[도모토 코이치] 2/4 The Japan News

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http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003493032

10:35 am, February 09, 2017

Koichi Domoto’s endless passion: ‘SHOCK’ musical approaches new milestone

 
By Midori Yamamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

“The show must go on” — this is the theme of the popular musical series “Endless SHOCK” starring Koichi Domoto.
In an echo of this theme, Domoto has been continuously involved since the original production’s premiere in November 2000, when he was 21. This year’s production opened this week at the Imperial Theatre in Yurakucho, Tokyo. He maintains his status as the longest-serving lead in a musical in Japan. On March 31, the final day of its current run, the musical will celebrate its 1,500th performance.
“It still seems unreal to me,” Domoto said coolly in the face of the milestone. “I never thought this production would enjoy such enduring love.”
The musical’s continued popularity is perhaps attributable to his sustained commitment, motivated by his determination not to deliver sluggish or routine performances. He claims not to depend on the audience as kindly allies. Instead, there are times when he imagines their enmity to spur him to greater heights in his performances, such is his determination to surpass audience expectations. His descriptions of this burning desire can border on combative: “It’s a feeling like, ‘I’m going to silence them,’” he said.

In the musical, he plays the protagonist, Koichi, a successful entertainer in New York. His company’s performance at an off-Broadway theater receives rave reviews. The theater’s owner (played by Beverly Maeda) tells him a major theater has asked the company to perform there. He begins to brim with hope, but cracks appear between him and other members of the company, including Yara (played by Tomoyuki Yara). Tickets for this year’s production sold out on the same day they went on sale.
Ever-evolving production
After premiere, “SHOCK” became an ever-evolving production, incorporating some scripting and stage direction changes on each occasion. The musical has been titled “Endless SHOCK” since 2005. The production also features a dynamic percussion performance by the cast, including Naoki Ishikawa, who appeared in “Blast!” on Broadway.
During the interval between Act I and II, Domoto makes it a rule to watch the video from the just-finished act.
“I check the video to see how it might look if I had been a member of the audience,” he said. “I also pay close attention to my performance, and if there is anything that will improve the next act, I will reflect this.”
A dramatic sword fight, falling down stairs, flying above the stage and taiko drum performances — the production demands an enormous amount of physical energy from its cast members. To prepare himself to respond to these demands, Domoto has trained his muscles since last year’s performances, deliberately packing on four kilograms in the process to increase his weight to 58 kilograms. He reasons that the stronger one’s body becomes, the more attention it is possible to pay to other aspects of the show, stating that muscle training has the additional benefit of serving as mental training.
“Once I reach the point of feeling that ‘I can’t do it anymore,’ I will push myself to do two or three more rounds of weights. This is good training to deactivate or overcome my innate inner limitations,” Domoto says.
Born on Jan. 1, 1979, Domoto comes from Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and formed Kinki Kids with Tsuyoshi Domoto, making their CD debut in 1997. This year, the duo celebrate their 20th anniversary and are expected to build even further on their popularity and profile. They regularly appear on TV, including “Kinki Kids no Bunbubun” on the Fuji TV network.
Koichi Domoto turned 38 last month. When he was younger, the “SHOCK” musical put his youthful energy to the fore. In recent years, it has shifted to emphasizing polished cast performances, in both acting and singing, to add further depth to the production.
Domoto illustrates this with the example of flying.
“When Koichi [the character] is flying, I have to give careful attention to my performance in order to convey his feelings, as well as the impressions of those watching. Flying alone will not otherwise be exciting,” he said.
When he takes flight above the stage, the audience applauds as a matter of course, but this cannot be attributed to the beauty of his flying posture alone.
How does he maintain the stoicism necessary to perform?
“I feel nervous unless I work hard on something,” he said. “I do all I can to prepare, and then I try to be confident. If despite this I fail, then I can let it go. That’s how I want to be.”
A glimpse of the fighting spirit of a professional quietly burning inside Domoto shines through even as he explains his feelings in such a matter-of-fact manner.
Quite a few of his castmates in the latest production are new to the show. Domoto attended the audition of some new cast members, who were chosen from Johnny’s Jr., a group of rising young talents managed by Johnny & Associates.
Bunichi Hamanaka, 29; Takuto Teranishi, 22; and Genta Matsuda, 17, are the Johnny’s Jr. members who are appearing in “Endless SHOCK” for the first time. They were chosen mainly because they are good singers.
“Hamanaka is used to performing in theater, so it’s easy to imagine what he can bring to the production. But Teranishi is still finding his feet, so I’m not sure what to do with him. Matsuda is pretty mature for his age and is working very hard,” Domoto said before the rehearsals began in earnest. He was already getting a grasp on the characteristics of each new cast member’s performance, conscious of his role in drawing the best from them.
He recently made headlines in entertainment news after rushing to the aid of younger performers from Johnny & Associates appearing in “Johnny’s Allstars Island” at the Imperial Theatre. On Jan. 11, technical trouble disrupted a performance of the show. Domoto, at the time rehearsing “Endless SHOCK” in the same building, jumped into the show still wearing his practice outfit, skillfully filling the downtime with a delightful repartee.
“I get a thrill from such mishaps,” he laughs, with a glint of mischief and perhaps a certain masochism.
As invincible as he may look, he is very aware of the presence of Johnny Kitagawa, 85, the author, planner and director of “Endless SHOCK,” and how he looks at the show.
“I always think that a performance is no good if Johnny-san says, ‘It’s boring,’” says Domoto deferentially.
While he expresses his respect for Kitagawa, Domoto has added depth to the quality of acting and singing that would become the basis of the show since his involvement in its scripting and direction in 2005. He has also given attention to story flow.
“Johnny-san places primary importance on human energy, sometimes as if he pays no attention to the importance of story. If I am only concerned with honing my acting, he’ll be angry with me,” Domoto says with a wry smile.
There are no indications of “Endless SHOCK” becoming boring as long as it remains committed to improving.

Run-through report

In late January, I had an opportunity to watch the run-through of “Endless SHOCK.” Unlike an actual performance, there was no visually stunning set or flying machinery in the rehearsal studio. For precisely this reason, I was able to appreciate the strong impact of the performances as physically embodied by the cast.
There is a sword fight scene toward the end of Act I at the climax of the conflict between Koichi and Yara, after which Yara buried his reddened face in a towel following his stage exit. Matsuda and Kaito Matsukura of Johnny’s Jr. also collapsed onto the floor. All of which gave me an impression of the overwhelming physical demands of the show.
During a break, Yara occupied himself with vocal exercises, while the Johnny’s Jr. members went over their dance routines. The sight of them practicing in the flesh in the studio was a thrill, as indeed was the formidable commitment of all the cast members. In Act II, staff members let out bellows during an impassioned performance on the taiko drums by Domoto and Yara.
Domoto trained his careful attention on the acting and movements of all cast members. He alerted a stage crew member to the potentially hazardous timing of a dancer’s dodging of a sword drawn by Yara. Domoto’s subsequent sprint back to his seat was reminiscent of a true artist.

An exhibition featuring The Yomiuri Shimbun and Sports Hochi coverage of “SHOCK” musicals is being held at the Yomiuri Shimbun building in Otemachi, Tokyo, until April 7. Visit:info.yomiuri.co.jp/event/exhibition/2336.html