Interview with ex-Takarazuka Actress Mio Cloud (Jun Sagiri)

(c) Takarazuka Revue Company

A-to-J Connections is no stranger to the Takarazuka Revue we've hosted panels on the topic and even had a blog dedicated to it in our early days. We recently had the opportunity to speak with a former Takarazuka actress and we were very excited to conduct this interview. While Mio Cloud's time in the Takarazuka Revue might have been somewhat brief, her time as Jun Sagiri (an otokoyaku or "male player") provided us with a lot of insight on what being a part of the troupe was like and gave us an insider's look at the Revue itself. We're really excited to bring everyone this interview so we hope that you all check it out!

Before we jump in, here's a brief rundown on what the Takarazuka Revue is: The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Japan formed in 1913. It held its first performance in 1914 and has been in operation ever since and currently consists of five troupes, Flower (Hana), Moon (Tsuki), Snow (Yuki), Star (Hoshi), and Cosmos (Sora). There have been countless shows, from originals to adaptations of popular works, arguably the show that brought the Revue to massive popularity was The Rose of Versailles which debuted in 1974. Several other popular adaptations also include Black Jack, Rurouni Kenshin, Sengoku Basara, and more. What makes the Takarazuka Revue stand out among others is the fact that all roles are played by highly-trained female actresses. While there is much more to be discussed regarding the Revue and its history we will refrain from delving too deeply into it here, but instead suggest that interested readers check out online resources such as the Takawiki (http://www.takawiki.com)!

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