Musical Sougen no Hito

Musical Sougen no Hito (ミュージカル草原の人; Musical Prairie Girl) is a 2003 musical by Matsuura Aya and Melon Kinenbi. The DVD and VHS of the musical were released on May 21, 2003, and it also featured a little concert and a making-of footage with birthday parties for Otani Masae and Shibata Ayumi. The musical is based on a poem by late enka singer Hibari Misora. A soundtrack and single were also released for Sougen no Hito. It ran from February 7-11, 2003 in Osaka, and February 15-23, 2003 in Tokyo.
==Synopsis==
Set in Yokohama during the early 1952 summer, when post-war confusion has begun to finally calm down. Inoue Aiko (Matsuura), who loves jazz, helps to manage her foster father Yuzo's Western food restaurant Kiraku, working as a "draw girl." Their specialty is an omelette with rice for which they are known around the neighborhood. Nakabayashi Noboru (Shibata), the heir son of the movie theater Minato Za (which is directly opposite Kiraku) is in love with Aiko, but hasn’t proposed officially yet. One day, Aiko meets Iwai "Cane" Tokio again, whom she knew from the orphanage she lived in as a child. Tokio came to Yokohama to enter the Korean War as an American marine. He is relieved to see Aiko living brightly and happily, but will head for the battlefield shortly. It is a story of the first love between robust youths living in post-war Japan.
==Cast==
*Matsuura Aya as Inoue Aiko
*Toda Rinne as Ooshiro Tamako (daughter of a real estate agent)
*From Melon Kinenbi
**Shibata Ayumi as Nakabayashi Noboru
**Murata Megumi as Keiko (Kazuko's Sister)
**Otani Masae as Kana (Noboru's sister)
**Saito Hitomi as Kondo Shizuko
*Ensemble
**Kato Noriko as Iwai "Cane" Tokio
**Ogishima Shinichi as Inoue Yuzo
**Yuka Eri as Kojima Kazumo (Mother of Jun Kissa)
**Yokoyama Chisa as Tachibana Mariko (Aiko's real mother)
**Tsuji Sayaka as Yoshida Mary
**Noguchi Hiroko (Dance Ensemble)
**Katagiri Yuko (Dance Ensemble)
**Kawazaki Miki (US Military Official)
**Ikegami Ryo as Lt. Richard (US Marine Corps Lieutenant)
**Nao (Gee-Hoizu) as Shirakawa Belle (US Military Interpreter)
**Oshimizu Hakata (Dance Ensemble)
**Michima (Dance Ensemble)
==DVD Tracklist==
* Musical Sougen no Hito
* Yeah! Hot Live (mini-concert) - Matsuura Aya with Melon Kinenbi
*# The Bigaku
*# ♡Momoiro Kataomoi♡
*# 100kai no Kiss
*# LOVE Namida Iro
*# Yeah! Meccha Holiday
* DVD Backstage Bonus
** Interviews and a birthday cake for Shibata Ayumi and Otani Masae
==Trivia==
*Rinne had just graduated from Country Musume to become a stage actress at the time of this musical. This was her only activity as a stage actress before becoming inactive.
*The title of the play can be interpreted differently; it might refer to the people in the play (People of the Fields), the female lead character (Prairie Girl) or the male lead character (Boy in the Field).
==External Links==
*Discography: UP-FRONT WORKS
Category:2003 DVDs
Category:2003 Musicals
Category:2003 VHSs
Category:Matsuura Aya DVDs
Category:Melon Kinenbi DVDs In
Category:Matsuura Aya VHSs