Japan gave us sushi, Sailor Moon and sensus (those folding fans we all have in our drawers in case you need them. Eventually.) So, it is only fair to give something back. Austria is doig this in the form of a musical: “I am from Austria”, an in-house production of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (The United Stages of Vienna), will be performed at the Takarazuka Theatres in Takarazuka/Osaka and Tokyo.
At the heart of the musical are the songs of Austro-pop legend Rainhard Fendrich.
The musical tells the story of an Austrian film star who built an international career, made it to Hollywood and then returns to Vienna for the Opera Ball – all of which remains in the Japanese version.
As is traditional, the case with the Takarazuka Revue Company, all roles in this version are played by women. About 100 performances are planned, in a theater that is usually sold out. The musical is expected to reach a record three-quarter million viewers by year-end.
“In Asia, musicals with an Austrian background and history are very popular – our musicals Elisabeth, Mozart! and Rebecca can regularly be seen in Japan, among other places,” say the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien on orf.at. Due to this popularity, there is now even a genre called “Viennese Musicals”, which is celebrated by Japanese all across the country.
“I am from Austria” premiers on October 4, 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
