“Princess Turandot”, Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard, Tokyo, 1934.

“Princess Turandot” [トゥーランドット姫], Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard, Tokyo, 1934. The image features the musical’s two stars – Kusabe Yoshiko (left, as Princess Turandot) and Nara Miyako (right, as Prince Calaf of Astrakhan) – bracketed at the bottom by a production patron’s advertisement for Club toothpaste. The Club company, which produced toothpaste, washing powder and cosmetics, was founded in Kobe in 1903 and was known for its energetic marketing to promote the company’s products.

Princess Turandot was based on Count Carlo Gozzi’s Turandot. The gist of the opera-cum-musical’s dramatic plot is that Prince Calaf, whose country has been destroyed, falls in love with Princess Turandot. He solves the three riddles necessary to win her hand, but Turandot is deeply scared of marriage. Prince Calaf offers Princess Turandot this chance: If she can guess his true name, he will not marry her.

Princess Turandot was the first of several other Takarazuka musicals, most post-war, that made use of Gozzi’s original Turandot as a production model.

This 1934 stage production by the revue’s Moon Troupe ran from 6/29-7/29 at the Takarazuka Theatre in Tokyo on a triple-bill with Soukai Hikyoku (“The Secret Song of the Blue Sea”) and Takeshiba Douchuuki (“Takeshiba Road Memoirs”). Olympic swimmer Yokota Misao (using the stage name “Mizuo Misao”) made her Takarazuka debut in this production of Princess Turandot.

The reverse of the above Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard. Another one of the Revue’s patron sponsors was “Club Cream” from the same company that produced Club toothpaste.

Translated from the postcard reverse:

This performance of Princess Turandot [by the Moon troupe] is more gorgeous than the Flower Poem Anthology.

The performance is more colorful than the “Flower Poems” and is full of songs and dances.

In addition to the colorful music and dances there is also a special song, “The Secret of the Blue Sea”.

Plus, the plays Secret Songs of the Blue Sea and Takeshiba Road Memoirs will also be performed.