( interview kento & kimeru for sayonara sorcier - livedoor 3 march 2016 )

[devilism]

Musical "Sayonara Sorcier" staring Ono Kento & Kimeru interview: a tale spun by the piano and music.


The setting is Paris at the end of the 19th century. Vincent van Gogh, later known as a genius painter, and his little brother Theodorus van Gogh, a genius art dealer breaking through the barriers of the artists' world. The deeply moving story that shows the discord, fate and bond of the older and younger Van Gogh brothers is now being turned into a full-fledged musical! The original work that has won various awards is now gathering attention as a musical through its live piano playing and the singing voices of the cast. We heard about Ono Kento's, playing Emile Bernard, and Kimeru's, playing Paul Gaugin, enthusiasm for this production.

This is the first time Ono-san and Kimeru-san are co-starring in a play, right?

Ono: Come to think of it, it really is the first time we're co-starring, huh!
Kimeru: Until now I've only seen your face at drinking parties, right. The first time I met him, when was it.... It was during the time of the Prince of Tennis musicals. Although I don't remember him at all... He was just one person among all those young actors. (laughs)
Ono: As for me, somehow my only impression was that a senpai came... (laughs)
Kimeru: But now we've spoken various times, and I realised he was a cool kid. Besides that, there's a surprising amount of people we both know.
Ono: Although I don't even have that many friends.

Are you the type who takes a while to get close to people...?

Kimeru: He's always cool. Moreover, he's never all over the place, no matter when.
Ono: Yes, I do things at my own pace.
Kimeru: Even when everyone gets excited at the drinking party, he just wants to go home...
Ono: "Well, let's go home~" (laughs)
Kimeru: But it's fine since everyone realises that's just his style.

Kimeru-san, are you the opposite type of Ono-san?

Kimeru: I have a history of being an old lady! From my mid-teens everyone around me always called me "oba-chan." (laughs)
Ono: When Kimeru-san is around, everything gets exciting and fun.
Kimeru: I can't stand it when some place isn't fun. Although I don't need some super close relationship, I want to try and enjoy myself. This time around it seems fun too, right?
Ono: Yes!


In an earlier interview Kimeru-san talked about how always he eats dessert every day, has that habit changed now?

Kimeru: As the last meal of the day I absolutely have to eat something sweet. There are times when I eat something heavier like cake, but there's also times where I munch on ice cream or fruits.
Ono: You have a sweet tooth. Do you make sure to eat it before you go to bed?
Kimeru: I eat. I also eat dessert as the last meal at a bar, and if I end up at a place where they don't serve dessert, I eat some when I get home. But even though I eat sweet things, I wonder if I also want to eat salty things? I think that if I'd go to one of those all-you-can-eat places, I'd end up eating endlessly.
Ono: Huh.. I can't even imagine it...

Do you instead have a small appetite, Ono-san?

Ono: Although it's not like I don't eat at all, my stomach gets full after I eat only once. For example, if I have an appointment at night to go out to eat, I can't eat sweets in advance. I'm always calculating it so I can adjust the amount I eat.
Kimeru: Since I'm somewhat unplanned when it comes to those things, I always think that when I go some other region for performances, I only have that moment to eat some specific thing! And so I end up overeating unplanned. While the rest of the cast all loses weight, it's just me that's gaining weight. Even though we have the same amount of exercise. (laughs)
Ono: Kimeru-san's intake is not that terrible, is it... (laughs)

It doesn't seem that eating habits is a common point between you two, huh. (laughs)

Kimeru: Not at all! (laughs)


I'd like to hear your thoughts about when it was decided you'd be starring in this performance...

Ono: To begin with, what kind of impression did you have of the details before our appearance was decided?
Kimeru: To be honest, although I had heard of it before it was being turned into a stage play, I thought it might be someone else's business since no offer came my way. (laughs) But when I was called and heard that it was going to be a stage play where there'd be song accompanied by just one piano, I thought, "how cool!" and "I absolutely want to be part of it!"
Ono: When I got an offer, I was surprised. When they told me Rachi (Shinji)-kun and (Hirano) Ryo-kun were playing the lead parts and that it was a musical with piano music, I really requested to be part of it, even though I was a little bewildered by it all. And then I got an offer.
Kimeru: I saw the stage play "Sakura Taisen Sougumi." Those songs were good.
Ono: Wow! Thank you....

For this performance the piano music is one of the highlights, isn't it.

Kimeru: Although they're magnificent songs, they're difficult too....
Ono: They really are difficult, aren't they? It's harder for me to tell whether or not they're difficult, but the songs seem especially difficult...
Kimeru: They're difficult. Moreover, they're very "pure." During the play you're not constantly next to the piano while singing, so you can't all hear the same sound. Depending on your standing position, there might be times when it's difficult to hear the piano.
Ono: That's right, isn't it... I hadn't even thought that far yet...!
Kimeru: Even the tempo and the loudness of the sound could be different from day to day. Since it's unedited, I don't know what might happen.
Ono: ......

Ono-san's facial expression is starting to look more grave by the moment... (laughs)

Ono: I- I'm alright! Even if I'll make a mistake, I'll make it look like I'm doing it wonderfully! Even better yet, I'll just blame Kimeru-san! (laughs)
Kimeru: I wonder if you'll even notice it when we realise "ah, I've made a mistake!" (laughs)


Ono-san's role is Bernard, and Kimeru-san's role is Gaugin, right? Did you know that they're both people who really existed?

Ono: I didn't know.... (whispering)
Kimeru: I knew of them! I was in the art club when I was in middle school, and since we made oil paintings, I think it remained in a corner of my memory.
Ono: In my case, knowing Van Gogh is just something you have to know.. (laughs)
Kimeru: (laughs) I knew the name, but since I didn't know what sort of relationship he had with these fellow artists, I looked up various things once it was determined I'd be in this production.

Is it the first time you're co-starring with Rachi Shinji-san and Hirano Ryo-san who play the Van Gogh brothers?

Ono: It's the first time I'm fully co-starring with them.
Kimeru: As for me, I co-starred with Rachi-kun in Bakumatsu Rcok, and although I've co-starred with Ryo-chan before, we never really had a real connection up until now. So this time it's fun! Ryo-chan is a really passionate guy when it comes to acting. Since Rachi-kun has a different sort of passion, they resemble each other yet also end up clashing...
Ono: Although I think they don't really quarrel all the same. (laughs)
Kimeru: Those two are good adults, huh. (laughs)

In this production bonds between siblings are shown, do you two have siblings? Are their personalities similar to your own?

Kimeru: I have a younger sister, but our personalities aren't similar at all. My sister might be more masculine. Back when I was a kid, whenever I was bullied and came home crying, my little sister would go out to beat those people over it. (laughs)
Ono: I have an older sister, but our personalities aren't alike.. or that's what I wonder about, anyway. Since my older sister grew up watching our parents get angry at her, but I developed a habit of skillfully sneaking off or evading it altogether.
Kimeru: Ah, so you're that notorious kind of person! That kind of notoriety!!
Ono: .... That's why I never rebelled against my parents.


The setting of this production is Paris at the end of the 19th century, it must be hard to imagine the lifestyle of the people in that time...

Kimeru: It's difficult. It's really difficult.

What are your thoughts about how you're going to play it?

Ono: Even though there isn't story teller, there's various scenes where things are explained.
Kimeru: Ah, the narration part.
Ono: And then there's the scenes where we suddenly throw out everything someone is feeling. So there's moments where I think about how to show off that time period and place.
Kimeru: When I was performing in the play "Titanic" before, the things that our English director told me left an impression on me. There's an entirely different way of expression your emotions of happiness or sadness when it comes to Japanese people and foreign people.

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of production it'll turn out to be! Finally, please show us your enthusiasm about the play.

Ono: I recently went to the Vermeer and Rembrandt exhibition. There were works which were still life paintings with tableware and fruit that were so realistic you could mistake them for the real thing, and there was also a work among them where it seemed like they painted transparent glass.
Kimeru: Ah, I also went there, so I remember it.
Ono: When I saw it, I got a shock like, "this is unbelievable!!" Although there's no such thing as clear paint, it certainly was transparent glass. That left a really deep impression on me. I think that as an actor I also want to express the things through my acting that you normally can't see, like my hidden feelings and the innermost depths of my heart.

I see. Kimeru-san, please tell us something too!

Kimeru: Many paintings appear in this stage play, and the paintings are being expressed through the music. I think one of the highlights is that the same art is being expressed through different forms, like music and paintings.
Ono: Certainly!
Kimeru: It doesn't mean that the audience for this stage play will only be able to enjoy the paintings. It's being expressed through our songs and music, and I think you'll also be able to enjoy the story of the Van Gogh siblings.



( link to the original )