"Invitation to Takarazuka" (WOWOW) introduces the best performances from each troupe of the Takarazuka Revue. The broadcast starting at 4pm on November 27th will feature the 2003 Star Troupe performance "Ode to the Royal Family" with audio commentary by former Star Troupe top stars Wataru Kozuki and Kei Aran.
"Aida" is a Takarazuka version of Verdi's opera "Aida," a musical that premiered in 2003 with the Star Troupe, led by Kozuki and Dan Rei. It depicts on a grand scale the love that blossomed amid the conflict between ancient Egypt and Ethiopia, and the futility of fighting, and won the Excellence Award at the 58th Arts Festival of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It was performed again by the Cosmos Troupe in 2015 and the Star Troupe in 2022.
The show will be broadcasting the premiere of this work. Kozuki, who was the top star of the Star Troupe at the time, played the role of Radames, while Anran, a male star at the time who would later become the top star of the same troupe, played the role of Aida. The two will provide commentary on the audio commentary, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and memories of the performance that they can only share now.
