Beth Winter

I think I would have come away with a different impression of kabuki theatre if I hadn't seen a show with costumes designed by Yoshitaka Amano, starring Bando Tamasaburo and Ichikawa Ebizo (both of whom Google identifies as the definite dream cast). There were sparkles and capes and dragons and Shiny Things (TM). And heels.

So many little things made it from Kabuki into Takarazuka as well. The hand gestures, the steps, even the fawning manner of the female-players. Someone should write a thesis on this.

(For the record, the show was Kaijin Besso, The Sea God's Villa.)

And before, there was Taka-An, and a CD by my girl that was never officially released, recorded in 1991 during her nibante days. I now have a recording of Maki Ichiro singing Memory ♥

In Hiroshima right now, and after ten days of sun (and a major tan) in Kansai, we're finally getting to see the rainy season. Not that it's a bad thing: Miyajima in the rain, with mist covering the mountain tops, was very spectacular.

Tomorrow, we drive through Nagoya to catch Cirque du Soleil, then on to Tokyo. Thursday will be another Takarazuka first - standing in line at silly o' clock for same-day tickets ^^; Keeping my fingers crossed that we do get them.

It's halfway over already, eleven nights down and ten to go. I have a feeling I will be coming back, often.

Off to, literally, other side of the world. Back in 3 weeks (July 10). Will, hopefully, check in intermittently throughout, but can't promise anything.

Fwee.

Between work and fever, this is, alas, almost two weeks late. Rest assured that my memories are quite vivid :)

( Tanz der Vampire, on crack edition )

In conclusion: if you're putting on a musical, add Hungarians. They make everything better :D

And with everything and vampires, I forgot to mention that I won't be around this weekend :) Tomorrow afternoon I'm heading to Oberhausen via Düsseldorf, seeing the requisite dancing vampires, and coming back on Monday around noon-ish. No mail access due to mobile roaming fees.

Back from Vienna, alive. I had an immensely enjoyable weekend, including seeing Rebecca again (more on which, hopefully, later) and fyrie killing my feet with all the walking we did ;)

One of the highlights of the trip was the temporary exhibition on Crown Prince Rudolf that's currently on at the Hofmobiliendepot. He was a deeply disturbed individual. One quote: "I have a deep respect for death. I often seek out dying people, to witness their last breath. Each of them dies differently. I watch dying animals as well..."

But what slayed me was a pair of photos of Rudolf clinging - there is no other word - on the arm of Wilhelm II of Prussia. Who, before the unfortunate moustache, apparently was a dead ringer for Jesper Tyden. And of all the Rudolf photos in the exhibit, the one with his arm through Wilhelm's was the only one in which he looked comfortable. On top of Wilhelm's documented predilections, I really do not need this plotbunny.

Am safely ensconced in Edinburgh in fyrie's custody :) Needless to say, online presence will be scarce until Tuesday, and inexistent between Tuesday noon-ish and the morning of the next Monday (lakes! finally!).

Now, shopping :D

I saw two shows in Berlin, May 1 and May 2. The cast was almost the same - the only exception was Sophie, with the understudy the first time and Christa Wettstein (first cast) on Friday. The shows, however, were dramatically different, mostly because on Thursday, Bruno Grassini (Lucheni) was phoning in his role, while by Friday he had recovered.

( Detailed review )

End verdict: I'm glad I've gone, for reasons of Uwe (and to a lesser extent, Annemieke and Oliver), but this production is craft rather than art. And I'm very happy I have tickets booked to Elisabeth in Budapest next month, with the full second cast (Máté, Bernádett and Nikolett, Ádám Bálint and Tamás Szaraz) confirmed for both shows I'm attending.

Two weeks ago, I had no plans for the summer at all. Now it turns out I'll be out of the country two, possibly three times between May and June:

- May 1-3 in Berlin (Shopping and Elisabeth. Mostly shopping.)

- May 23-26 in Edinburgh (fyrie's birthday party and uh, more shopping?)

- Tentatively, June 21-25 in Budapest. Again. For the same purposes as last time.

Since the only other plans I have are for Vienna in the autumn, I need to find some new countries to travel to. Spain, possibly? Or Mallorca, I adored selenak's photos of her trip there.

Not my best gallery, but either way, I'm back from Edinburgh and have photos in tow :)

( Edinburgh photos )