Japan’s #1 musical show Muscle Musical is here in Las Vegas under the name Matsuri. There is no dialogue, no singing, and the music is augmented with percussive sounds made with their bodies and their muscles. It is a combination of extreme sports, gymnastics, dance, and heart-pounding rhythms using their feet and hands. There are 18 world-class athletes vaulting boxes, jumping ropes, bungee jumping, and doing such amazing things with their bodies that it leaves you speechless.

This all started as a hit Japanese TV show called Kinniku-banzuke. It was created by famed producer Ushio Higuchi. Then Ushio turned it into a musical stage production in Japan called Muscle Musical, and now it’s here in Vegas as Matsuri at the Imperial Palace Showroom.

Matsuri starts with visuals of Japanese Cherry Blossoms blowing in the wind. There is a traditional Japanese theme that weaves in and out throughout the highly energetic show. One of the traditional highlights is the featuring of an Oiran. A forerunner of the Geisha, an Oiran is a high class courtesan that catered to people of higher classes of society. To be an Oiran, a woman had to be not only beautiful, but also intelligent. The Oiran practiced the art of dance, music and poetry to entertain their clients. Around 1600, laws were passed restricting brothels near the city center and this isolated the Oiran. Their costumes became more ornate and their hair more and more exaggerated with ornaments and combs. They would wear high platform sandals called geta sandals. The show’s Oiran appears onstage in a gorgeous kimono, and at one point in the show, she wears the high geta sandals. The other female performers do a dance with the traditional Japanese parasol. It sounds odd, but the way it’s woven in and out of all the energy works marvelously. The show’s music and much of its choreography has a pounding energy that works as a wonderful contrast to the gentle, female beauty.

Hiroyo plays one of the main characters, dressed all in white, as a dove. Her smile lights up the stage like a spotlight, as she adds to each scene not only gestures that make you laugh, but unparalleled acrobatics. She is a delight and yet, she is so tiny, one couldn’t begin to imagine the strength that she encompasses, as she astounds the audience by wielding a hula hoop so large, that it takes up half the stage. You most certainly will have never seen a hula hoop like this!

Then there is Yasuaki, the unbelievable acrobat that does a stunning performance on the German Wheel. It’s beautifully done with black light, so that all you see is the bright neon of his body shape floating and undulating on stage, appearing as if he is walking on air. He is a national champion on the Wheel and has tons of charisma, as well.

When six men dressed in Karate outfits come on stage, you’re expecting some violence, but instead they do a coordinated Judo-styled Tango. It’s a touch of whimsy and it plays well.

There is a drum segment where they use their feet to stomp on boxes that sound like drums. It’s one of many percussion pieces used. Another is the body slap. Using their body as an instrument, they slap their thighs and their chests to create a rhythm that resonates around the theater.

The most amazing thing to me was the jump rope segment. Never before will you have seen such tricks performed with a jump rope. This is no simple ‘double-dutch’. Two men swing a triple-length jump rope, as cast members parade themselves through the jump rope with everything but the kitchen sink: jumping with hula hoops, batons, ladders, headstands, and more jump ropes jumping inside of jump ropes with lightning speed, as they all jump their way through. It’s a very tricky stunt, because like everything else in the show, it all has to be perfectly in sync. One dropped hoop, one foot caught on the rope, one tumble gone awry, and the whole thing would end up in a heap on the floor. Their timing is amazing. To top things off, they use a female, held by two men, as a human jump rope. Yes, she arches her back as they swing her around, and sure enough someone jumps rope with her.

Another hit segment of the show is the Chinese Bungee Cuckoo Clock. It starts with one man dressed in a white bird outfit bungee jumping out of a prop clock suspended from the ceiling. Next there are two, and then three, and ultimately five men are swinging down and back up into the clock.

Matsuri in Japanese means festival or holiday. It is certainly a holiday of fun to attend their show and experience what these talented, young, Japanese gymnasts have to offer. Right now Matsuri is the #1 afternoon show in Vegas. The buzz I’m hearing is that they will probably take over the whole afternoon market. That wouldn’t surprise me at all, since there is a need for a great family show at reasonable prices, during this time slot. This show fills the bill with excitement and energy in a theater that’s intimate enough that you can see the cast member’s every expression. It’s not a multi-million dollar theater built just for them with lavish backgrounds and costumes. More importantly and more entertainingly, Matsuri is a jaw-dropping presentation of brilliant young athletes performing their best for you.

Sitting with Mariko Hirata, a Japanese/English interpreter, she introduced me to Tomoya Haga, Tatsumi, Yasuaki Yoshikawa, and Hiroyo Shimada, four of the very talented gymnasts who perform in Matsuri. They were very respectful, graciously answered my questions, and said they were looking forward to a two-week vacation back in Japan with their families. I can’t explain why, but the feeling I got, was that I’m not sure they realize how very talented they are, but maybe that’s because they are so reticent and unassuming. They know they are accomplished gymnasts and feel proud of what they do, but certainly are not ready to sit back on their laurels and get big Star heads. Practice starts every day at eleven o’clock in the morning and then they break for something to eat and then perform the four o’clock show. The calories they burn must be phenomenal. Yasuaki has 10 years of German Wheel instruction. He is Japan’s top German Wheel gymnast. He won the Bronze medal at the World Championship Wheel Gymnastics 2005 and 2006. Tatsumi has 6 years of gymnastics, 10 years of dance, and 11 years of acrobatics under his belt, and has won world-class competitions. Tomoya specializes in rhythmic gymnastics and has also won Japan’s National Level competitions. He also jumps over the Monster Box. Hiroyo has 13 years of gymnastics and the giant hula hoop is her specialty. She is the Dove that appears regularly onstage and is a wonderful comedic interlude throughout the show. Here is what transpired between us and it gives a little glimpse into their attitudes and work ethic.
SLV: Did you perform in the show Muscle Musical in Japan?
ALL: All of us did.
SLV: You have all trained for years…what was your goal, with your extensive training?
YASUAKI: I wanted to be a national champion. I do the German Wheel. There is no category for that in the Olympics, but I wanted to compete on it nationally.
HIROYO: I saw the show when I was in school and wanted to be in it.
SLV: Which stunt was the hardest or took the most time to learn?
TATSUMI: The jumping rope was very hard to learn.
TOMOYA: The body slap was hard getting everybody together. To be in sync was the hardest thing for me.
SLV: You start rehearsing at 11a.m. days. Why do you rehearse for such long hours every day?
TATSUMI: To make it better…to nail it down more and more and discover new things.
YASUAKI: There is no such thing as a perfect show.
SLV: Do you expect to add some more new stunts to the show?
ALL: Yes.
SLV: The male performers have such well-defined muscles. Is that from the daily practice and performances, or do some of them train and do extra workouts for their stomach and chest muscle definition?
ALL: Yes, we all do extra workouts.
SLV: Do all the girls, too?
HIROYO: Of course.
SLV: Do you have backups if someone is sick or hurt?
HIROYO: No.
SLV: Can you rotate positions?
TATSUMI: We can do that.
YASUAKI: No one else can do the Wheel. I have no backup.
SLV: Does Ayuri, who plays the Oiran, do acrobatics too or is she just the Orian?
ALL: She’s in the group dance and group body slap, as well. She’s not in the jump rope or the Monster Box.
SLV: How tall is that Monster Box?
TOMOYA: It’s 2.76 meters.
SLV: And how tall are you Tomoya?
TOMOYA: I’m about 1.68 meters.
SLV: So that’s almost double your height?
TOMOYA: Yes.
SLV: Do you all get along or is there jealousy?
TATSUMI: It’s not like a jealousy, but a strong team makes things better.
YASUAKI: There are discussions about ideas, sometimes arguments, but it’s to make things better.
TATSUMI: But, it makes us closer, like family.
SLV: What kind of diet do you eat to stay strong? Probably anything you want!
ALL: We take Protein. It’s a powder thing. We eat pretty much whatever we want.
SLV: Many of the stunts require extremely close contact with the other performers. Have any of you ever become aroused?
ALL: (laughter and giggles) It’s show business. That’s part of the atmosphere we create. Like the Judo- Tango, they’re really close, but that’s show business.
SLV: When you take a break from practicing, how do you relax and play?
ALL: We have a company party and bring food in.
SLV: So you hang out as a family?
ALL: Yeah, yeah!
SLV: Do you get a chance to meet any Americans?
YASUAKI: I go to the American/English school to make more American friends and learn English.
HIROYO: I really like going to the clubs. I like the music.
SLV: You have that giant hula hoop. Did it take you a long time to learn how to maneuver it?
HIROYO: It was really hard for me in the beginning. It’s still heavy for me.
SLV: Are any of you daredevils? Do you seek adventure in rollercoasters, bungee-jumping, or skydiving, in your free time?
HIROYO: I would never do it.
ALL: We are not daredevils. It looks like we are, but it’s all training.
SLV: Is anyone married? Are there any children?
TOMOYA: Yes. One child.
YASUAKI: No.
TATSUMI: No.
SLV: Have their families seen them perform in the show?
TOMOYA: My wife came to Las Vegas to see the show.
TATSUMI: Our parents were invited to see our show in Japan.
SLV: Has anything funny or embarrassing happened during the show?
ALL: Sometimes we have put on and worn the wrong costume because the costume change is so quick. SLV

Issue 44 featuring: Carmen Hart, Kayden Kross and Samantha Ryan