Talking about the musical "Colorful"-Eto Mori (Original) x Kaori Kobayashi (Screenplay/Lyrics/Director)

 

At the end of June, during acclaimed practiceMusical "Colorful"The rehearsal hall of the original authorEto Morivisited.Mori, who observed Fuku Suzuki, Jiei Kawahira, and others working hard at the rehearsal, said, "It was a lot of fun." As an adult, I have grown up and am walking on my own.So, I hope everyone can find their own roles and play freely,” he said to the cast.After that, he worked with Mori on the screenplay, lyrics, and direction.Covayashi incensetalked about a wide range of topics, including the story "Colorful" and the differences between creating novels and plays.

 

 

――Mori-sensei, how did you feel after watching the rehearsals?

Eto Mori　I didn't think I'd be able to see so many rehearsals, so it was a lot of fun.And at close range, it's incredibly powerful.Each actor is very close to the image of the character in me...If it's a stage play, I think it's fine if it's the "colorful" version of the stage play, and it doesn't have to be the same as the original image, but even so, the truth is true, and the mother is the mother, and I'm surprised at how well it's done. I was.

Covayashi incense　I think that's because everyone has read the original work and absorbed the spirit of the work and characters before coming to the rehearsal room.I was able to spin this story in a completely different structure when making it into a musical, but after all, I felt that if I skipped one step in your book, the changes in <I> would not be connected well, so I decided to change the flow. I made a script that faithfully utilizes.For that reason, I think that there were many things that everyone could imagine by reading the original.

――When you first heard that “Colorful” was going to be turned into a musical, what did you two think of it?

Woods　This is the first time that something I wrote has become a musical, not just this story.I like musicals.So it was just fun.

(I.e.　Is that so!What kind of musicals do you like?

Woods　I saw "Hamilton" on Broadway last year, and I also like orthodox works such as "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom of the Opera."When I hear that there is an interesting new Japanese production, I go see it.What left an impression on me recently was Kinoshita Kabuki's "Sakurahime Higashibunbun", although it may not be classified as a musical.The combination of katakana and classical kabuki-style words in the song is very interesting.Musicals are good there.It makes me thrilled to see the power of words double or even triple by listening to music.

 

 

――Mr. Mori's novel "Mugendai Girl" has a musical club, so I was wondering if you might like it.

Woods　That's right, that's a bit silly (laughs), but a musical will also appear in a play within a play.

(I.e.　I really like you.I was relieved.I was also worried about what people would think of me if I handed over something that I had created with great care to another form of expression.

Woods　I was rather looking forward to it.Mr. Kobayashi, what did you think about the musical adaptation?

(I.e.　It's a work with a very heavy theme, but musicals are good at conveying serious themes lightly.Therefore, I was happy that this wonderful original written by the teacher might be delivered to a wider range of young people. I think there are many people in the audience who say, "I was being bullied," "I was being bullied," or "I was watching bullying, but I couldn't do anything."I don't think the person concerned wants to be told something that sounds like a sermon.The strength of musicals is that they can convey that through music beyond logic.

 

 

――Did you make any requests from Mr. Mori when making it into a musical?

Woods　I left everything to him and read it after the script was completed.

(I.e.　He was very tolerant and said, "Please cook as you like" (laughs).

Woods　"Colorful", which I wrote a quarter of a century ago, has already grown up splendidly from a human point of view.A stand-alone work.So, I think it's the author's responsibility whether or not to leave it to you, but if you decide to leave it to me, I think it's best to let that person do it freely.Plapla's character was unexpected, but I enjoyed watching the rehearsal wondering what she would do next.Mr. Kobayashi said, "I want the angel to be an adult, and I want the adult to guide the children." How did it come to be that way?

(I.e.　When making it into a musical, I didn't think it should be a story about ``I was lucky enough to be able to return to the surface''.This is because the subtle emotional changes that can be described in novels cannot be fully depicted in stage arts, which are established only with dialogue.If that happens, I don't think the young people in the audience will be convinced that they were lucky enough to be able to return to earth.We wanted to create a structure in which adults, who have created a world that is difficult for children to live in, would take full responsibility for it, and that is how we came up with the current Plapla image.And I asked Mr. Jiei Kawahira to be the person who could embody that in the lightest way.

Woods　Novels have a style, so if you want to lighten up a serious story, you can do it if you devise a style.Because there is no writing style on stage or in video, the seriousness of the story comes out as it is.But when I heard Mr. Kobayashi's story, I thought that if music were added to it, it would play a role in place of the writing style.Serious things are conveyed lightly in the melody.

(I.e.　That's the beauty of musicals!That's why it's a good way to express difficult things in an easy-to-understand way.I think that there are many things that can be conveyed by making this "colorful" a musical rather than a play.There are actors who have that kind of power.

 

 

――How was Fuku Suzuki's <Boku>?

Woods　When I met you, I thought, "Oh, it's true."The song is also very nice.Of course, I've seen Suzuki-san on TV since he was a child actor, and he may not like it when everyone says it, but... he's grown up a lot (laughs).But you have a sense of transparency, Suzuki-san.

(I.e.　Well, I'm surprised that I can grow up so pure and straight in this industry (laughs).The mountain that Fuku-kun and I are climbing together is the process of “I” understanding the truth.In other words, this character has two personalities.I am going through trial and error to figure out what kind of process I should follow to recognize it.

Woods　Indeed, it seems difficult to express it as acting!

(I.e.　That's right.He has to go back and forth between ``experiencing the true life while overlooking'' and ``being one with the truth and empathizing with it''.It's a difficult part of the play, but it's also a fun, theatrical moment.I think Fuku-kun is facing a good challenge.

――This work will be performed as part of the “Setagaya Children’s Project 2023”.When you create, do you think about whether it will be delivered to children or for adults?

Woods　Think about it.Children aren't as used to reading as adults, they get bored easily, and there are lots of fun things to do other than novels.It's not an easy task to get these teens to read the book all the way through. I also remember writing "Colorful" with the spirit of "It must be interesting from beginning to end" and "I want you to read it non-stop until the end."

(I.e.　After reading the novel, the teacher, who was in his 20s at the time, wrote a story centered on a 14-year-old who was not much different in age than himself, and I saw how he was doing his best to convey that "life is a long homestay." I floated and was struck by the spirit.Even when I made it into a musical, the kind of enthusiasm that Mr. Mori conveyed became my driving force.

Woods　Also, young people today are sensitive to lyrics. Even on social media, I cut out phrases saying, “I like this lyric,” but when I was concentrating on writing books for children, songs were my rivals.I wanted to write a work with words that were as powerful as the lyrics.In that respect, the musical has the strength of the lyrics.

(I.e.　I agree.However, this time, there are many places where the words of the teacher's novel are used as lyrics.I agree that you wrote the novel with the lyrics in mind.

Woods　Mr. Kobayashi, do you have an age group for the audience you are envisioning this time?

(I.e.　Around junior high school students……From elementary school students to high school students, and adults.Actually, I don't really think of it as "for young people".This time, the price is quite low as "Setagaya Children's Project 2023", but theater tickets are expensive, and most junior high and high school students come with their parents.That's why I think adults have to understand first, and in that sense, I'm thinking and making a work that resonates with adults.

Woods　I'm also looking forward to seeing what happens to the new "colorful" that meets the musical!

 

 

Interview and text = Sachie Hirano

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<Performance information>

"Kubunkyo Art Caravan Project Let's go to the theater 3"
Setagaya Children's Project 2023 "Stage Edition"
AMUSE x Setagaya Public Theatre
Musical "Colorful"

2023/7/22 (Sat) - 8/6 (Sun)
Setagaya Public Theatre

[Original] Eto Mori “Colorful” (published by Bungeishunju Ltd.)
[Screenplay/Lyrics/Direction] Caori Covayashi
[Composition/Arrangement] Keiko Osaki
[Appearance] Fuku Suzuki, Ririka Kato, Hiroki Hyakuna, Yosai Ishibashi, Kazuzumi Kikuchi
Kanami Ayano Takuji Kawakubo / Jiei Kawahira and others

Performance details