I’ve gone to a lot of plays since I moved to Japan. There have been plays that I’ve liked and disliked. Ones that I’ve been utterly confused by and others that have put me to sleep. But there are a few plays that come along that have the right combination of “Miracle,” “Magical,” “Sexy,” and “Shocking” that absolutely enchant me every time that I go and see it. I’m talking about the one and only Show Boy.
Show Boy was first performed in 2019 in Theater Creation (called Crea by fans). This year makes it the third time since 4U. (ふぉ~ゆ〜) started performing the production, having also performed it in 2021. Friends had repeatedly explained why they love this show so much, and I was excited to attend my first show when I went two years ago. I quickly fell in love with this quirky show, but what makes this show so incredible? Let me walk you through the world of Show Boy.
From the very first second this musical begins, it is an explosion of color and song on the stage. We’re welcomed to the Show Boat, the cruise ship that our wonderful production takes place on. The cast takes us through a song and dance that rivals large Broadway productions before we jump into the plot and story.
Something I find incredibly interesting about Show Boy is that our characters don’t have names. For example, the members of 4U. (in their various point of views) are given labels. Fukuda “Fuku-chan” Yuta is the Stage Crew, Koshioka “Kosshi” Yuki is the Gambler, Matsuzaki “Matsu” Yusuke is the Chinese Mafia, and Tatsumi “Tatsu” Yudai is the Magician’s Apprentice. Of course they are far from the only other characters in this production. Other characters include the Cabaret Showmaster, Principal Dancer, Girl, Mr. Magic, and Angel, the diva of the KITKATKLUB cabaret. For foreigners not well versed in Japanese, this makes it easy to keep track of who is which role for their labels are presented in English and Japanese before each part of the show.
If I were to describe Show Boy in its most simple terms, I would tell a friend that it was a story told in four parts with a large finale that puts a Broadway production to shame. At the same time, these words don’t come close to describing the musical and all of the beautiful intricacies that happen during the show.
To expand upon my simple description of the play, Show Boy is a play where you watch the same hour four times from four different point of views. And I know what you’re thinking. “Four times? Really? Won’t that be boring?” and I promise you that it is far from that. Because of the limited setting of a cruise ship, there are times that the characters pass each other briefly where the context won’t be fully explained until later on in the show.
For example, we are introduced to the Show Boat through Fuku-chan’s point of view as the Stage Crew. He is preparing the stage and costumes for that evening’s big show which will take place at midnight on the ship. There is an hour left until show time when his sister, the Cabaret’s Showmaster (played by Nakagawa Shoko), tells Fuku-chan and the Principal Dancer (played by Takada Sho) that the show’s diva, Angel, is missing. The Principal Dancer is worried because Angel is dealing with a stalker, and he wants to help Angel, his girlfriend.
Throughout their search on the ship, we as the audience see various strange scenes. We watch as the Magician’s Apprentice, who the Principal Dancer believes is Angel’s stalker, is fired by Mr. Magic. We stumble across the Chinese Mafia hugging a man in a very obvious arms deal. Lastly, we enter the bar where the Gambler, holding a crisp bill, let’s our heroes know that no one is in the bar despite the audience seeing Angel’s feathery costume.
All of these little moments open up the audience’s curiosity into what is happening on the ship as the time ticks closer and closer to midnight while also getting to know the Stage Crew’s dreams of performing in the big cabaret show. It’s only until the big fireworks display happens above the ship a few minutes to midnight does the Stage Crew find Angel talking to the Magician’s Apprentice on the ship’s deck. He drags her back to the KITKATKLUB, shouting back how the Apprentice is a stalker, while Angel herself is repeatedly shouting, “A man?” over and over again until time rewinds and we watch the same hour of time through another character’s point of view.
Because the point of view of the Stage Crew is meant to introduce and set up many of the coming stories on the ship, it does feel a little lackluster compared to the others that follow. At the same time, it is fully necessary in order to enjoy the musical as a whole. All of the major roles and story lines are introduced in this part, and the mystery and fun in guessing what happens is because of this solid introduction to the world.
It’s also from the Stage Crew’s point of view that this story becomes more and more ridiculous and insane, and I mean this in the best way possible. From the Gambler trying to steal a bag full of money from the Girl to gamble with to the Chinese Mafia trying to avoid being caught by the police by any mean’s necessary to the pure perfection that is the Magician’s Apprentice’s story, the world only continues to build and build until all of our characters finally meet. Every second of this story has heart and humor that makes you want to relive it over and over again.
And, if it wasn’t obvious, the Magician’s Apprentice point of view is my absolute favorite. I love the story that’s told from beginning to end, and his story wraps up everything that happened in the previous points of view in a perfect little bow. I love it so much because it’s the result of so much time and effort building up the story and world of the Show Boat that, even if I were to describe what happens, my words would not do this portion of the story justice. It’s something that has to be experienced in the theater.
The plots converge into a spectacular ending as we watch the performance that takes place at the KITKATKLUB. The final is full of song, dance, comedy, drama, and enough clapping that gives the audience a full arm workout. It’s the absolute perfect ending to everything the audience has watched, and I walk out with a huge grin on my face every single time.
It is my wholehearted belief that everyone should experience Show Boy at least once in their life. There is no other production like it in my opinion, and it stands at the top of what Japanese theater can do. I highly recommend everyone, that is able to, go and see Show Boy. You won’t regret it!
Show Boy runs from July 1st to July 21st in Tokyo, July 28th to July 30th in Osaka, and August 12th in Nagoya. Don’t miss out!
Check out a preview of this year’s Show Boy below!