Daisuke Takahashi looks back on his first love scene: "It's something I can express because it's who I am now.”
Interview with Daisuke Takahashi, Part 2
Akiko Tanaka
The first production was staged in 2017 and the second in 2019, and "Hyoen," which continues to have a significant impact on the skating career of its lead actor, Daisuke Takahashi, will return for the first time in five years. Akiko Tanaka, who has attended the past two productions, interviewed the actor about his memories of the past performances and his feelings toward "Hyoen 2024" which will open on June 8.
In the first part, we asked him in detail why "Hyoen" became a turning point in his life. In the second part, we asked him about his experience of coming out of his shell and his new work.
Red to the ears during the reading of the love scene
Daisuke Takahashi's second appearance in Hyoen "Like the moonlight" in which he played the role of Hikaru Genji, was staged in 2019, the year after Takahashi returned to singles active duty. The production was directed by Amon Miyamoto, who is also directing the latest production, which will be performed at Yokohama Arena starting June 8, 2024. Mr. Takahashi took on the challenge of performing in the play there, and to his surprise, he had to perform both a love scene and a song. During a close-up of the rehearsal, a scene was broadcast during the reading of the play in which Takahashi read the lines of a love scene with Ayaka Hirahara, who played Fujitsubo, and he was seen reading the lines with his ears bright red.
“I was really embarrassed at the time. I was not yet properly prepared for the play, and it was not something I could do suddenly. Skating is a wordless performance, so I was perplexed about acting with words. On top of that, you are required to perform facial expressions. I didn't know how my voice was going to sound, and I realized how difficult acting could be.
Moreover, I had to perform a solo song for the first time, and when I learned about it, I thought, "What? Am I allowed to sing?” I was very conflicted. I had to do it as the lead, but I had never done it before. I had to do it with no time, so I practiced, but I knew it was not a good idea under the circumstances. I could't lose my shyness and I couldn't be confident because I couldn't act or sing, but I knew I had to take the plunge. It was very difficult for me to switch between these feelings.
During the rehearsal camp, there was a moment when Mr. Miyamoto gathered everyone together and gave them a few words of advice.
I can't remember exactly what he said, but I was surprised when he told us that he was going to give us all a good talking-to. It was a week into the camp and I was still a bit shy. He was talking to all of us as if it was everyone's problem, but I felt as if he was talking about me, and it really hit home. I felt that I had to change myself, and in fact, I did change from there. Amon-san is really good at motivating me. When he needs to tighten up, he does so, and when he sees my performance, he asks me for more and more, so I feel like I have to do it for Amon-san.
With Amon-san's guidance, I was able to break out of my shell and the performance was a success. If you keep up, the results will follow. It was a truly wonderful experience to be able to feel that way.”
The pressure of being the leading actor in a cast of splendid actors
In "Hyoen – Like the Moonlight" he performed with singer Ayaka Hirahara, former top Takarazuka actress Reon Yuzuki, and actors Seiji Fukushi and Kazuki Namioka, all of whom are senior actors in the theater.
“The actors I co-starred with each had their own strong individuality and were amazing. Their singing gave me goosebumps, and they had an aura that I couldn't help but look at. I was overwhelmed by them, but as the lead actor, I had to compete with them. That is a difficult thing to do, isn't it? If I let that affect me, I wouldn’t have been able to move forward, so I had no choice but to do what I could do! The choices and evaluations are not made by you but by the people around you, and if they end up saying, after the play is over, that I was not good enough, there will be no next time.”
After making that decision, he was able to pull everyone together as the chairperson, not only with his skating, but also with his “incredible'' performance. I wondered how the love scene with Ms. Hirahara, who played the role of Fujitsubo, the mother-in-law, and the performance with Stéphane Lambiel, the skater who played Suzaku, the rival of Hikaru Genji and who is now Shoma Uno's coach, went.
“When I think about it now, it wasn’t really a love scene (lol). At the time, that was the best I could do, though. The scenes with Suzaku, played by Stéphane, and things like the rivalry I was actually able to do them as they were, rather than just acting. Before Amon-san cast the role, he asked me who my rival was from my active days and I answered, “Stéphane”. So it seems that Stéphane was cast as the rival in the play.
I don't know how Stéphane feels about it, but for myself, Stéphane is someone I admire and want to win against even though I think I may not be able to win. It was close to the feelings that Hikaru Genji had for Suzaku no Kimi, so it was easy for me to relate to those feelings. However, there was a lot of pressure because the performance involved a lot of things other than skating, which is my territory, and I think I unknowingly wore myself out even more than usual.”
From practice to the actual performance, Takahashi said that what he felt was the kindness and effort of his co-stars.
When Mr. Takahashi was unable to read the script properly because he turned bright red, as mentioned above, they sympathized with the lead actor, saying, "I was like that at first," and turning kind eyes on him.
He also said, "Everyone had been so supportive of me since the rehearsals, and they gave me guidance. They were really wonderful people, and they worked very hard despite their busy skating practice schedule. In fact, for almost all first-time skaters, practicing skating is a tough task. But everyone really worked hard. I realized that people who go to the top of any world are sincere and have great human qualities. In other words, I realized that such people are the ones who can make it to the top.”
The third production is inspired by Kenji Miyazawa's "Night on the Galactic Railroad”
Five years have passed since then. In the third production, “Hyoen 2024 – The miracle of the cross”, which will begin on June 8 this year, Takahashi will re-team with Amon Miyamoto, who led him to a new challenge in the previous work. The new production is based on Kenji Miyazawa's ``Night on the Galactic Railway,'' and is a story of the rebirth of the soul that transcends time, set in the real and galactic worlds. Mr. Takahashi plays the lead role of “Kakeru”.
“Of course, I am looking forward to working with Amon-san again, but I'm actually more nervous about it. I have a strong desire to show that I've grown after five years, but what if people think I haven't grown as much as I did last time? Last time I started in a situation where I didn't know what was going on and I started to grow, but this time I'm going to build on that result, so I'm under a lot of pressure. I want to prepare in my own way without thinking about anything. I'm sure a lot of things will happen once the rehearsals begin.This time, the motif is "Night on the Galaxy Express," but up until now Hyoen has been doing historical works, so I wonder if it will be modern this time. I've never acted like that before, so I still can't imagine how my acting will turn out.''
“I was sorry to hear of Kyoko Domoto's sudden passing, it still doesn't sink in."
Speaking of "Hyoen", the history and the stylistic beauty of traditional Japanese costumes have been highlights of the show so far, but what will it be like this time? It is very sad to hear of the sudden death last year of Kyoko Domoto, a stage costume designer who made the wonderful costumes for the first and second productions of "Hyoen”.
“I was so sorry to hear about Ms. Domoto, and I still don't really feel it yet. She made truly wonderful costumes, and I wish she could have made more. Costumes are a kind of battle uniform, and in my case, wearing a great costume makes me feel even better. In that sense, this time, too, they look really cool. I heard that the people in charge of the costumes have thought of various ways to make the costumes look good because skating is done at high speed on ice. I think the audience will enjoy the costumes again.”
Daisuke Takahashi sings with [musical artist] Yuzu!
For the third “Hyoen”, "Yuzu" will appear in all performances as special guest artists and also sing the theme song. And the performers will sing their traditional songs in the play.
“Yuzu-san is my youth, and I have been singing songs like ``Kakei no Kakehashi'' (Bridge of Glory) since my school days, and they are truly wonderful artists. At the concert, people of all ages came to listen to them, and they sang with all their might the whole time, which was really moving. At first, I had a hard time connecting Yuzu and a skating show. But I am really looking forward to seeing how their songs will be used in the show, as they will be sung by the musical actors. It will be my pleasure to hear them being sung during rehearsals, during the show, and behind the scenes.”
Takahashi has recently expressed his desire to perform in musicals, and in this production of "Hyoen" many musical actors will appear, and Takahashi himself will sing in many scenes.
"I really like to see musicals on stage, but as for my own singing, even though I have sung in previous productions of the "Hyoen" series, I am basically an amateur, so I am half excited and half nervous to be singing among the professionals. Ryunosuke Onoda, who plays my childhood friend Tokio in the play, is a wonderful singer, but he's also a very kind person. Even though I'm older than him, he just accepted me. In fact, I think it's more like I'm being spoiled by him."
Many skaters have been selected from "Kassouya”.
The main skaters are Shizuka Arakawa and Kana Muramoto, who have appeared in the "Hyoen" series in the past, and new members Kazuki Tomono and Koshiro Shimada, who have joined the cast.
“Kana will be appearing in her first full-fledged role in "Hyoen" and I am looking forward to seeing her in a new and different light from her ice dancing. Ms. Arakawa has an atmosphere and charm that only she can bring out. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but in the past, she played a very villainous role in "Hyoen" and it suited her well. It is rare among skaters to have that kind of presence. I don't know yet what kind of role she will play this time, but I am sure she will show us another unique presence.
I think Koshiro really likes to act. He can probably do many things better than I can. I am sure he was very happy to hear about the opportunity to appear in the ice show, because he must have been disappointed that he could not perform in “Kassouya” due to his health condition. Kazuki can do many things better than I can, and I think he is suited for acting. I don't know at what stage they both caught Amon's attention, but it will be the first time for both of them to have lines on the ice, and they will be doing something completely different from what they normally do, so I think it will definitely benefit them in the future.
The skaters were also auditioned for this year's "Hyoen," and a number of young ensemble skaters who had been selected for the ice entertainment "Kassouya", which was fully directed by Daisuke Takahashi in February, took up the challenge and were selected.
The audition was also posted by Amon Miyamoto on his SNS.
“I was not involved in the audition process at all, as I am one of the performers in "Hyoen”. So I have no idea if they really caught his eye through "Kassouya" or what kind of evaluation they got through the audition. But I can say that it is a big plus for them to participate in this kind of entertainment. It is a valuable experience for them to know a new side of themselves, different from the one in "Kassouya" and it is an accumulation. It makes me happy. It's great that the skaters who participated in "Kassouya" have another opportunity to take on new challenges."
“Hyoen” is inspired by his experience with ice dance and "Kassouya”
Having taken over the full production of "Kassouya" Takahashi himself will be able to see the production of Amon Miyamoto differently this time than he did last time. He also switched to ice dancing after the second production in 2019, so he will be able to use that experience this time.
“No, I'm still in the stage of learning by doing, even though I've directed (laughs). But I do have a desire to learn, so my perspective on Amon-san and directing may be different from last time.
I started ice dancing after the last performance, worked hard on it, and spent three seasons as an athlete. In terms of technique, there are still many things I don't understand yet. But there are “strengths” that I have challenged. Knowing how to skate with a partner is my strength now, and I can do it with confidence, so I still think that has a positive impact. In this work, the skaters are much younger than the skaters in the original "Hyoen". As the years have passed, I have changed as well, and there are many new members, so the third “Hyoen'' will start with a different feeling than before.''
Lastly, we asked him to share his enthusiasm for "Hyoen" this time.
“The full picture of "Hyoen 2024 – Miracle of the Cross" will be revealed only after the rehearsal camp in May, so I myself still have to lift the lid to find out what it is all about. However, considering the past "Hyoen" productions, I am convinced that it will be interesting, and that we must make it interesting, because the chemical reaction of different types of entertainment performers giving their all is amazing.
Thanks to your support, I have been very busy since my retirement in 2023, and I am very fulfilled. I would like to take on various challenges while I can and show you a new Daisuke Takahashi. First of all, I'm going to give my all to “Hyoen 2024 – Miracle of the Cross" and I'm really excited to see what kind of me I'll be able to meet in the future.”
Hyoen 2024 – The miracle of the cross
Yokohama Arena
June 8, 9, 10, 11
Shows start at 16:00
Synopsis: I want to meet you again, in this corner of the galaxy
This is a comprehensive entertainment on ice inspired by Kenji Miyazawa's "Night on the Galactic Railroad”. Set in the world of reality and the galaxy, it is a story of soul rebirth beyond the eternal separation of two childhood friends.
Director: Amon Miyamoto Screenplay: Riko Sakaguchi
Starring: Daisuke Takahashi
Theme Song & Song in the play: Yuzu
Cast: Daisuke Takahashi, Ryunosuke Onoda, Shizuka Arakawa, Masahiro Ehara, Kana Muramoto, Kazuki Tomono, Koshiro Shimada, Kai Hasegawa, Elianna, Marie, Others
https://hyoen.jp
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It seems the Poeta "duel" with Stephane at FOI was good practice for this!
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– what he actually had to say about the topic was unsurprisingly unsensational/unspectacular).
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I was amazed by his talent once again. His creativity and performing ability is just monsterous. 
, who is one of a kind in so many ways – a trailblazer and an explorer with an endlessly curious mind! Never content with what he has already achieved, he is constantly evolving and redefining himself in ever surprising and exciting ways.
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