I present without further ado, my review of the Phoenix Wright play performed in Tokyo in August this year, Gyakuten no Spotlight! I've put the same review on tumblr but with a few pictures here; http://lileclaire.tumblr.com/post/59482 ... -spotlight

The play was held at Rikkoukai Hall in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was a fairly small intimate venue, so had a proper feel of seeing actors at work rather than the ‘anime’ feels of larger stage shows like the Bleach Musicals, for instance. It was a few stops from Shinawaga station on the Keikyu line, which was running a Gyakuten Saiban rally (which I’ll write about soon)

In the lobby a giant Tonosaman / Steel Samurai was inflated in the corner. The audience was mostly comprised of young women. Goods were for sale, including the DVD, various themed 3DS merchandise and “Tonosamanjuu”, themed biscuits (not really manjuu!)

In Japanese style there was a clock in the theatre counting down the seconds until the play started, and when it began the lights didn’t fade. The idea was that Phoenix and Maya were there to see “the play” too so it began with lights up. Larry appeared dressed as a theatre food vendor, carrying around Tonosamanjuu and bananas to sell to the audience. The actor was perfect as the energetic hopeless case we all know and love. Maya and Phoenix were trying to find their seats (two had been set aside for them)… as, it transpires, were Edgeworth and Gumshoe. My Japanese comprehension is pretty poor so I focused on the staging and physicality. Larry and Phoenix’s actors were clearly good friends in real life because you could see during their chaotic camaraderie their genuine enjoyment shining through. Later in the play when trying to hide, they pulled a “Moss and Roy”; a spontaneous romantic embrace (which unlike Moss and Roy ended as soon as it began!)

Phoenix’s actor was a perfect cast and in all honesty had me a little fluttery. He somehow managed to embody the dual elements of the character that make him so appealing, being at once a hero looking righteous and noble in his blue suit, and being a daggy harangued underdog.

Funnily enough, the only quibble I had with the whole thing was that during the court scenes, Phoenix and Edgeworth made their ‘game’ motions, the tapping of the paper and the gripping of the arm, all those animations we’re familiar with. They seemed a little forced, at least until after the play when the actors spoke briefly with the audience. Either the actors had adopted the motions subconsciously or Kentaro Kanesaki always strokes his chin like that… the gestures were second nature in some capacity or the other!

(I didn’t realise that almost all the actors had previous lives in Tenimyu and similar productions and wouldn’t have guessed, either (Tenimyu not being known for its artistic merit… you know it’s true))

Anyway, as the show begins Maya pulls Phoenix to his seat as the Tonosaman show begins—“It’s starting, it’s starting!” As the lights die down, we heard a very quiet but equally excited “it’s starting!” from Edgeworth as well. He had a little tuft of hair sticking out of the back of his wig which wouldn’t go flat.

The “Tonosaman show” begins, and the actors are deliberately appalling… “IT’S COLD AND DARK!” “OH NO!” “WHERE WILL WE SLEEP?”
They’re accosted by an enemy! What are they going to do?
(“What is this!?” Phoenix yells out despite himself, “what is this crap acting?” Maya tells him to shh, sit down!)

Who comes to the rescue, but (du-du-du-duuuh!) Tonosaman! Yay, cries Maya! There is a flashy fight scene, masterfully executed with flips and sound effects, but oh no— the giant lantern (think Kaminarimon gate) falls and crushes the “actor” playing the bad guy! The stage manager suddenly comes out, and the curtains come down and the lights go up. “Stay where you are, audience… everything is ok… I think…”

Suddenly Gumshoe comes in to his element, bursting out of his seat and thrusting his badge forward. “POLICE!” He takes control of the scene, while Maya convinces Phoenix to get himself involved.

At this point Larry makes a break for it; he doesn’t want to get involved with the police! Gumshoe swiftly executes an arrest, fighting with Larry before twisting his arm behind his back and then… performing something like a Vulcan nerve pinch and gently, gently lowering a paralysed and very confused Larry to the ground like he would a kitten. The play was full of physical comedy and this move appeared again and again, funnier each time as Gumshoe’s tender care contrasted with his extremely serious expression. Larry still manages an escape, tossing his bananas behind him for Gumshoe to slip on.

It’s not Larry they’re after, however; Will Powers is identified as the main suspect, something our old favourite Oldbag has a hand in. We’re introduced to a number of other characters, too… the pretty girl of the injured actor who trains for the fight scenes, the seedy agent who rivals Redd White in glimmerousness, and the flamboyant producer who covers his lips with balm at every opportunity and makes a popping sound with his lips to enunciate his words. (“Na-ru-ho-(pop)-do!”)

From here, the scenes reflect the game… we visit Will Powers in jail, we do some investigation, there’s an amusing side plot featuring a shy girl with a crush on Edgeworth… she asks her loud, punk friend to impersonate her so as to seduce him in her place. We begin the scene with usually stoic Edgeworth lost in a fantasy conducting his own imaginary orchestra to his Tonosaman ring tone before answering his phone very seriously… and it ends with him being karate-chopped and unceremoniously carted off stage by aforementioned punk friend.

Incidentally, Edgeworth was probably the weakest of the cast… he was quite obviously chosen for his pretty bishounen face as he was rather young and didn’t “own” the stage in quite the same way that some of the other actors did. Had the story demanded some Edgeworth reflection and angst, I’m not sure he could have pulled it off as he wasn’t living the show (he was acting rather than inhabiting his character, if that makes sense)
Thankfully his role wasn’t central and his mannerisms were very practised so he was perfectly acceptable, just not my choice of Edgeworth who I see as someone older than his years, a little burdened and gruff.

We go to court, and we hear about some inconsistencies in the testimony… the pulleys and levers holding up the giant lantern were tampered with! Who was responsible? There is a very funny scene where Phoenix toys with a nerdy stagehand who is almost too nervous to speak. He’s just about named his favourite pulleys, and Phoenix asks him about each one. “What does this one do?” “And this one?” The more Phoenix asks, the more the poor man works himself into a frenzy attempting to answer and before Phoenix starts to enjoy it far too much Maya can’t help herself— “POOR THING!” Leave him alone, you’ll give him a heart attack!
Phoenix and Maya have a sweet stage relationship; she’s just about half his size and adorable, as you’d expect. She’s taken under the wing of an old stage actress, and here is where (what I suspected was) the theme of the play came in… the lure of the spotlight. She tempts Maya with visions of the stage, and of fame… yet it’s fame that has toyed with the lives of Will Powers and the injured young actor who suffered beneath the falling lantern, fame and jealousy and money, the usual story of the theatre.

I’ll pretend that it’s not my failed comprehension of the story but rather an attempt not to spoil you that I won’t tell the ending or how the culprit is revealed… suffice to say that it’s a true Ace Attorney story, with many shades of grey that make the series so appealing. There are evil people, and there are good people who fall into evil circumstances (think Acro, Iris, Ini Miney) There are strange actresses and seedy deals and a cool dance number with zombie moves. The punk girl rips her laptop in half when she fails to seduce Edgeworth, echoing a sentiment I think a few of us can relate to, somehow.

Phoenix and Edgeworth successfully uncover the true story behind the tragedy… there are emotional confessions and a strange twist. And yes, there is confetti when the ‘not guilty’ verdict is read out. It’s bittersweet (as it always is). “Thank you, Edgeworth,” Says Phoenix. “…..hmph” says Edgeworth.

And the show is over, but not before the lure of the spotlight calls out to Maya one last time. Thankfully she is content to watch her heroes… she doesn’t want to become a star of the stage.

After curtain calls the actors briefly spoke to the audience… Phoenix’s actor had a terrible time recalling the location of the Gyakuten Saiban mystery event happening elsewhere in Tokyo (Edgeworth rapped hard on his forehead and yelled “MOSHI MOSHI”)
There was merchandise for sale, including signed programs; as expected Phoenix (Kentaro Kanesaki) and Edgeworth (Takumi Wada) had sold out but I got Maya (Karin Ogino) and have scanned it for you to download :)

http://speedy.sh/KTkwW/GyakutennoSpotlight.pdf

You can also see some pics from the show here - http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/685/685333/

Finally… we were all given a banana as we walked out.

It made an excellent lunch as I feared I was running out of time to complete the Gyakuten Saiban Keikyu train rally (and do my Shibuya shopping)… more on that later!

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