( interview barairo no frontier main cast - theaterclip 16th october 2015 )

[devilism]

A mysterious love story unfolds in England in the first half of the 20th century


A stage play set in England immediately after World War I, Barairo no Frontier shows the life and love of a young man who's destined to inherit the title of an aristocratic family. It has gathered attention with the newly written text by playwright and director Saitou Eisaku, the beautiful musical compositions, and the gorgeous costume play that fits the historical context. We listened to the enthusiasm of Ono Kento, who plays the protagnist, Sakurano Ayane, who plays his fiancée, and Izumi Yohei, who plays a disguised man that invites the protagonist to a mysterious world.

London in 1918. Eddie (Ono), the second son of an earl's family who just came home after World War I, is to take over the family name in the place of his brother, who was killed in action. It's determined that he'll get engaged with Anna (Sakurano), who was supposed to marry his older brother. Eddie, who already loved Anna, is happy and decides that it's fine even if he's a substitute. But because of the collapse of the aristocratic society, the earl family is faced with an economic crisis. Anna's mother offers support on the condition that Eddie will travel to America after marriage, making Eddie's heart swing fiercely between the continuation of the earl lineage and his love for Anna. One day a man appears who called himself Butler (Izumi), who invites Eddie to a mysterious world called "frontier". The nostalgic sound of the singing wakes up a distant memory inside Eddie...

During the play, Eddie and Butler wander around different dimensions like the garden of an aristocratic mansion, a theatre, etc. Ono: "Eddie's heart is shaken violently by Butler and the other characters in the play. While experiencing each "dimension", I want you to see how everything changes." Next to him Izumi is nodding, "While following Eddie, I think the audience might also start to remember some nostalgic feelings. I feel like this play is filled with universal themes like that." Sakurano on the other hand plays four roles, including the role of the heroine Anna. "It's difficult to play out the differences between all the "dimensions", but I mostly want to show the relationship with Eddie in every role," she enthusiastically told us.

When we asked her what she had in common with her role, Sakurano threw out a bold statement: despite her gentle appearance, she's pretty stubborn. She said, "But because Anna experiences that sort of determination as well, I'm using that the best I can in forming my role." In contrast, for Ono his role is the complete opposite of his usual calm personality. Ono: "There's a conflict inside of Eddie, as a matter of fact he often vents his anger at Butler." He laughs. "It's alright, since because of that a curse is released off Eddie's heart. Butler becomes his punching bag," Izumi is full of tolerance in return, so Ono and Sakurano burst out into laughter.

Ono revealed, "Because it's the first time I'm wearing a military uniform, I'm not very used to it.." Sakurano who is originally part of the Takarazuka troupe reassured him, "It suits you a lot." It's a sign that the teamwork is already outstanding. From now on I'm looking forward to the play's opening day.

( link to the original )