is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...

, where she specialized in playing male characters (''Otokoyaku''). She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006. Her nicknames are Takako (from her real name: Takako Ōkawa (大川貴子 ''Ōkawa Takako'') and Wao. She is the only Otokoyaku to be top in her class as well as the last otokoyaku top star to have joined the company during the

Shōwa Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

era. She was born and raised in Osaka (according to Takarazuka Graph 2003 April issue).

Troupe history

* Snow Troupe: 1988–1997 * Cosmos Troupe: 1998–2006

General information

Wao first attracted attention when she played the role of Oscar in the New Actor Show of 1989 Snow Production ''

Rose of Versailles also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival ...

''. Later on, she took the leading role in the New Actor Show of ''High and Low''. After graduating from the New Actor Show cast, she progressed to playing solid supporting roles in the main troupe productions. One of her notable roles during the Maki Ichiro era is Elmer in the 1997 production of Elisabeth. When Kouju Tatsuki, who played Rudolf in the Grand Theater, changed troupes, Wao took the role for the Tokyo performance. She got her first Takarazuka Bow Hall show (''Grand Shanghai'') in 1995 and the second one (''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

'') in 1997. With the retirement of

Maki Ichiro Maki Ichiro (; born January 9, 1965) is a Japanese actress. She is a former member of the Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all ...

and her successor

Fubuki Takane Yuki Asada (born 4 December 1965), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the revue in 1983 and resigned in 19 ...

, Wao became the firm second man for Yū Todoroki in Snow Troupe before she was selected for the new Cosmos Troupe in 1998. She continued to be the second man in Cosmos Troupe until the resignation of

Asato Shizuki Asato may refer to: People with the given name Given name *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese women's footballer *, fictional character in the series ''YuYu Hakusho'' Surname *, Ryukyuan karateka *, Japanese film director * Mateus Asato, is a guitari ...

. She became the top star of Cosmos Troupe in 2000 and when she retired in 2006, she had had the longest run ever as male-role top star of all time. With a height of 174 cm, she was the tallest star among her peer top stars such as Mire Aika (Flower), Hibiki Takumi (Flower),

Tsubasa Makoto Tsubasa (written: 翼, 翔, 飛翔 or つばさ in hiragana) is a unisex Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Tsubasa (wrestler), Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese actress *, Japanese foo ...

(Moon),

Jun Shibuki Tanazawa Rika (born November 19, 1969 in Oizumi, Gunma), known by her stage name , is a Japanese musical actress and stage performer. Shibuki is a former member of Takarazuka Revue, where she played Otokoyaku. She joined the revue in 1986 and r ...

(Moon), Yū Todoroki (Snow),

Yū Emao is a very common Japanese given name used by either sex. Written forms Yū can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *優, "tenderness" or "superiority" *夕, "evening" *友, "friend" *有, "qualified" *勇, "courage" *祐 ...

(Snow),

Kō Minoru Kou or KOU may refer to *Kou, Burkina Faso, a village in Burkina Faso * Kou, Laiwu (口镇), town in Laicheng District, Laiwu, Shandong, China * Kou language * Kou (name) includes lists of people with the given name and surname *Kou (surname) (� ...

(Star) and Tatsuki Kōju (Star). She is one of the three actresses to portray both

Emperor Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reig ...

and Prince Rudolph in Elisabeth (the other are

Sakiho Juri is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the revue in 1990 and resigned in 2005. She is from Osaka. Troupe history * Moon Troupe: 1990 ...

and

Mao Ayabuki Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

) and is one of two actresses to portray Rudolf in two different musicals ( Elisabeth and Mayerling), the other being Ouki Kaname, the current top star of the Cosmos troupe. In December 2005, she injured herself during the performance of ''W-Wing'' (her personal concert) but was able to come back for '' Never Say Goodbye'', her last musical with Takarazuka. In January 2007, she had her first personal concert since she left the company. Right now, she is considered as an independent artist as she and her top star partner

Mari Hanafusa (born February 28, 1973) is a Japanese actress and former member of the Takarazuka Revue. She held the position of Top Musumeyaku (lead female-role) in both the Snow and Cosmos troupes, holding the longest tenure in Takarazuka history at 12 years ...

have founded their own private office ''Wao Enterprise'' with Hanafusa as her manager. It is rare that top star partners who have left the company would continue to work together in such close relationship. While having her second concert (''New Yoka ～Rockin' Broadway～'') at Tokyo in August 2007, she was the guest star for

Russell Watson Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966) is an English crossover/popular singer, almost in the tenor range, who has released singles and albums of both quasi-operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after per ...

's concert at Tokyo later on. She and Watson performed at Rokuonji Temple. Her first movie was ''Chacha: Tengai no Onna'', which she plays as the leading actress in the role of

Lady Chacha or (1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor ...

. The movie premiered in Japan on 22 December 2007. She later received the award of Best Actress at the Osaka Cinema Festival for this role. In 2008, it was announced that she will be Velma Kelly for the Japanese version of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

with

Ryoko Yonekura is a Japanese actress and former fashion model best known for her role in the Japanese medical drama '' Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon''. She also performs the voice of Black Widow in the Japanese-language releases of the ''Avengers'' film ser ...

as Roxie and

Ryuichi Kawamura is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known as lead singer of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. They are regarded as one of the most influential bands in the visual kei scene. After they disbanded in ...

as Billy in October and November. This was marked as her first musical drama outside Takarazuka. Wao is currently set to star in ''

Dracula, the Musical ''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla ...

'', another

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for ...

production, in August 2011. This is her first otokoyaku role outside of Takarazuka, and she is the first female to play the role. In April 2015 she married Frank Wildhorn in Maui, Hawaii.

Notable performances and roles

Takarazuka Era

Snow New Actor Show Era

*''

'' – Oscar *''High and Low''

Snow Era

*'' Elisabeth'' – Elmer/Rudolf (Replacing Tatsuji Kouju for Tokyo performance) *''Grand Shanghai'' – Chan (First leading performance at Takarazuka Bow Hall) *''An Invitation from Alice'' – Michael (Bow Hall Performance, starring

) *''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been ...

'' – Melinda's lover *''

'' – Heathcliff (Leading performance at Takarazuka Bow Hall)

Cosmos Era

*''Excalibur'' – Christopher (First show for Cosmos Troupe) *'' Elisabeth'' –

Franz-Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

*''Crossroad'' – Alphonso (Last leading performance before being top star) *''Black Rose of the Desert'' – Yawan

Cosmos Top Star Era

*''Mayerling'' (Top Star Debut) – Rudolph *''Nostalgia Across the Sea'' (Top Star Debut at Grand Theater) *''

: Fersen and Marie Antoinette'' – Hans Axel Von Fersen *''Castel Mirage'' – Leonardo *''Calaf & Turandot'' – Calaf *''Pierre the Mercenary'' – Pierre *''Lightning in the Daytime'' – Albert de Clair *''Boxman'' – Kevin Randall *''

Phantom Phantom, phantoms, or the phantom may refer to: * Spirit (metaphysics), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phanto ...

'' – Phantom/

Erik The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...

*''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' –

Rhett Butler Rhett Butler (born 1828) is a fictional character in the 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' by Margaret Mitchell and in the 1939 film adaptation Gone with the Wind (film), of the same name. It is one of Clark Gable's ...

*''A Kiss to the Flames'' – Manrico *''Hotel Stella Maris'' – William Odenell *''Never Say Goodbye'' – Georges Malraux (Last musical with Takarazuka)

Personal Concert

*''So in Love'' *''W-ing''

Performance after Takarazuka

Concert

*''Wao Yoka Concert'' *''New Yoka ~Rockin' Broadway~'' (Also credited as the creator) *'' JAL'' Kinkakuji Otobutai

Film

*''Chacha: Tengai no Onna'' –

Chacha Cha-Cha, Cha Cha, ChaCha or Chacha may refer to: Music *Cha-cha-cha (dance), a dance of Cuban origin *Cha-cha-cha (music), a genre of Cuban music *Cha Cha (album), ''Cha Cha'' (album), a 1978 album by Herman Brood & His Wild Romance *Cha Cha (sou ...

Stage

*''

'' (Japanese version) – Velma Kelly

Awards

Wao, Kozuki and ''Elisabeth''

Wataru Kozuki is a Japanese performing artist and a former member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she specialized in playing male characters (Otokoyaku). She joined the revue in 1989 and resigned in 2006. She is from Iruma, Saitama . She is the only Otokoya ...

, who is a year junior than Wao, shares some similarities of their career related to '' Elisabeth'': *Both are the veterans from the production of 1997 Snow and Star when they participated the Cosmos production. *Wao portrayed Elmer in the Takarazuka run in the 1997 Snow production and Kozuki portrayed the same role in both locations. *They became the top stars of the company later on (Cosmos and Star) *During their junior years and before the founding of Cosmos Troupe, they had been in the same troupes with legend

, who is the only star that portrayed Elisabeth in both Snow and Cosmos Production.

References

External links

Tokyohive.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wao, Yoka 1968 births Living people Actresses from Osaka Takarazuka Revue otokoyaku 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses