Elisabeth (Star, 1996)

[nightless_castle]

Summary: All female theater Takarazuka’s production of the musical which portrays the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Shiraki Ayaka) and how she danced with Death (Asaji Saki), from her engagement and marriage in 1854 to her murder in 1898 at the hands of the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni (Shibuki Jun). The empress whose tumultuous life is veiled in mystery is retold through the narrative of Death and his pursuit of love for her.

A personal favorite.


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Elisabeth is a very grand work of art. Takarazuka’s version of Elisabeth is regarded as one of their greatest masterpieces and has been restaged hundreds of times since the original production by Snow Troupe in 1996.

Takarazuka’s Elisabeth technically stars Der Tod (Death) as the main character, so if you want to watch a version of Elisabeth that’s more through the point of view of Der Tod and emphasizes the romance, this is it. (Also if you’re a romantic like me who really likes enemies to lovers… this is it).

If you’ve never seen Takarazuka’s Elisabeth before, I think it doesn’t really matter which one you start with, they’re all great in their own ways (and you’ll end up watching all of them anyway). Some of my personal favorite ones however are this one, Snow 1996, Flower 2002, and the newest one as of now, Moon 2018. Also, if you’ve never seen the original Viennese musical, of course watch that too! It’s an entirely different experience.

That being said, I absolutely love Star 1996 Elisabeth. The 90s productions of Elisabeth are all so hauntingly beautiful and really captures the essence of Elisabeth in such a way that could only be described by its time. Even if they’re not as refined as the more recent productions, they’re still amazing and definitely worth watching.

My favorite thing about this production is the acting. They just really knew how to hit every emotional beat. Shiraki Ayaka is one of my favorite zukabeth Sisi’s. She’s so emotional and strong, I can never get over the way she screams some of her lines. I also really love Asaji Saki’s Der Tod who is so passionately in love. Tender yet still a little terrifying. If you want to watch a version of Elisabeth where Death is painfully in love and desperate for Elisabeth then this one is perfect for you.

The 90s versions unfortunately did not yet have a few of the songs such as “When I Dance” (very crucial for the enemies to lovers agenda). But the amazing acting makes up for it. I was still very convinced of this being a tale of un grande amore when I watched it the first time, and Elisabeth and Death’s relationship made me quite emotional.

I actually spent quite a long time on this one since it is one of my favorite musicals of all time, it’s also the first Takarazuka show I ever fell in love with so I was very particular about how I wanted to present it.

Please enjoy this amazing and beautiful show! I subbed this all the way to the encore by the way so do watch the encore, the finale duet dance here is one of my favorites!