Episode 4

Tadatsugu's
startingsalary as anemployee
was 30,000yen...

...or that’s
what it wassupposed tobe...

Huh??

Is it aninstallment
payment...?

The production
company wasin fact facing
extremefinancialdifficulties...
... and wentbankrupt lessthan a year after
Tadatsugu washired.

This is only
6,000 yen...

This
month'ssalary isevenless...?
* The following monthEpisode 4

Alright!
I'll start over asa freelancestage manager!!

Starting withthe preparationof rubber-soled
shoes for thechorus on an
opera stage...
...he neatlyorganized props
and showed
considerationand care for theperformers.
He was extremely
conscientious
about creating a
superb stage.

It may not be
so obvious
from adistance...

Argh!!

...but the factthat a lady's
necklace is madeof cardboard...

This isunacceptable!!

057

If you would
kindly lend us anecklace, we will
give you freeadvertising in theopera program!!

He searched fora store thatwould lend hima real necklace.

...Alright...

Thank youso much!!

Sparkling sobrightly
against thelighting....

Even if I refused,
you would keep
coming to me
everyday...I giveup.

Please!
Please give
it somethought!

Just look at
the brillianceof the realthing!!

How about
putting in
crystalchandeliers?

One day when
preparing forthe staging ofLa traviata

OK. Then, we
can use larger
veneer boards
than usual,and...

Imitations
again!?

A courtesan's
room should be
luxurious, right?

Violetta's necklace isreal, but thechandeliers areveneer!!

I know, but realchandeliers would
cost at least
60,000 yen each.
C'mon, a government
employee's startingsalary is 12,000 yen.
It's just impossible...

We have toforget about it.
60,000 yen each...

Chandeliers

No way!!

I'm not going togive up!!
Real ones...

060

...YesThis is it!!
This is perfect forthe chandeliers inVioletta's salon!!

Excuse me!!
Please tell me who
manufactured thischandelier!!

But please...
I just want you toknow more about
the poor state ofopera in Japan...

Tadatsugu wentto negotiate
directly with themanufacturer.

You again...
Hahaha...
I've heard thatstory from youover and over.

I yield toyour passion.
I'll lend you twochandeliers forfree for threemonths.

Really!?
Thank youvery much!!

I'm sorry tobother you.

Wooow!!
They're sobright!!

Look at this great
response from theaudience just to thecurtain going up...
Mmmm...
they'regorgeous...

There's no room
for the singers...

This experience
prompted
Tadatsugu to
become evenmore exacting in
his stage work...
...and caused him
to develop greateraffection for props.

In 1961,
there wassomething
in the air...
...suggestingthat a new era
was unfolding.

Yes? The stage
manager of aballet school
performance?

OK. I'll come andwatch a stage
rehearsal.

This offer camefrom theTchaikovsky
Memorial Tokyo
Ballet School,
which had justopened theprevious year.
It was Japan's firstauthentic balletschool, and had
invited twoteachers from theSoviet Union (nowRussia).

This school seems
totally different fromordinary Japaneseballet schools!

They always practice
to live piano
accompaniment...

The other teacher
was Mr. Alexei
Varlamov, a balletmaster with theBolshoi Theater.

As many as 400
people, including
professional
dancers, applied
from all over Japanto take the entrance
exam.

The teachers
invited from theBolshoi Ballet
were top notch.
Ms. Sulamith
Messerer was a
Principal People's
Artist of theSoviet Union.

In addition toballet lessons,the students
could also takepiano lessons andRussian andEnglish languagelessons.

This is thereal deal!!

The monthly
tuition of 7,000
yen was high,but all point
shoes andcostumes wereprovided forfree.

The enthusiasmof both theteachers and thestudents istremendous!!

Alright...!

I'm going tocreate a dazzlingstage equal tothese authentic
standards!

The school held
its first
performanceon August 21,
1961, one year
and threemonths after it
opened.

The venue wasTokyo Bunka
Kaikan, which had
just been
completed in Aprilof that year.

The program
was TheNutcracker
with a liveorchestra.

It was an
unprecedented
performance, with
12 guest dancers
invited from theBolshoi Ballet.