Authority control databases: Artists
Authority control databases: Artists  |
|---|
Reon Yuzuki | |
|---|---|
柚希 礼音 | |
| Born | June 11, 1979 Osaka Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999 - present |
| Agent | Amuse, Inc. |
| Notable work | Takarazuka Revue The Scarlet Pimpernel , Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour, An Officer and a Gentleman, Ocean's Eleven |
| Website | reon-yuzuki |
Reon Yuzuki (柚希 礼音, Yuzuki Reon, born June 11, 1979 in Osaka) is a Japanese actress and former Top Star otokoyaku (an actress who plays male roles) of the Japanese Takarazuka Revue's Star Troupe.[1] She joined the revue in 1999 and became the top star in 2009. She resigned from the Takarazuka Revue in May 2015. After resigning from the Takarazuka Revue, she signed with Amuse, Inc. and continued her career on stage.
Yuzuki began learning ballet at the age of nine. She later was considered to be too tall for ballet, so she became interested in Takarazuka Revue with the advice of her father and her dance teacher. After training in singing, acting and dancing for two years, including tap and Japanese classical dance, she graduated from the Takarazuka Music School and made her debut in 1999 in Takarazuka Revue Moon Troupe's production Nova Bossa Nova.[2]
Later in 1999, she joined the Star Troupe. In 2000, she was the youngest performer selected for the Berlin tour.[3] In 2001, she was given the role of André in the New Actor Show of The Rose of Versailles. In 2003, she got her first Takarazuka Bow Hall lead performance Oi, Harukaze-san!. Afterwards, she took the leading role in the New Actor Performances for five consecutive times from 2003 to 2006.
She later progressed to supporting roles in the main troupe's productions. One of her notable roles was Chauvelin in the production of The Scarlet Pimpernel in Japan for the first time in 2008.[4] The Matsuo Arts Foundation presented her with the 30th Rookie Art Award for her performance as Chauvelin.[5] In 2009, after the retirement of former Top Star Kei Aran, she became the top star of Star Troupe.
In 2010, Sylvester Levay wrote the theme song "Candle In Your Mind" for her first original production, The Treasure Sword of Habsburg. Later in the year, Yuzuki received the Rookie Award for Theater from Agency for Cultural Affairs at the 65th ACA Arts Festival in 2010.[6]
In 2011, she played Danny Ocean in the Star Troupe's production of Ocean's 11 and was awarded the Kikuta Katsuo Performance prize for her performance.[7]
She led Takarazuka's first Taiwan tour performance in 2013. In 2014, she led the opening production of Takarazuka Revue's 100th anniversary production of Napoleon playing the lead role Napoleon. Later in the year, she held her first Budokan concert REON in Budokan in Nippon Budokan. She is the second otokoyaku in Takarazuka's history to hold a concert in Nippon Budokan.[8]
She resigned from the Revue on May 10, 2015. Her last Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre performance and farewell show was live streamed at 45 cinemas in Japan and also Taiwan and attracted around 26,000 viewers. After her last performance, around 12,000 fans gathered outside the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre to bid her farewell, which is the largest number seen in Takarazuka history.[9]
After resigning from the Takarazuka Revue, she signed with Amuse, Inc. and continued her career on stage. In October to December 2015, she joined the cast of the musical production Prince of Broadway (musical) in Japan which celebrated the career of the 21-time Tony-winning director and producer Hal Prince.[10]
In 2016, she played the leading role in "Biohazard: Voice of Gaia", a musical adaptation of the Resident Evil franchise. In 2017, it has been announced that she will join the Japanese production of "Billy Elliot the Musical" playing the role of Mrs. Wilkinson [11]
As a member of Takarazuka Revue: