman (musical)Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
- Aurora - Dancin' Crazy
- 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...
- ElisabethElisabeth of BavariaElisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
(share role with Mayo SuzukazeMayo Suzukazeis a Japanese film and television actress from Ishinomaki. Suzukaze has also done some voice work as a voice actress, namely as the voice of Himura Kenshin in Rurouni Kenshin. She was previously a Takarazuka Revue stage actress and the Top Star of Moon Troupe...
) 2008-2009 - Musical CyranoCyrano (musical)Cyrano is a musical with a book and lyrics by Anthony Burgess and music by Michael J. Lewis.Based on Edmond Rostand's classic 1897 play of the same name, it focuses on a love triangle involving the large-nosed poetic Cyrano de Bergerac, his beautiful cousin Roxana, and his classically handsome but...
- Roxane 2009