Youka Wao
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Youka Wao is a former member of Takarazuka Revue, where she played Otokoyaku. She joined the revue in 1988 and resigned in 2006. She is from Osaka, her birthday is February 15 and her bloodtype is O.
Her nicknames are Takako (from her real name: Ogawa Takako) and Wao.
She is the only Otokoyaku to be top in her class.
Troupe History
- 1988 - 1997 Snow Troupe
- 1998 - 2006 Cosmo Troupe
Trivia
She caught the attention when she played the role of Oscar in the New Actor Show of 1989 Snow Production Rose of Versailles. Later on, she went up to the leading role in the New Actor Show of High and Low. After gradulating from the New Actor Show cast, she went up to solid supporting role in the formal troupe production. The notable roles during Ichiro Maki era is Elmer in 1997 production of Elizabeth. With the troupe changing of Kouju Tatsuki, who played Rudolf in the Grand Theater, she tool the role for the Tokyo performance.
She got her first Takarazuka Bow Hall show (Grand Shanghai) in 1995 and the second one (Wuthering Heights) in 1997.
With the resigning of Ichiro Maki and her successor Takane Fubuki, she became the solid second man for Todoroki Yuu in Snow Troupe before she was selected for the new troupe in 1998. She continued to be the second man in Cosmo Troupe until the resign of Shizuki Asato, she became the top star of Cosmo Troupe, and had the longest serving time as top star.
With the height of 172 cm, she was the tallest star among the top star peer like Mire Aika (Flower), Hibiki Takumi (Flower), Tsubasa Makoto (Moon), Jun Shibuki (Moon), Yuu Todoroki (Snow), Yuu Emao (Snow), Ko Minoru (Star) and Tatsuji Kouju (Star).
She is one of the two actresses to protray both Emperor Franz Joseph and Prince Rudolph in Elizabeth (the other is Juri Sakiho) and the only actress to protray Rudolf in two different musical (Elizabeth and Mayerling)
In December 2005, she injuried herself during the performance of W-Wing (her personal concert) but was able to come back for Never Say Goodbye, her last musical with Takarazuka.
Notable Performance and Role
Snow New Actor Show Era
- Rose of Versailles - Oscar
- High and Low
Snow Era
- Elizabeth - Elmer/Rudolph(Replacing Tatsuji Kouju for Tokyo performance)
- Grand Shanghai - Chan (First leading performance at Takarazuka Bow Hall)
- An Invitation from Alice - Michael
- Wuthering Heights - Heathcliff
Cosmo Era
- Excalibur - Christopher (First show for Cosmo Troupe)
- Elizabeth - Franz Joseph
- Crossroad - Alphonso (Last show before being top star)
- Black Rose of the Desert - Yawan
Cosmo Top Star
- Mayerling (Top Star Debut) - Rudolph
- Nostalgia Across the Sea (Top Star Debut at Grand Theater)
- Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette - Hans Axel Von Fersen
- Castel Mirage - Leonardo
- Calaf & Turandot - Calaf
- Pierre the Mercenary - Pierre
- Lightning in the Daytime - Albert de Clair
- Boxman - Kevin Randall
- ''Phantom - Phantom/Erik
- A Kiss to the Flames - Manrico
- Never Say Goodbye - Georges Malraux (Last musical with Takarazuka)
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