Keiko Toda: Participating in the Kishino Gumi Theater Company's production for the first time in 8 years!

Kishino Gumi Production: My First Appearance in 8 Years!

This is my first appearance in eight years in a Kishino Gumi production.
I’ve known the troupe leader, Yukimasa Kishino, since our days at the Rose Theater Company. We were in charge of the library together as trainees (laughs). We’ve created countless stage works through hell and high water. Seriously (laughs). The theater company was brutal.

Compiled by: Keiko Toda

Suffocating yet Hilarious: A Stale, Closed Rehearsal Space

Kishino Gumi was founded in 1990. The original members are few now (besides the leader, there are four actors and one staff writer), but the atmosphere in the rehearsal room hasn’t changed at all. It felt like time travel.

In the early days, I often helped out with the music. Kishino Gumi’s style is historical drama, but with singing and dancing. I was in charge of writing the lyrics. I believe I created some masterpieces myself. I even sang the songs from the “Jidai” series at my own concerts, and I was particularly delighted to see the talented guest performers singing them on stage. I think my unexpected work as a lyricist back then has led me to where I am today.

Kishino Gumi’s rehearsal space is in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture… and yes, as I’ve always said, rehearsals in Toda are truly “Toda Kyo” (Toda rehearsals)! I went there often this time too.

The small rehearsal space allows smoking, as the leader is a smoker, and staff and guest performers all smoke. A rehearsal space that smells of cigarettes is rare these days. In fact, it doesn’t exist. It really smelled like a traditional rehearsal space. And everyone’s sweat. In the stuffy, airless rehearsal room, many people were moving around, and for the first time in a long time, it was so suffocating it was funny. Strangely, it was suffocating, but I could laugh… (laughs). What is that? Perhaps it’s the thesis that a group called a “theater company” creates? It’s truly mysterious…

The play is an Edo-period adaptation of Robert Thomas’s “Trap,” titled “Ka-ra-ku-ri.” It’s a suspenseful, chaotic drama set in a tenement house. The performance is 90 minutes long, and thanks to the leader’s policy? Or perhaps his stamina? It’s only performed once a day. Hooray!! My body rejoices. It’s also been a long time since I performed in a historical drama on stage. My previous work, “The Fearless Kawakami Otojiro Troupe,” was a mix of Japanese and Western styles.

I always think, isn’t there anyone who doesn’t look good in a kimono? It’s made for Japanese people. It’s really wonderful. When you tighten the obi, you feel a sense of composure. However, with today’s youth, their legs are too long? I feel a little… something is off. They stand stiffly like scarecrows…

This is where the “acting” in historical drama becomes important. It’s a technique to make the body appear smaller, like when men play female roles. Not extending your arms too much, keeping your knees bent all the time. If you do Japanese dance or wear kimonos often, you’ll understand, right? It comes naturally, but it’s difficult if you’re not used to it.

Me? I have a perfect Japanese physique, so it fits me perfectly! I was born to wear a kimono~!!

To everyone in Kishino Gumi, thank you for so much love! You worked hard! Please continue to take good care of the leader, Kishino-san.

The Puppet Show "The New Three Musketeers," Enjoyable for Adults Too, Feels Wholesome and Rich

It has begun! Have you been watching “The New Three Musketeers” (NHK Educational, Fridays 6:00 PM - 6:20 PM)?

This is no longer just for children. It’s a puppet show that adults can enjoy. Every night, I look forward to coming home and watching it on video. The story by the scriptwriter Koki Mitani is, of course, fun, and the puppets are incredibly cool!! The sets are also wonderful. It’s nice to see a puppet show broadcast on TV. It feels wholesome, rich.

As for my role, I play the mysterious woman Milady, who is rumored to resemble me? I am a red-haired villainess.
It’s fun to play many roles by myself. Please find out for yourselves what else I play besides Milady (laughs). The other voice actors also play many roles besides their main ones.

There are seven regular voice actors, and we’ve become like a small theater troupe, getting along well. We’re working hard, imagining a lot while feeling and thinking about the puppets’ movements.

“One for all, all for one”──A good motto.

And I’ve also started narrating “Buratamo” (NHK General, Thursdays 10:00 PM - 10:43 PM), a show where Tamori explores the streets of Tokyo. This is also fun! We trace the vestiges of old towns and evoke Edo with CG. It’s a truly adult variety show. I’ve been waiting for a show like this. I love it.

This autumn, please be sure to watch “The New Three Musketeers” and “Buratamo.”

Keiko Toda: Program Information
NHK Stop-Motion Puppet Show "The New Three Musketeers"
Educational TV, Fridays 6:00 PM - 6:20 PM

"Buratamo"
NHK General, Thursdays 10:00 PM - 10:43 PM
Appearing as narrator