Today I went on a field trip! We went to see a musical by the Takarazuka Revue. It's a troupe that puts on performances and has been around for many decades. There are several things that are unique to Takarazuka, such as the fiercely competitive and strict school as well as the hugely dedicated and involved fan clubs that sound extreme, but the main thing Takarazuka is known for is that all its performers are women. Women play both male and female roles. Those who play men become very popular. Most of Takarazuka's fans are women. Some of these women are crazy about the women who play men.
There's a lot more to Takarazuka and its school and training ways and history and so on. I'm not going to explain everything here, but I found some links:
Takarazuka Revue (English)
Takarazuka History
I just realized they don't actually provide much background either...
There's always
Wikipedia
The performance we saw was Gone with the Wind.
I was impressed by the realistic sets, extravagant costumes, and the complicated synchronized dancing. The whole performance was dramatic and elaborate. It was cool. Maybe it's because I wasn't close to the stage, but just by looking I wouldn't be able to tell that the male characters are all played by women. Until they speak, that is, though I'll note that their singing does usually sound different from that of the female characters.
