The long-running variety show "Shinkon-san Irasshai!" (Welcome, Newlyweds!), hosted by Takashi Fujii and Sakura Inoue (ABC TV/TV Asahi network, Sundays at 12:55 PM), will air a 55th-anniversary one-hour special on May 24th, featuring the "Gekidan Sensuya" theater troupe from Kagawa Prefecture. The episode will show the struggles of a husband with no prior acting experience who marries the family's second daughter and joins the troupe. Fujii and Inoue will also try their hand at popular theater.
The Sensuya Theater Company is a family theater troupe that has been upholding its traditions for 45 years in Mannō Town, at the foot of Kotohira Shrine. The troupe consists of 13 members spanning four generations, including Michiko Oka (86), known as the "super great-grandmother" who boasts 85 years of experience and is the only member of the troupe who can tie a wig, and a "theater prodigy" who made his stage debut just 22 days after birth.
The main characters in this story are Sumire, the second daughter and head of the theater troupe, and her husband, Ichiro. The two met in high school, and Sumire fell in love at first sight with Ichiro, who was one year her senior and played the archery club with great dignity. His performance was so perfect that even Sumire, who has been on stage since she was zero years old, thought he was "already finished."
However, without any further contact, Tatsuichiro graduated and went on to university in Hiroshima. A few years later, when it seemed their connection had been severed, fate intertwined with him through Sumire's sister and her husband, who were also members of the theater troupe. Surprisingly, Sumire's sister's husband and Tatsuichiro were best friends in high school. Tatsuichiro worked in interior design and had absolutely no acting experience, but upon getting married, he decided to join the theater troupe, wanting to "contribute to his family." His former "idol" has now become his partner, sweating it out together on stage—this is a behind-the-scenes look at their newlywed life, straight out of a shojo manga.
The program will also feature a surprising celebration of the two's birth. Appearing on the show is Onoe Ukon, who is currently appearing in the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" and is leading the young kabuki world. In fact, there is a deep connection between the theater company Sensuka and Ukon, as they spent seven days together living and eating together for a program project about 11 years ago. Sumire also appears in the video from that time when she was in high school. This time, Tatsuichiro heads to the Kabuki-za in Tokyo to meet Ukon. What thoughts did the up-and-coming actor Tatsuichiro convey to his idol, and what kind of heartfelt encouragement did Ukon offer him?
The show's climax features a one-day-only collaborative stage performance by MCs Fujii and Inoue. They participate wearing full-fledged white face paint. Fujii's sharp movements and the overwhelming passion of the theater troupe members fill the venue with unprecedented excitement. However, in the midst of the serious play, an unexpected event occurs, and the moving scene takes an unexpected turn...!?
