Elisabeth: Moon Troupe demachi report

[winter]

The actual show report will take a few days, or until I get back home (because it only gets better from here), but we did end up staying for our first demachi.

(For the non-Takarazuka: demachi is official stagedooring. When the stars come out, they take letters from their fanclub members, but they generally don't talk to other people, and you're not allowed to bother them. Not so much with the Kevin Tarte style of "who wants to glomp Krolock? :D)

The reason we stayed back for demachi fyrie drew a portrait for Kacha/Elisabeth, so we wanted to make sure it got to her. First of all, we asked someone from Sena Jun's club (who turned out to be the most senior club member; oops?) where Kacha's club was. They were easy to find because they were wearing orange jackets. We weren't allowed to stand behind them because they had their backs against the wall, but there's a wooden platform on Hana no Michi that's perfect for taking photographs of people coming out. It was crowded, but we got a position by the railing and got photographs of a lot of people. After the Asako club left, the other clubs around the corner used my camera as a sign to tell them when to crouch down when an actress came out.

Sena Jun came out fairly late, and she looked tired, like she's been giving it all. (Mind you, she was great in the show. Very aristocratic and emotional when no-one was looking. She reminded me of both Yuichirou Yamaguchi and Jesper Tyden). I really like the scarves her club wears for this show, a very nice shade of purple.

Kiriyan was very gracious. She came out earlier than Asako, and she waved and greeted her club. She also had her dog Finch in the car with her :) It was just a minute or two, but she really... shines. A very peaceful, powerful person.

The others looked very tired. I saw Ryuu Masaki just collected her letters and went off, so I think she's still tired. Shirosaki Ai was one of the last ones to come out, and she got a big greeting from the other fanclubs who were still there.

Kacha was one of the last ones to come out. I think there was only one other fanclub left.



So. Kacha got to her fanclub, and they pointed at us. She turned to look, which allowed ladyoz to snap a spectacular portrait of her. We squeed, and since she went across the street with her fanclub, we started packing.

And then the fanclub waved at us. We kind of blanked, then ran along - we were on the Hana no Michi, and they were on the sidewalk on the opposite side from the theatre. Then at the car park, they waved at us again. This time it was definitely "come here".

I pushed fyrie, who went completely blank. And quiet, which is almost impossible. (This would be the person who managed to talk coherently when accosted by a Krolock, out of the blue, in Polish.) The fanclub members took the picture and made her give it to Kacha. She started talking at us in Japanese, but we explained we didn't speak it. I managed something simple about how we saw Elisabeth in Budapest and Berlin, but she was the best Elisabeth. To which she said "Really? Me?" ♥

So, yes. I think we need to find the address of Kacha's fanclub. First, to say "thank you so much!!!!" and then to ask about overseas membership or something...

Comments

[blackbrownsocks.livejournal.com]

Awwww *snuggles teddy bear* sooooo sweet~~

Glad that you guys had such an awesome experience!

[galynthia.livejournal.com]

Awww lucky! I bet you guys made her day ^.^

[sarabakanashimi.livejournal.com]

Kiriyan was very gracious. She came out earlier than Asako, and she waved and greeted her club. She also had her dog Finch in the car with her :) It was just a minute or two, but she really... shines. A very peaceful, powerful person.

This made me squee aloud ♥ You gotta love Kiriyan.

And, awww, so nice of the fanclub and Kacha herself!♥

[greenie1980.livejournal.com]

I don't get any of this but it sounds like you had a great time and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you it stays that way. And I'll write your DVDs today, quickly test-run them to make sure everything is working ok and then post them at the start of this week.

[sumire-no-hana.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, when did you watch demachi? Today? If so, did you happen to see the 11am show today?

[happy-riceball.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodnessss~ reading this made me way too happy. Especially Finch in the car. Thank you so much for sharing! ♥

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's very sweet and unusual. :) I'm glad you had such a great experience.

If you want to ask about joining Kacha's fan club, the best thing to do is to write to Kacha herself (at the theatre's address) saying you'd like to join and ask her to pass on your request to her daihyou-san. I'm sure she'd remember you and be happy to do so.

But think carefully about what it means before you join. Fan club membership is wonderful, but it's a serious thing and it can be quite a burden. You should only join if you're absolutely certain she's the only 'sienne for you.

[sailortelevator.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad to read this! I'm going to Tokyo in a week and am hoping to attend as many irimachi and demachi as I can, so getting to read other peoples experience is so much fun! It's so cool about the portrait as well, I have fanart too and would love to at some point get to give it to my 'sienne (Kimu, hihi)! I think I'll be too shy at first though, might just attend a few first and scope things out. Am glad to hear that the fanclub was so friendly though! ^_^

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a great story! Hope you're having a great time over there!

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

I'm going to second everything Lucia said.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions :)'

ETA: I forgot to actually say the most obvious part...HOW EXCITING!!!!!! <333333333333333333

[alice_montrose]

Sounds like a really awesome thing to have happening to you. I'm glad you've had the chance to do this, because... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Looking forward to the show report. *guesses it was great*

[bigrivermusical.livejournal.com]

Yay, for such a wonderful and rare experience! And thanks for Kiriyan's report too.

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

You guys have fantastic adventure stories already?!?! This Japan trip can only continue getting more awesome.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

We saw the morning show, yes :) Row 21, which was fantastic :)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Re. joining the fanclub, I did suspect it would be awfully difficult to do it from abroad as well. How have you found that side of things?

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

Some clubs are willing to admit overseas members, others aren't. It depends upon the individual club. The only way to find out is by speaking with club staff in person, or, if you can't do that or find someone to do it for you, writing to the 'sienne and hoping for good luck.

Joining isn't that hard, but being a member involves a constant commitment. It's necessary either to read/write Japanese yourself, or to have a friend who is willing to help you. A friend in Japan is the best, because usually the only way to pay the club for things is by bank transfer. Sending money from overseas can be incredibly difficult and expensive and involve yet more correspondence in need of translation. ... And then of course there's the lag between when they post forms and when you'll receive them. Payment deadlines are in practice a lot shorter for overseas members. ;)

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

How long will you be in Japan? Yukigumi will be starting Russian Blue okeiko soon, so if you go to iride at the Grand Theatre as well as Tokyo, you might see Kimu at some point. But during rehearsals it's difficult to identify fan clubs, or to predict where or when they might be assembling, or to contact the staff to ask about things.

In larger clubs such as hers it's also a lot less common for outsiders to be permitted to give things to the seito personally. Kimu is notoriously friendly with her fans, but fan club staff are always protective of their seito's time and privacy. ... Of course, if you joined the club, that would be a different situation!

[sailortelevator.livejournal.com]

I'll be in Japan for a bit over 6 months, and I'm really hoping to get a ticket to go see Russian Blue, if it's not already sold out. Yeah I figure this as well, so I'm thinking I'll try to attend as many as possible to get a hang of how they work and what-not. I'm very scared of doing something wrong, I'd hate to be a nuisance to the FC, and most of all to Kimu of course. :)

Yes I have read a lot about this, which is why it's so interesting to read other peoples account of their experience. If they'd accept me I'd love to join Kimu's FC, but I know that it's a large responsibility and I want to make sure that I can fulfill all the criteria. Which I'll naturally try my very best to do if given the chance. :)

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

The good news is that apart from Elisabeth, Grand Theatre stages haven't been selling out this year, and Tokyo Theatre stages haven't been selling out instantaneously. So you have a very good chance of getting tickets.

The other good news is that from what I've heard Yukigumi fan clubs are among the less strict. And if you're living in Japan for a while, you should have no trouble joining -- and if you're already a member when you leave, they'll probably let you stay. I know that was the case with a friend of mine who joined Mizu Natsuki's club while she was in Japan.

P.S. bwinter, I'm sorry for hijacking your post!

[sailortelevator.livejournal.com]

Good thinking, sorry for hijacking the thread! Lucia, you're an amazing fountain of knowledge. <3

That's excellent, I'll make sure I try to get tickets as soon as I arrive. Well, once I've dropped off my luggage. :P I'm leaving this friday! EEK! Talking to you has made me realise how soon I might be able to see a Zuka show! I would love to join Kimu's FC tho. But even just getting to see a glimpse of her would keep me happy for months. :)

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

Tickets for the Grand Theatre run of Russian Blue go on sale on 6/27, and Tokyo tickets on 8/16. Good luck! :)

[sumire-no-hana.livejournal.com]

Were there 3 or so of you, somewhere around seats 84, 85 or so? I kinda feel bad now! I saw you guys and heard you talking as I walked past but was kinda afraid to stop and say something.

(I was down in Row 8, seat 62 ^^;)

I have no clue if you're going again, but I'll be at the 3pm show today and senshuuraku tomorrow and will be doing demachi guard today and both iri and demachi tomorrow. (Kinda overslept so no irimachi today ^^;)

[sailortelevator.livejournal.com]

6/27 is my birthday. I'm taking that as a sign that I'm meant to see it. ^_^ Thank you! <3

[shirabyoshi.livejournal.com]

Good luck explaining to everyone you know what your presents are supposed to be. ;)

[winter]

Alas, we only have three weeks in Japan, so I don't think we'll make it to Takarazuka again (until Legend, that is). It's a pity, it would be very nice to meet you :)