Ryosei Tanaka will try his hand at a one-man show to commemorate his 10th anniversary as an actor. The producer is Yoshihiko Aramaki, the president of his agency Pasture and a fellow actor. Actor Keisuke Ueda, who also belongs to Pasture, will direct the production. We spoke with Tanaka and Ueda just before the first day of rehearsals about Ryosei Tanaka's 10th anniversary one-man show "Be with you," which he is creating with his friends.

I thought, "If I go through this, something will change in me."

─ First of all, please tell us how you came to the decision to do a one-man show and how you felt when you decided to do it.

Tanaka: Makki-san (Yoshihiko Aramaki), who planned and produced the show, had always wanted me to do a one-man show. He said that for him, a one-man show was a very big thing that changed his mindset. So, from the president's point of view, he wanted me to experience it as well. As I was searching for the right timing, he suggested that I do it as a commemorative performance for my 10th anniversary this year. I also wanted to do something special to commemorate my 10th anniversary, so we decided on this year's performance.

─ I understand that you had been asked to experience acting by yourself for a long time.

Tanaka: At first, I did not have a vision of being on stage by myself either, but as I listened to the conversation, I began to think that if I am going to continue to work as an actor, it will be completely different for me who has not experienced a solo performance and for me who has experienced one. Now, I am a little anxious, but I am excited with the hope that something will change in me if I experience this.

───I know that you have experience in performing by yourself, but was the experience of performing by yourself also significant for you?

Ueda: I, too, have learned the difficulty of living with a story all by myself, and after experiencing it, I can say that it is definitely something you should experience.

─ ─ So what did you think when you heard that Mr. Tanaka was going to do a one-man show?

Ueda: I thought Ryosei could definitely do a one-man show, and I thought he was the one who should do it. Besides, there are only a limited number of actors who can celebrate their 10th anniversary as an actor, and Ryosei was one of them. So I thought it would be the best timing for Ryosei, as an actor who has been working for 10 years, to take on the challenge of a one-man show.

─ ─ How did you come to direct such a memorable performance?

Ueda: President Aramaki told me, "I definitely want Ue-chan to direct," so I said, "Well, I'll do it! (Laughs.) But I think the idea came from the fact that both Makki and I had gained something in our own ways by doing the play by ourselves, and I think it's amazing that the two of us, who have been working in the same way, are producing and directing at this time, and Ryosei is acting. I know this is an inside job, but if I were someone outside the company and saw this project, I would think, "Wow, they are able to do this in a great environment. That's interesting. I think that making this a success will have a great meaning not only for Ryosei, but also for us.

─ The script was written by Kaoru Miura, what was your impression when you read the script?

Tanaka: Since I have worked with Ms. Kaoru several times, I felt that she understood me as an actor. I felt that she understood who I was as an actor. I play three roles this time, and each role has some elements of me in it and some do not. When I read the script, I thought, "Oh, I understand what they want me to do. I hope I can embody that in my own way. I am very happy to have you write the script for this one-woman show because you have helped me at every stage of my career.

─ ─ How did you feel when you read the script?

Ueda: My first instinct was "How are you going to make this? I had never directed a one-man show before. It was my first time directing a one-man show, so I looked at various methods of directing and expressing a one-man show. In a one-man show, you are never playing only one person's role, as I had done myself. For this reason, I sometimes used a rakugo style of presentation. If I turned my head this way, it was a different character, if I turned my head that way, it was me, and if I turned my head that way, it was a monologue. But for this script, I had to clearly change the three characters. So I honestly wondered, "What should I do? I honestly thought, "What am I going to do with this?
But once I put aside the idea of directing and read it purely as a script written by Kaoru, I realized that he really knows Ryosei well. The Ryosei I want to see...... contains cool Ryosei and technical Ryosei as an actor. I thought the script left the rest to the actors in a good way.

More of a guidepost than a director.

─ ─ I understand that there are various Mr. Tanaka's in the script, but what do you think of Mr. Ueda's appeal as an actor?

Ueda: He can see around well and swallow his words in a good way. At the same time, he is quick-witted. He is a person who never fails. Of course, he may have many feelings about what he is doing, but he is able to keep them to himself without expressing them outwardly. In general, I think he is kind to people. I also really like the fact that he is family-oriented. This is a personal thing, but I like him because he is like me (......). I love myself (laughs).

─ ─ What are the similarities?

Ueda: What I want to do and what I want to be in the play. ...... We also like the same music.

─ ─ We are close in what you call "sensibility".

Ueda I think so.

─ ─ How do you want to show such a Mr. Tanaka in this film?

Ueda: I don't really have a specific idea of what I want to do. However, I feel that there are many moments in this work where I have to clarify what my heart is screaming for, and catch my heart and raise my heart rate by myself. So rather than being a director, I would like to be a guidepost, saying things like, "I think a moment close to that is like this.

─ ─ Mr. Tanaka, I know you have seen some of the productions you have directed, but what do you find attractive about Ueda as a director?

Tanaka I recently went to see "Time Capsule Bye Bye Days," which was really interesting! I'm still thinking about buying the subscription and watching it.

Ueda No, I'll give you the video! (laughs)

Tanaka It was so much fun that I wanted to repeat it. It had both comical and serious parts, and they were interlaced. The afterglow I felt after seeing the play was very big and long. And even though it was a conversational play that took place in a single space and there were no major stage changes, I was drawn to it for a long time. This was partly due to the direction, of course, but I could also sense that Ue-chan must have been saying "I want to do this" in the rehearsal hall. I could even imagine her trusting the members and telling them what she wanted to do. I could imagine her trusting the members and telling them what she wanted to do. I felt that she must have loved the actors and loved directing them. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to create such a sense of unity in the audience and such a lingering feeling.

─ ─ What kind of direction would you like to see from Mr. Ueda?

Tanaka Hmmm, yes. I hope that through working with Ue-chan, I will be able to find feelings that I have never felt or things that I have forgotten. In fact, there have been many moments in the past when I was able to find such things through conversations with Ue-chan. Of course, I have to find them myself, but since this is an opportunity for me to talk one-on-one with the director as an actor, I hope to be able to communicate in that way.

─ ─ Can you tell us about a past episode in which you were able to remember something from your interactions with Mr. Ueda?

Tanaka: There was a film in which I played the lead role of an awkward character. But I couldn't quite pull it off myself. Ue-chan must have noticed that, because she mentioned something like "deep down inside" in our conversation. I felt like I connected the dots, and I was able to sublimate myself at once. It wasn't like we were discussing our problems, or even going over them at length. It was just a single word, but that was all it took for me to open up.

Ueda: At that time, I was in the second lead role, so I was physically next to him, and we had worked together on many plays before, so I was watching him and thinking, "Yes, I know, it's difficult. I am a bit presumptuous, but after that, I remember how his performance changed so dramatically that I was surprised that he could change so much just by saying that.

The common denominator is BOØWY

─ You mentioned earlier that your sensibilities are close, but what are the things that you both like in common?

Ueda We both like BOØWY a lot. But, given our age, it seems like "why do you like them so much?

─ ─ It is certainly not real time.

Ueda: Yes. I listened to music because my father listened to it, and so did Ryosei. My parents also listened to GLAY, L'Arc-en-Ciel, WANDS, T-BOLAN, etc., but the music that Ryosei and I like the most is BOØWY.

Tanaka Right!

Ueda Since Ryosei also plays a rock singer in this "Be with you," we have also talked about asking Ryoudai Hirono, who is in charge of music, to make music like BOØWY (laughs).

─ What are your expectations for each other's future?

Tanaka Expectations for the future? Me for Ue-chan?

Ueda: (Smiling) To me!

Tanaka I respect you as an actor, of course, and I always think you are wonderful, but personally, I think that one day a production of "Directed by Keisuke Ueda" will be staged in a ridiculously large box (venue), and I hope you can make that happen. I want him to become the strongest person who can both act and direct!

Ueda I would like to send a message to Ryosei: ...... It is truly amazing that you have been able to continue for 10 years because you decided that you wanted to continue on this path. I have been an actor for about 18 years, and no matter where I turn, I always think, "Maybe I am the happiest now," or "Maybe I am the most frustrated now. I think it is wonderful that the more I continue, the more often I feel it. I hope Ryosei will continue to see the scenery he wants to see, feel frustrated, and have many more experiences. Also, Ryosei doesn't act like a big brother, but I think he is becoming a big brother, so I would like to see him acting like a big brother.

───Then, please tell us about the highlights of "Be with you" that you two have created together and what you would like us to pay attention to.

Ueda: The theme this time is "love. We don't often play the role of a single woman, but Ryosei's role will give us an interesting portrait of a character who doesn't understand love so well, yet is so full of love and has unyielding beliefs. I hope that Ryosei and I will both be able to grow a pair through this work, so please look forward to it.

Tanaka I am often told that I "take a step back and look at things" or that I "care too much about others. I know this myself. But it is not because I do not want to be in front of others. It's just that it's in my nature to act that way. But this time, I have to stand alone on the stage and do everything by myself. I want to stand on the stage believing in what I have done for the past 10 years, and I want to make this a work that will be a guideline for me to continue for the next 10 or 20 years. The script is filled with various messages. I hope to deliver it with the theme of "love" and make everyone who receives it leave with a smile on their face.

Text and interviews by Chie Kobayashi
Photo: Takahiro Kikuchi
Hair and makeup= Risa Suzuki (akenoko▲)

<Performance Summary
Ryosei Tanaka 10th anniversary one-man show "Be with you
Performance Period] Thursday, February 13, 2025 - Sunday, February 16, 2025
Theater] Mixalive TOKYO 6F Theater Mixa
Planning and Produce] Yoshihiko Aramaki
Screenplay] MIURA Kaoru
Direction】 Keisuke Ueda
Music] HIRONO Ryota TAKA

Appearance] Ryosei Tanaka

Official websitehttps://s-size.co.jp/stage-info/stage/be-with-you/
[Official X] @RT_Be_with_youhttps://x.com/rt_be_with_you)

Sponsored by "Be with you" Production Committee

Live streaming of the two performances on the day of the opening night at Theater Complex TOWN!
For more information.Check here