'Casino Royale' Japanese Play Adaptation

TheSkyfallen06

Recently, there've been news about a Japanese theatre company named Takarazuka Revue which is adapting 'Casino Royale' to a play, with Japanese actress Sukuho Makaze as Bond.

It’s 1968 and the world is in the grip of the Cold War centered on the United States and the Soviet Union. In Paris, anti-establishment protests known as “May 1968” break out, mainly among students and workers. After they are suppressed, the radicals merge into an underground organization that calls itself “The Red Army League.”
At MI6, the pinnacle of British Secret Intelligence Service, secret agent James Bond, code name “007,” receives an order to neutralize a Soviet spy known as Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre was forced into a corner during May 1968 after spending funds sent by the Soviet organization to The Red Army League, and now he plans to recover a fortune at a casino. Bond’s mission is to use his gambling skills to beat him and cut off his source of funds, and then to take him alive and force him to divulge any information he possesses. Bond, disguised as a Jamaican millionaire, arrives at “Casino Royale” in a hotel at the Royale-les-Eaux on the Atlantic coast of France. Meanwhile, the mourning Romanov family have gathered at the hotel and are fighting over who will become the next patriarch. Delphine, one of the descendants, is a graduate student at the Sorbonne and is the girlfriend of Michel, a radical student who escaped to The Red Army League. When Le Chiffre loses to Bond at the gambling table, he decides to target Delphine’s inheritance, just as she is about to begin a relationship with Bond.
All of these covert plots and schemes play out in a glamorous casino. With CIA agents, French intelligence officers, and Soviet spies joining the scene as well, Bond faces a series of crises in his path…
Don't miss this gorgeous and romantic musical epic starring the cool and suave Suzuho Makaze in the role of James Bond as only Takarazuka Revue can create.

¿Any thoughts?

RichardTheBruce

Hmm. Not knowing any more, I'd love to see that experiment.

TheSkyfallen06

Here's the official teaser trailer.

RichardTheBruce

Stylish teaser, not sure how closely it will match what they present of course.

Their Bond has really good hair, I'll say that. I do wonder if they're going for the 50s, the 60s, or present day.



I checked out a Japanese site and got this translated description @TheSkyfallen06.



https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000085.000048859.html

【限定222名様ご招待！】宝塚歌劇宙組公演『カジノ・ロワイヤル ～我が名はボンド～』岩谷産業貸切公演ご招待キャンぺ―ン開始！
岩谷産業株式会社
2023年1月17日 12時00分

7

岩谷産業株式会社（本社：大阪・東京、社長：間島寬、資本金：350億円）は、当社イメージキャラクターである宝塚歌劇団 宙組 トップスター 真風涼帆さん主演による『カジノ・ロワイヤル～我が名はボンド～』の貸切公演を記念し、「岩谷産業貸切公演ご招待キャンペーン」を本日12時より開始しました。商品別に４コースを設け、対象商品をご購入の方から、先着もしくは抽選で合計222名様をご招待します。



▶キャンペーン特設ページ　https://www.iwatani-i-collect.com/takarazuka-cp2023/

■キャンペーン概要と応募方法　
１．コースと賞品

[Limited 222 people invited! ]
Takarazuka Revue Cosmo Troupe performance "Casino Royale ~ My name is Bond ~" Invitation campaign for reserved performances by Iwatani Sangyo has started!

Iwatani Industry Co., Ltd.
January 17, 2023 12:00

7

Iwatani Corporation (Headquarters: Osaka/Tokyo, President: Hiroshi Majima, Capital: 35 billion yen) is pleased to announce the launch of “Casino Royale – Myself” starring Suzuho Shinakaze, the top star of the Takarazuka Revue Cosmos Troupe, our company’s image character. In commemoration of the private performance of "My Name is Bond~", the "Iwaya Sangyo Chartered Performance Invitation Campaign" started today at 12:00. Four courses will be set up for each product, and a total of 222 people will be invited on a first-come, first-served basis or by lottery from those who have purchased the target product.

▶ Special campaign page https://www.iwatani-i-collect.com/takarazuka-cp2023/
■ Campaign overview and application method　
1. courses and prizes

Dragonpol

I've heard of this play once before on here and I believe my reaction on that occasion was "Lord preserve us from this." I stick by that reaction.

RichardTheBruce

An oddity presented to an audience of 222, yeah at the same time I'm not taking it too seriously.

A modern reversal of male-dominated kabuki theater. Those b*stards.

Dragonpol

RichardTheBruce wrote: »

An oddity presented to an audience of 222, yeah at the same time I'm not taking it too seriously.

A modern reversal of male-dominated kabuki theater. Those b*stards.

I love that Australian Book Club edition cover of Colonel Sun. Still not tracked down a copy of that one unfortunately though I have it in my sights. I always thought it was some sort of Devil's mask a bit like the one used in the titles for Tales of the Unexpected but perhaps it has some link to Chinese or Japanese theatre instead?

RichardTheBruce

Yes there's maybe some artistic licence with the cover art, it's a fine version of Japanese Noh theater masks used.

The Hannya mask can be red or white, representing a vengeful female demon of all things. Hopefully we're still at least a little on topic.

https://kimurakami.com/blogs/japan-blog/traditional-japanese-mask

Update: another contender, very similar to the Ondeko/Oni-daiko mask, demon character from Sado Island, Japan.

Dragonpol

That's fascinating stuff, @RichardTheBruce, as always. Yes, Chinese and Japanese culture seem to be interchangeable for those of us in the Western world but they're really not. I always thought that the mask on that Australian edition of Colonel Sun was pretty "out there" as far as Bond covers go but now at least it makes more sense. Come to think of it as well as the obvious and recent contender Safin wearing a Noh mask there's also the mask Nick Nack wears in TMWTGG just as he's about to spear the unconscious Bond.

TheSkyfallen06

Y'know, if i'm being honest i'm just wondering how they'll manage to adapt the "Scrambled Eggs" scene. ;)

RichardTheBruce

That was a thought for me as well @TheSkyfallen06. For a live performance could they take inspiration from the 1954 television version.

Or stick to Fleming, still it calls attention to something missing if I can say it that way.

Dragonpol

For me, they've fallen at the first hurdle by casting a woman as James Bond. Hello? He's clearly a man. The whole thing must be one long and agonising car crash to watch.

RichardTheBruce

Complicated, I'm receiving it as the Bond (and Le Chiffre) character(s) being portrayed as a man (or men) in line with the source material. So a true Asian reversal for all-male productions of old.

But I admit up front I'm biased. I'd have problems with an all-male production.

QBranch

No problem with them having a female Bond - it's not an EON production. Looking forward to the ball-scratching scene.

TheSkyfallen06

The play will be streaming on April 17th.
https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/revue/2023/casinoroyale/index_takarazuka.html

CrabKey

In the planning stage, it's one of those conversations I wish I could have heard.

But may not be well received in Florida and similar states where dressing up as the opposite sex is frowned upon.

Herr_Stockmann

It's an adaptation perspective that has the merit of being original and at least interesting. I particularly like the historical background used, with Bond going to France in the aftermath of May 68, and the inclusion of, I guess, White Russians (the said Romanov family). While I don't think I'm the intended audience, it's still, again, interesting.

CharmianBond

I was just so mesmerised by the poster I hadn't realised that they're adding to the plot and setting it in the '68 which is really interesting. Also it's apparently a musical and the thought of that makes me love the idea even more. I wish I could go and see it, and understand Japanese too.

Dragonpol

CrabKey wrote: »

In the planning stage, it's one of those conversations I wish I could have heard.

But may not be well received in Florida and similar states where dressing up as the opposite sex is frowned upon.

In that case I hope they never find out about Shakespearean productions of the past. They would go out of their tiny minds.

Gerard

Or about La Cage aux Folles.

timdalton007

Dragonpol wrote: »

I've heard of this play once before on here and I believe my reaction on that occasion was "Lord preserve us from this." I stick by that reaction.

Dragonpol wrote: »

For me, they've fallen at the first hurdle by casting a woman as James Bond. Hello? He's clearly a man. The whole thing must be be one long and agonising car crash to watch.

I imagine then that 2035 is going to be interesting when public domain happens on a larger scale, given what happened with Sherlock Holmes.

(And which I say still remembering the Moonraker novel based fan film he tried to make half a lifetime ago almost that would suddenly be a viable thing to do again.)

CrabKey

timdalton007 wrote: »

Dragonpol wrote: »

I've heard of this play once before on here and I believe my reaction on that occasion was "Lord preserve us from this." I stick by that reaction.

Dragonpol wrote: »

For me, they've fallen at the first hurdle by casting a woman as James Bond. Hello? He's clearly a man. The whole thing must be be one long and agonising car crash to watch.

I imagine then that 2035 is going to be interesting when public domain happens on a larger scale, given what happened with Sherlock Holmes.

(And which I say still remembering the Moonraker novel based fan film he tried to make half a lifetime ago almost that would suddenly be a viable thing to do again.)

By then most writing will be done by AI or James Patterson.

But here's the thing. The originals, flaws and all, will still be the best.

TheSkyfallen06

Another teaser trailer.

NickTwentyTwo

Always thought Living Daylights would make a good stage production.

Herr_Stockmann

NickTwentyTwo wrote: »

Always thought Living Daylights would make a good stage production.

The movie or the short story? Of all Fleming's works, Casino Royale always seemed, in my opinion, the best novel to adapt to the stage. I think Raymond Benson wrote an adaptation play in the 90s; if someone has any info about it, I would love to learn more about it.

RichardTheBruce

An extensive cast.

Extensive.



https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/revue/2023/casinoroyale/index_takarazuka.html#cast

NickTwentyTwo

Herr_Stockmann wrote: »

NickTwentyTwo wrote: »

Always thought Living Daylights would make a good stage production.

The movie or the short story? Of all Fleming's works, Casino Royale always seemed, in my opinion, the best novel to adapt to the stage. I think Raymond Benson wrote an adaptation play in the 90s; if someone has any info about it, I would love to learn more about it.

The short story.

Dragonpol

I see they've added in a ton of characters that don't feature in the original Fleming novel. So much for a faithful adaptation of the novel then.

MakeshiftPython

Dragonpol wrote: »

I see they've added in a ton of characters that don't feature in the original Fleming novel. So much for a faithful adaptation of the novel then.

Even the Craig film created an entirely new cast of card players, rather than base them off those already written by Fleming.

Though it appears they’ll take a lot of liberties, given that Vesper is not featured as the main Bond girl but rather lumped with the supporting cast. I think they want to have this musical end with Bond hand in hand with another lady rather than have a down note ending with Vesper’s suicide.

Dragonpol

MakeshiftPython wrote: »

Dragonpol wrote: »

I see they've added in a ton of characters that don't feature in the original Fleming novel. So much for a faithful adaptation of the novel then.

Even the Craig film created an entirely new cast of card players, rather than base them off those already written by Fleming.

Though it appears they’ll take a lot of liberties, given that Vesper is not featured as the main Bond girl but rather lumped with the supporting cast. I think they want to have this musical end with Bond hand in hand with another lady rather than have a down note ending with Vesper’s suicide.

Yes, that's true of the Bond films. Even when it's seen as a faithful adaptation there are still surprises (Mathis being presented as a traitor for one) and changes made - that is what it is to adapt. Still, with this Japanese play I got the impression they were sticking to the novel more. I suppose when one heard that the cast would be entirely of Japanese women it should've been a good enough sign that this would be something quite different in nature from the original novel.

Still, I hope they stick to the broad outline of the original story and don't chicken out on the ending. Imagine the film version of OHMSS ending with Bond going on his honeymoon and Tracy surviving. It wouldn't quite have the same punch. The same is true of the ending of Casino Royale in my opinion.

MakeshiftPython

I think it’s fair game to change it. The story for Casino Royale is rather atypical for what people generally think of a Bond adventure. The fact that Eon kept the basic structure of it in the film is pretty incredible, especially coming off of DAD.

I dunno how copyright laws work for Japan, but I’m assuming CR is public domain there so that was the only way they could make a musical by adapting that? I think it’s safe to say the torture scene will either be depicted very differently or eliminated entirely.