Breathtaking!! Goosebumps!!! My Top Pick: 'Pippin'

Every year, at the beginning of the year, I look at my annual schedule and decide, "This is the only time!" The New York trip is actually decided quite far in advance. Well, it's done behind the scenes, but it's impossible to pull off without being assertive (laughs). This year, it was right after the final performance of the musical 'The Moon on a Silver Spoon' and just before a live event, making it a very tight schedule. But with my boss's word, "You should go!", the decision was made!

Here's a look at my previous trip →




On the day I was to depart for New York, I finished recording for Anpanman and a toy shoot before heading to Narita. On the day of my return, I went straight from Narita to a band rehearsal. As usual, my schedule was "packed." Still, I'm grateful for my once-a-year trip to New York. It was worth going again this year. It's amazing how live performances can clear away any gloominess! That's why I can't quit Broadway.

N.Y. Broadway Immersion Schedule

July 8 (Mon) - Dark
　　 9 (Tue) - Cinderella $137
　 10 (Wed) - Matilda $237
　　　　　　 　 First Date $127
　 11 (Thu) - Motown $147
　 12 (Fri) - Pippin $277
　 13 (Sat) - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike $142
　　　　　　 　 Kinky Boots $349
　 14 (Sun) - Nance $127

The first show I saw, 'Cinderella,' was the "that" Cinderella that everyone knows. It's a truly dreamy world, with beautiful costumes and quick changes that captivate the heart. The scene at the end where she forgets her glass slipper is cleverly done: she forgets it once, but Cinderella notices and goes back to get it (laughs). For her second chance at the ball, she almost leaves without realizing she forgot to leave the slipper, but then remembers and deliberately leaves it behind in a comedic twist. The way she hurried down the stairs, leaving just one slipper in its place, was masterful.

The child actors in the popular show 'Matilda' are exceptionally cute and talented! And the adults are wonderful too. The headmistress, in particular, is hilarious! I didn't quite grasp the plot, so my head was spinning at times... (laughs). I really want to read the original story. 'Motown' featured music and songs by Diana Ross, Jackson 5, and others that were just so groovy. That alone was enough for me.





And my top pick this time is 'Pippin'! Breathtaking!! Goosebumps!!! All the cast members were superb, but Patina Miller, who won the Tony Award for Best Actress, was beyond anything. While all Broadway shows are wonderful, there are "premium grade" ones among them, and encountering one of those occasionally leaves me speechless. The performance, singing, dancing, acting, and power were beyond imagination! I'm also fully aware that none of this is possible without immense effort. Bravo! Pippin!!

Incidentally, Chet, the choreographer for Pippin, was the choreographer from Broadway who worked on 'Sweet Charity' when I was in the theater company. What a wonderful person choreographed for me... though it was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly difficult (laughs)! He's known as the best when it comes to Bob Fosse's choreography. The circus troupe surrounding the performance, which rivaled Cirque du Soleil, was also spectacular. They're risking their lives every day.

The Art of the Standing Ovation on Broadway

On the sixth day of my Broadway immersion tour, I went to see 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,' which I had been told to watch by someone from Japan. I always think, straight plays have no singing or dancing, just dialogue in English, so they're completely incomprehensible to me. It's a tough time for me, but it's strange how I can still watch if the actors are good. Their performances, whether crying, laughing, or delivering jokes, are understood not with the head, but with the body. There was a noteworthy actress. Perhaps the person who recommended this play to me in Japan also meant, "Watch that actress!" Unfortunately, it wasn't Sigourney Weaver (laughs).





The expensive ticket for 'Kinky Boots' – I hadn't seen the movie either, but the story was very easy to follow. It's about a struggling, old-fashioned shoe factory that turns its fortunes around by making sexy boots for drag queens. There's romance and conflict, but the story of facing challenges and succeeding is nothing but happy! It's a funky, fancy, and uplifting tale. There were a lot of gay couples in the audience.





On Broadway, one or two people will stand up. They stand because they were moved! Even if it's just one person, I'm happy. Standing because the person next to you stood, or because the person in front stood and you couldn't see. Or standing because your back hurts (laughs) – that's a bit sad...

New York, Broadway – it's a city where you can encounter stimulating experiences. I'll work hard to be able to come again next year!

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