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Shirota Yu, and other lights of Asian musical theater

I'm a fan, mostly of his face and personality. But tell me, DL mavens - can this Queen sing?

He has a new collection of showtunes out, available for 3,000 yen (thanks, Sony!). Cuts include 'The Darkness Spreads' (ELIZABETH, he played Der Tod in the Tokyo Stage); 'Aimer' (ROMEO ET JULIETTE, he played Romeo); 'I am with You' (SWEENEY TODD, he played Pirelli); plus covers of 'My Favorite Things' (THE SOUND OF MUSIC), 'A Whole New World' (ALADDIN) and 'The Greatest Show'/'A Million Dreams (THE GREATEST SHOWMAN). He didn't include anything from those anime musicals he did (hello, PRINCE OF TENNIS?) or West End/Broadway classics which he has been known to sing on variety shows in Japan.

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by Anonymousreply 67May 27, 2019 8:46 AM

In ELIZABETH, the 2016 run:

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by Anonymousreply 1September 22, 2018 9:02 AM

Singing the opening number of ROMEO ET JULIETTE (whatever that was called):

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by Anonymousreply 2September 22, 2018 9:04 AM

A little Disney - 'Go The Distance' from HERCULES (only half in English, for some reason):

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by Anonymousreply 3September 22, 2018 9:06 AM

Rudolf's death in ELIZABETH. Yu got pretty into it...

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by Anonymousreply 4September 22, 2018 9:09 AM

Tough crowd. This guy originated Tuxedo Mask on the stage, you know.

Anyway, here's Shirotan's dreamy take on 'The Shadows Grow Longer'. I like the metal cry he adds to the finish, it's sexy. Furukawa Yuta, his duet partner for this number is a pretty dancer (clearly ballet-trained) with a cute voice. Given this take on the song is more sensual than chilling it's easy to tell the director/producers of this run knew who buttered their bread; women make up most of the ticket-sales for popular theatre shows in Japan...

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by Anonymousreply 5September 22, 2018 10:29 PM

Hideously garish hetero outfit, stunningly beautiful musical-gay voice.

Anyone?

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by Anonymousreply 6September 24, 2018 5:10 PM

Here's his 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!' for the One World Broadway: 4Stars concert series, with Lea Salonga.

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by Anonymousreply 7September 26, 2018 8:55 AM

Speaking English for a 4Stars interview with Sierra Boggess. His pronunciation is excellent for a Japanese man. Sierra praises him here as "open, positive, funny....his spirit radiates love & peace" (lol).

SIERRA: [about Yu's pre-show rehearsals] He was chill, too, he was fine.

YU: You're talking about two days ago? Not yesterday...

SIERRA: [sound] check? That was fine!

YU: Really?

SIERRA: Yeah!

YU: I wasn't fine.

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by Anonymousreply 8September 26, 2018 9:00 AM

Yu's first role as Tuxedo Kamen. Kitsch!

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by Anonymousreply 9September 30, 2018 11:17 AM

What is this Elizabeth musical? I've never heard of it...

by Anonymousreply 10September 30, 2018 4:43 PM

Oh, you poor dear, R10. It's been running for just over 25 years, so you've a lot of exploring ahead.

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by Anonymousreply 11October 1, 2018 12:35 AM

For his more obscure musical turns, see this clunky lurid production of THE LOVE BUGS. Yu was good, though.

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by Anonymousreply 12October 1, 2018 12:39 AM

...and his several appearances as beloved 'Buchou' (Tennis Captain) Tezuka in THE PRINCE OF TENNIS. There are no words to prepare anyone for these shows; you just have to hold your nose and stick your head under.

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by Anonymousreply 13October 1, 2018 12:48 AM

He's no fucking Jimmy Shigeta, that's for fucking sure.

by Anonymousreply 14October 1, 2018 1:02 AM

so he knows Ramon Karimloo....šŸ¤”šŸ¤” knew I recognised this guy from somewhere. Iā€™ll look him up now.

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by Anonymousreply 15October 1, 2018 10:59 AM

Ok so after a quick Google....

His voice/face IS pretty OP; but maybe another reason he gets so many of these big musical roles and projects is because of his connections and his gaijin looks? Per the Internet his father is (or was?) a big shot at NIPPONTv. Plus the man looks about 6ft.2ā€ and pale-skinned as milk with a prominent nose & pair of lips. True that the Japanese have different beauty standards than we, but in their Arts they canā€™t deny they still sometimes fetishise the imperial European/Regency/classic ā€˜Disney Princeā€™ Western look...

by Anonymousreply 16October 1, 2018 11:03 AM

Heā€™s the epitome of bisexual.

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by Anonymousreply 17October 2, 2018 8:02 PM

Shirota you too, buddy!

by Anonymousreply 18October 2, 2018 10:56 PM

He did some, uh, interesting photoshoots in his early 20s which I'm sure DL will appraise with keen eye.

Que puto...

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by Anonymousreply 19October 2, 2018 11:07 PM

Something about the Tequila blood in a personā€™s DNA just improves everything. Iā€™m sure this kid would have been cute anyway, but a few drops of sexy Spanish in the mix bumps him up at least 2 points tbh. I donā€™t think heā€™d have been near as good-looking if he were half-German, half-Australian or half-Thai.

by Anonymousreply 20October 5, 2018 3:39 PM

Yu's Latin side is part of what makes him so interesting & charismatic-looking, yes.

Because of his distinct features he's sometimes used as a catch-all 'Western' actor when it comes to Japanese productions; while he has played many Japanese men & boys he also gets cast as European, English & American people. For example, about 10 years ago he played famous British rockabilly singer Mickey (Mikki) Curtis in the musical-biopic THE HIT PARADE for FujiTv (you can see him as Mickey in the far top-right corner of the linked pic).

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by Anonymousreply 21October 7, 2018 8:22 PM

Shirota played the homosexual warlord Oda Nobunaga in the Asahi drama one-shot NOUHIME II (2013), which regrettably did not feature him in any gay sex/love scenes. What is a Nobunaga without his beloved Ranmaru?

Still, he looked hot af with a sword and in period dress.

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by Anonymousreply 22October 9, 2018 7:27 PM

Pretty guy...

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by Anonymousreply 23October 10, 2018 8:38 PM

One of his earliest and most famous solos, 'Semero, tsuyoku nare!' ('Attack, and go forward!) from PRINCE OF TENNIS.

His voice is so buttery and resonant, and he was just out of College here. He has presence even on a janky stage like this one.

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by Anonymousreply 24October 10, 2018 8:41 PM

Well, heā€™s in the #1 drama in Japan rn so I guess heā€™s doing something right.

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by Anonymousreply 25October 12, 2018 3:50 PM

And so talented that he has to teach his castmates to sing...

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by Anonymousreply 26October 14, 2018 11:06 PM

Oh man, R26. Itā€™s lucky for that other guy heā€™s super cute cuz he sounds like a cat on heat singing....

Btw when will Asian heartthrobs learn that anime-manga hero hair does not look good on real life guys...

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by Anonymousreply 27October 15, 2018 11:42 AM

Shirotan's schmoozin' his way to the top!

But seriously, he's making waves with this Ramin connection. It sounds weird with Yu doing the Rudolf part in 'Die Schetten', but whatever.

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by Anonymousreply 28October 15, 2018 11:21 PM

Just noticed heā€™s left-handed, in case anyone who manages to pick him up wonders why it looks weird when he grabs the shaft southpaw.

by Anonymousreply 29October 21, 2018 3:11 PM

My 'Phantom of the Opera'-loving Moms went nuts for that cover R28, and then crossed herself in Catholic guilt for declaring that Yu is "so beautiful" (she's 53 and he's 33, nbd imo but hey, straight ppl right?).

by Anonymousreply 30October 21, 2018 5:53 PM

This whoreā€™s got a hotter slightly-older brother whoā€™s not nearly as talented or famous, so you know heā€™d do some freaky shit for the validation/attention.

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by Anonymousreply 31October 27, 2018 7:27 PM

^^^no lie. He soaps up naked and showers off at two minutes.

Yuu-kun would never.

by Anonymousreply 32October 29, 2018 12:20 AM

Yu x Kazuki, awww. They should date, they would make a nice handsome sweet couple with the bonus of perfect voices.

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by Anonymousreply 33October 29, 2018 6:04 PM

OP minor correction: he played Anthony Hope in ā€˜Sweeneyā€™.

But yes, he can sing, albeit in a Disney way. Heā€™ll probably end up singing Japanese dubtracks for them, if he hasnā€™t already.

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by Anonymousreply 34October 31, 2018 9:50 AM

Seems like Shiropon is a Mamaā€™s boy. He looks just like her, and is likely the favorite (sorry, Jun).

Also his old Skyrock profile from a decade ago is still up, and itā€™s hilariously bad. Just Engrish captioned with grainy photos taken on an ancient Samsung camera, and with no attempt to mask homosexuality.

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by Anonymousreply 35November 1, 2018 10:26 AM

Hilarious how he always towers over everyone in all those 2.5D musicals he does.

At encore it's like twenty-five guys standing at 5"6 and then there's Yu, three heads taller.

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by Anonymousreply 36November 1, 2018 9:01 PM

So is he fucking Karimloo or what?

by Anonymousreply 37November 2, 2018 5:44 PM

[quote] and other lights of Asian musical theater

You fucking rang?

by Anonymousreply 38November 2, 2018 6:06 PM

It would probably help his music and stage career if he stopped dragging down his credibility starring in silly romance tv dramas based on comic-books. This new one heā€™s in, the latest of a dozen on his resume, seems so boring and so very heterosexual, even though he still has those good looks to coast on.

He should do like his gorgeous former costar Takumi Saitoh did, and sashay his gay self over to the U.S. permanently to model for LV and then do gigs and make arty films for prestigious festivals on the side.

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by Anonymousreply 39November 2, 2018 10:25 PM

Heā€™s considered a lesser Fanservice God in theater-otaku circles, Iā€™m told.

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by Anonymousreply 40November 4, 2018 1:37 PM

There isn't a song in Sweeney Todd called "I Am with You."

by Anonymousreply 41November 4, 2018 4:04 PM

Well, that's the track name on the official CD tracklist, as written on HMV and everywhere else R41. Maybe it's a retitled/mistranslated song, or a new number written in for an Asian audience (surprisingly common).

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by Anonymousreply 42November 4, 2018 7:02 PM

Heā€™s going to be a guest on the music award show ONGAKU NO HI 2018. One of many, but hey, itā€™s a gig.

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by Anonymousreply 43November 8, 2018 6:47 PM

I bet Jin got Yuu on the line-up for that show R43; they used to be classmates in HS.

Yuu is popular and a good choice to host or perform, but he's still not so big that he's gonna eclipse the spotlight on a reunited KAT-TUN and their comeback promo (and Kame will NOT be upstaged).

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by Anonymousreply 44November 8, 2018 8:54 PM

I hate the way he pronounces "beautiful" in "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning."

He's cute enough but yeah, Disney voice. And why are Japanese heroes so... bland these days? Where is the FIERCE WARRIOR?

by Anonymousreply 45November 8, 2018 9:06 PM

^^heā€™s not so much a heroic actor, more a boyband-type bubblegum star.

Heā€™s worked with The Backstreet Boys and done Broadway. Heā€™s not in any way ferocious.

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by Anonymousreply 46November 11, 2018 11:43 AM

Right. Yu is too campy by far to ever be warrior-like.

He turns the swish up to 11 in the DD-BOYS reality show he starred in. He also had the habit of shouting all his lines.

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by Anonymousreply 47November 11, 2018 4:39 PM

R26 I still remember the time he said that barely any other stage actors in Japan could sing and that he had to teach his casts (think it was in Moshii magazine, sometimes a few years ago). What a narcissist.

by Anonymousreply 48November 12, 2018 3:04 PM

[quote] I hate the way he pronounces "beautiful" in "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning."

I think he just fumbled the diphthong ā€˜-eauā€™; understandable as it doesnā€™t appear at all in Japanese, rarely appears in Spanish and is difficult to say for non-fluent French/English speakers. So it came out ā€œbyu-ohā€.

I want to hear him sing more in English, just better songs. ā€˜Everlasting Loveā€™ would be a good choice, I feel.

by Anonymousreply 49November 18, 2018 6:59 PM

Tower Records are promoting his disc. Apparently that company are still big in Japan.

Just me, or is Yuā€™s voice starting to sound a little like Midge Ure? It has that dreamy romantic intensity.

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by Anonymousreply 50November 19, 2018 1:40 PM

Tower Records?? The one on Sunset?

by Anonymousreply 51November 20, 2018 4:35 PM

In Tokyo, R51. Didnā€™t the one on Sunset close down years ago?

by Anonymousreply 52November 22, 2018 4:28 PM

R41 itā€™s how the Japanese titled the number, ā€˜Not While Iā€™m Aroundā€™.

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by Anonymousreply 53November 25, 2018 2:10 PM

Yu is close friends with this cutie and my current crush, Zukki Hiroki.

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by Anonymousreply 54November 29, 2018 4:55 PM

I can see Shirota moving into major cast recordings more heavily.

He could do like John Farnham with JCSS. Though perhaps Iā€™d put Yu more easily in the Judas or Simon role.

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by Anonymousreply 55November 30, 2018 8:42 PM

Yu is so boring on SM now, yucking it up with random nobodies and young girls on IG. Used to be he was always hanging out with fairly obvious closet-cases like KIMERU and posting dumb stuff from his drinking binges on Twitter (guess age finally caught up with him and his managers told him to stop outing himself).

Here he is in March, drunkenly cussing with his old pal Konii Yoshikazu (he of ā€˜Boysā€™ Loveā€™ movies).

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by Anonymousreply 56December 3, 2018 10:23 PM

[quote] He said that barely any other stage actors in Japan could sing and that he had to teach his casts (think it was in Moshii magazine.

I recall this posted on LJ (used to be a big Asian stage fan) and believe he was misquoted/poorly translated. Stage actors in Japan donā€™t go through the rigorous training & audition/rehearsal process Broadway actors do; the most prized trait of a performer over there is the willingness to practise all hours of the day and show up early/go home late every day of the run no matter how sick or unprepared you are. People who try very hard and give ā€œtheir bestā€ are valued over those with talent.

What the very-talented Yu was complaining about iirc was that young actors entering the business via this route ruin their voices & their reputations as well as entire shows by turning up to work with no technique. Itā€™s a very valid concern and he was right to say it. Itā€™s also likely why heā€™s trying to crack the European stage so zealously now.

by Anonymousreply 57December 8, 2018 8:12 PM

Yet it takes a lifetime to learn kabuki.

by Anonymousreply 58December 8, 2018 8:36 PM

^^well, we canā€™t blame native Japanese performers if they donā€™t feel the same sense of duty toward Western plays as historical forms like the Kabuki. For one, the classic ā€˜musicalā€™ or straight-ahead page-play as we understand it is a much younger mode, and concerns the modern condition which is not wholly applicable in a Far Eastern technocratic society with entrenched feudalism. For another, musical or commercial theater has even less worth in Japan than it does in the English-speaking world.

For professional productions of classic theater in Japan thereā€™s always Takarazuka Revue, who put 150% into their lavish American musicals and 20thC. plays. Maybe thereā€™s no call for anything more or better, and so itā€™s easy to see how Yu can accomplish more overseas than at home.

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by Anonymousreply 59December 9, 2018 10:58 AM

Kazuki is all on Yuā€™s Twitter..again.

Yu never smiles and kids around like this with anyone else these days. These two need to emigrate so they can get hitched and get it over with. Iā€™m TIRED, boys.

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by Anonymousreply 60December 9, 2018 9:24 PM

^^if heā€™s with classy pro Kazuki thatā€™s a step-up. Yu used to troll around with gross skanky wastrels like Akanishi Jin.

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by Anonymousreply 61December 10, 2018 12:53 PM

Yu Shirota IS Pippin!

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by Anonymousreply 62December 22, 2018 8:11 PM

Yu turned 33 last week. If heā€™s like any other Asian guy then his parents are hassling him to get married. Then again he has a very cool Spanish divorcee Mom plus a skanky older brother who isnā€™t settled either, so maybe thanks to them heā€™s escaped that terrible fate.

Yu hasnā€™t been seen to have a steady gf in years, either. The tell will be whether he beards up for his inevitable debut as a Broadway lead in a few years time, so watch this space.

by Anonymousreply 63January 2, 2019 5:34 PM

[quote]Yet it takes a lifetime to learn kabuki.

But only a few minutes to learn bukkake.

by Anonymousreply 64January 3, 2019 4:21 AM

Itā€™s already been a whole decade since that mess where he got busted for blatantly bearding bc his fake gf got papped creeping around with a middle-aged dudešŸ¤£šŸ¤£

[quote] Yuu, the 23 year old actor from the Japanese drama 'The Negotiator' attended a press conference for his latest photobook release. Last week, tabloid magazine Friday posted photos of his older girlfriend Yasuda Misako bringing a mystery man home to spend the night. Reporters were hoping he would clarify the rumours at the press conference, but the organizers banned the media from asking personal questions. Shirota only commented on his work in Okinawa, where the photoshoot took place. As for the star of 'Yomei Ichigatsu no Hanayome', the 27 year old actress denied the rumours. She only apologized for the hassle it had caused everyone. An inside source reveals that the man seen with Yasuda was actually a close friend and not a third party in the relationship.

That time went way too fast, and 33 is too old and also too young for Yu to still be so closeted. These should be the best years of his love/social life not just career..

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by Anonymousreply 65January 4, 2019 12:24 AM

He was in my favorite indie movie that no-one else has ever seen, GO APE.

It's hot in a kinky way to watch Yu get beaten bloody for about 70 minutes runtime then KO'd. INTENSE.

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by Anonymousreply 66May 17, 2019 9:20 PM

He need to do more gay duets.

Like the cover of Whamā€™s ā€˜Last Christmasā€™ he did with Jaejoong of the band DBSK (for FNS Music Fest, a televised variety event).

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by Anonymousreply 67May 27, 2019 8:46 AM
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