Upvote if you think more people should see this post!
5
0
Original Content
Posted by J_Global468 pts Sunday, June 2, 2024
LIVE REPORT: Bishonen's Iwasaki, Nasu, and Kanasashi sizzle in TONKATSU ROCK revival
STAR CONTRIBUTOR
Written exclusively for Tokyohive by Kat Gruss.
Twenty years after it was originally performed by STARTO trio 20th Century, TONKATSU ROCKrecently made its return to the Japanese theater scene headlined by Taisho Iwasaki, Yuto Nasu, and Issei Kanasashi of the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT Junior group, Bishonen.
The play tells the story of a riverside town on the eastern edge of Tokyo and centers around three men--Sukesaburo Hanakawa (Nasu), Masaru Shinosaki (Iwasaki), and Taira Iguchi (Kanasashi)--who are preparing for the annual spring festival. A former member of a motorcycle gang, Sukesakuro runs a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) restaurant with the part-time help of formerly aspiring boxer Taira; a dive often frequented by straight-laced but lovesick schoolteacher Masaru.
TONKATSU ROCK is the kind of youthful drama that can make you laugh while also able to pull at your heartstrings in equal measure. Deep down, it is the story of following your passions and dreams through all the highs and lows reaching the finish line entails. Each of these three men have their moments to shine throughout the play, allowing the audience to connect with them as their stories progress over the three hour run time.
Nasu as Sukesaburo was a standout throughout the play. Whether a bystander to any given scene’s action or simply running his restaurant, Nasu radiated a manly confidence that commanded attention. Sukesaburo’s natural standing position, chest out and hands resting upon his hips, felt natural under Nasu’s characterization. Melding the powerful body language with Sukesaburo’s eagerness to help those around him could not have been easy, but Nasu accomplished this with ease; and it's when Sukesaburo’s temper comes bursting out that Nasu shows Sukesaburo as a rich and multi-layered character.
While Sukesaburo wields so much passion to help his community, Iwasaki’s Masaru Shinosaki is the incarnation of a different aspect: hope. Masaru’s arc through TONKATSU ROCK centers around him trying to help one of his students, Morimura, and it is through their relationship as mentor and pupil that we see Iwasaki’s acting really stand out. One of the more challenging roles in terms of emotional depth, he handles the character with ease. A rambunctious first act drunk scene in particular shows off his abilities to be silly on stage while still commanding a deeper level acting performance.
Perhaps the person who might be most surprising to audiences was Kanasashi’s portrayal as Taira. His emotional scenes were well acted, and it is Taira’s monologues during his boxing training scenes that show, even as the youngest member of Bishonen, that Kanasashi has talent beyond his years. But even in lighter moments Kanasashi flexes his skills as a performer. His performance in the opening scene, featuring Taira preparing to box the reigning champion, is cocky but believable for a rising star. Subsequent scenes where he has quit due to his injuries have a devil-may-care sense of self-abandonment that adds another flavor to the story. And finally, when Taira begins training for his return to the ring, that both Taira and Kanasashi himself really blossom into an emotional role. One can certainly appreciate the palpable effort and thought he put into his presentation.
Though these three men and the women in their lives occupy the central part of the story, the shopping street is full of a cast of colorful side characters that liven up the world created on the stage, including a plethora of lively foreign characters coming to Japan to pursue their own dreams alongside the resident Japanese who do their best to help. Hope, self-actualization in the face of real life, and the dream that power such are at the forefront of everyone’s focus here, and the supporting cast kept excellent pace with the stellar performances of the main cast.
While the essence of TONKATSU ROCK remains a youthful drama set in a shopping street, the way that the play subtly injects comedic moments to keep the story not too heavy is brilliant. Several times throughout the play, there are adlibbed moments that keep each show feeling fresh and exciting for returning viewers; whether it’s singing to calm an alligator down, or another character using one of the Bishonen boys’ names for a comic moment of dialogue.
Of all of the characters, Nasu is the comedic center in my humble opinion. His loud and fiery angry moments as Sukesaburo are hilarious due to the sudden way they have a tendency to erupt. His comedic moments helped add more depth to Sukesaburo and provide contrast to the more serious moments of the overall story.
And TONKATSU ROCK does handle its more serious moments with a delicate and careful hand. The passion and pain in Kanasashi’s voice during his monologues cuts deep, and the expertly inserted beats of silence hang heavy in the air to leave a perfect amount of time for the audience to consider the depth and impact of what he’s going through. There is also a scene with Iwasaki’s character where, in panic after being set up for entrapment by a misguided Morimura, he slaps her across the face; only to immediately panic at the realization of what he’s done. His drunken apology in the aforementioned scene shortly thereafter is difficult to watch at times with how heavy and real he conveys a sense of resigned humiliation and regret.
What also makes these moments so impactful is how the acting, directing, and writing have all come together to build these moments up. There isn’t a sudden monologue where the actors are pulling at threads to try and elicit a set reaction; rather, every single bit of dialogue, expression, and moment of rest between lines is a building block of sorts; creating a solid foundation from which the emotions can hit at the highest points of any given scene, with the audience left to ponder the weight of what they have experienced. It is only thanks to the talents of the cast and production staff that this could have worked out as flawlessly as it did.
TONKATSU ROCK is a colorful stage play. At its core, it is a story of passion and hope that illustrates how our missteps and wrong decisions serve simply to enhance our humanness. We all have dreams and hopes that we want to come true and strive to do anything in our power to accomplish them, and no matter what little failures we may have along the way, every person has people who love and support them. It was truly a delight being able to watch Iwasaki, Nasu, Kanasashi, and the rest of the cast bring this fascinating tale back to life, and one looks forward to even more of what these three young men do in the future.
LEARN MORE ABOUT STARTO JRS. WITH THESE OTHER TOKYOHIVE ARTICLES!
SHARE
Log in to comment