Reon Yuzuki
Reon Yuzuki is a Japanese actress and former Top Star otokoyaku of the Japanese Takarazuka Revue's Star Troupe. 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.
Biography
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.Later in 1999, she joined the Star Troupe. In 2000, she was the youngest performer selected for the Berlin tour. 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. The Matsuo Arts Foundation presented her with the 30th Rookie Art Award for her performance as Chauvelin. 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.
In 2012, 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.
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.
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.
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 in Japan which celebrated the career of the 21-time Tony-winning director and producer Hal Prince.
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
Takarazuka Troupe history
- Star Troupe: 1999 - 2015
Notable roles and performances in Takarazuka
New actor era in Star Troupe
- The Rose of Versailles 2001: Oscar and André, André Grandier
- A Song for Kingdom , Radames
- A Love Story in 1914, Aristide Bruant
- Ch'ang-an, Full of Swirling Flowers, Hsüan-tsung
- Shigure Hill Road in Nagasaki, Isaji
- The Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette, Hans Axel Von Fersen
Regular cast era in Star Troupe
- A Song for Kingdom , Mereruka
- Hello,the Spring Wind, Seita
- Still the Ship Sails on, Johny Case
- The Dragon Star, Li Muei
- The Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette, André Grandier / Bernard Châtelet / Alain de Soissons
- Young Bloods!! -Twinkle Twinkle Star-
- Hallelujah Go! Go!, Dennis Garcia
- Sakura / Secret Hunter, Sergio
- Kean, Prince of Wales
- El Halcon / Revue Orchis, Luminous Red Benedict
- The Red and the Black 2008), Fouqe/Prince Korasoff
- The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chauvelin
- Viento de Buenos Aires, Nicolas
- My Dear New Orleans / A Bientô, Leonard Duan
Star Troupe Top Star era
- The Legend Ver.II, Damdeok
- Saikai / The Soul of Shiva!, Gerard
- The Treasure Sword of Habsburg-Candle in Your Mind- / Bolero, Eliyahu Rothschild / Eduard von Autheville
- Passion: Jose and Carmen / Bolero, Jose
- Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour, Romeo
- Takarazuka Hana no Odori Emaki / An officer and a gentleman, Zachary "Zack" Mayo
- Too Short a Time to Fall in Love / Le Poison - Love Potion Ⅱ, Fred Walbask
- Nova Bossa Nova - Sol / A Second Fortuitous Meeting -My Only Shinin' Star- Based on The Game of Love and Chance - Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard by Marivaux, Dorante Vespert
- Ocean's 11, Danny Ocean
- Reon!!
- Dança serenata / Celebrity, Isaque
- In the Amber-hued Rain / Celebrity, Claude de Bernard
- Takarazuka Japonisme / A Second Fortuitous Meeting 2nd / Etoile de Takarazuka, Dorante Vespert
- The Rose of Versailles: Fersen, Andre
- Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour, Romeo
- Reon!!II
- Napoléon, the Man Who Never Sleeps, Napoleon
- The Sun King: Le Roi Soleil, Louis XIV
- The Lost Glory / Passionate Takarazuka!, Ivano Ricci
- Reon in Budokan
- Like a Black Panther / Dear Diamond!!, Antonio de Odalys
Overseas performances
- Takarazuka at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany
- Die Lian / Southern Cross Revue in China
- Takarazuka in Korea 2005: Soul of Shiva !!
- Takarazuka Japonisme: Modulations / The Bandit Chu Liuxiang Side Story: The Flower Thief / Etoile de Takarazuka in Taiwan
Film
- Takarazuka Revue Cinema The Legend Ver. II
Post-Takarazuka era
Stage
- Prince of Broadway
- Biohazard: Voice of Gaia
- As You Like It
- Billy Elliot the Musical
- Mata Hari
- Chikyu-Gorgeous Vol.15: ZEROTOPIA
- Kaze no Matasaburo (唐版 風の又三郎)
- REON YUZUKI one-man show: Musical LEMONADE
- Hyoen 2019
- A New Musical: FACTORY GIRLS
Concerts
- Reon Jack
- Reon Jack 2
- Reon Jack 3
- REON YUZUKI 20th ANNIVERSARY DINNER SHOW 『REON/GO ON!』
Books
- 「夢をかなえるために、私がやってきた5つのこと」
Discography
- Until I Sleep in the Night Sky
- R+
- REONISM
- R ing
Awards
- The 30th Rookie Art Award for her performance as Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel ; as Nicholas in ブエノスアイレスの風
- The 65th Rookie Award for Theater for her performance as Zachary "Zack" in An officer and a gentleman
- The 37th Performance Prize for her performance as Danny Ocean in Ocean's Eleven