Photo/Illutration The top stars of each troupe in the Takarazuka Revue attend a news conference in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, on July 10, with Sakina Ayakaze, the top star of the Snow Troupe, participating online because she is performing in Tokyo. (Mihoko Takizawa)

After a long hiatus, the Takarazuka Revue Company is set to captivate audiences again with a revival of the popular musical “Rose of Versailles” next year.

The musical will grace the stage of the all-female musical theater troupe's home venue, the Takarazuka Grand Theater, in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, for the first time in 10 years. 

At a news conference on July 10, the Takarazuka Revue announced events and repertoires scheduled for the first half of 2024, which also marks its 110th anniversary.

In the troupe, all the roles, including male characters, are played by women.

“Rose of Versailles” is a Japanese manga series written by Riyoko Ikeda. The series is a historical drama set in the years preceding and during the French Revolution. The stories focus primarily on the lives of two women: Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, and a member of the Royal Guard.

The musical adaption of the renowned manga was first performed in 1974 and has been repeatedly staged during the Showa Era (1926-1989) and the Heisei Era (1989-2019).

In 2014, which was the troupe’s centenary celebration, the musical number drew an audience of 5 million people.

Next year marks the 50th year since the musical’s first performance, and it will be its first performance in the Reiwa Era, which started in 2019.

Among the five troupes within the Takarazuka Revue, the Snow Troupe will perform “Rose of Versailles.”

“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to contribute to a work that our seniors cherished and passed down,” said Sakina Ayakaze, the top star of the Snow Troupe.

“We would like to work together as a unified Snow Troupe to perform ‘Rose of Versailles’ in a way that reflects the current era while upholding tradition,” she added.