Crazy For You - Kyoto Shiki Theater

I think I am really crazy.

I spent nearly 40000 yen just to go see a musical that I'd seen 12 years ago.

But I had to do it for the sake of nostalgia. The good thing is, I was not disappointed at all. Everything was as good as 12 years ago in London and I was actually moved to tears by this excellent Shiki production of Crazy For You. I am not joking.

Here is what I wrote in my diary on the way back from Kyoto to Tokyo in Shikansen:

"I was so touched by this Shiki production of Crazy For You that I cried! How could this have happened? Unbelievable. But I've got to admit that after 12 years, the memory of seeing this musical in London is still as fresh. The only disappointing part would be the fact that Bobby in this production did not do the usual hat trick thing during the Nice Work If You Can Get It number. But then, that's a rather difficult trick to perform since the actor playing Bobby in London did not succeed in making the hat roll up this sleeve in every performance. What else can I say? I don't think there's anyone as crazy as me when it comes to this old-fashioned Broadway musical with tons of clichés. I'm totally serious. I was filled with an inexplicable ecstasy while watching the show despite the fact that the story is rather blasé. Whatever, isn't everything about retro nowadays? I went into the theatre with a very critical mind because I didn't want to have this production ruin my precious memory of the past. Good thing it didn't happen."

This is basically what I wrote on the Shinkansen. I stopped writing because I was starved and had to proceed with my boxed supper. In any case, the performers in the Shiki Theatre Company have really done a fantastic job in this (much better than what they did for A Chorus Line). And that choreography of Susan Stroman...seriously, she's a genius. It's always fun to watch what she comes up with for musicals.

Above is what they've done outside the theatre in Kyoto. Below is the famed Kyoto Tower...geez, why does every Japanese city has a tower? It looks surreal and unfitting for a city like Kyoto but I somehow like it being right across from a rather surreal building - the main train station.

And here is what they were giving out as souvenir to everyone. It's a calendar to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Shiki's Kyoto Theater (right in the Kyoto main station, another impressive building).

And then, the ticket itself...

I rushed over to Japan this time and forgot to check if I had brought what I needed to take photos. I had my camera but it did not have a memory card... the photos I took with my Sharp phone are quite good during the day but the night is a different story...