Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight -The STAGE Junior High- Rebellion (少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト -The STAGE 中等部- Rebellion, Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight -The STAGE Chūtō-bu- Rebellion) is a stage play presented at HIKOSEN Theater in Tokyo between June 7-12, 2023.
Two performances on June 10 were made available for online streaming for domestic and international viewers on eplus.
Summary[]
Seisho Music Academy, Siegfeld Institute of Music, and Seiran General Art Institute are to put on a play as part of an exchange program between the three schools.
With Yachiyo supervising Siegfeld, she and the five middle schoolers meet with Claudine, Futaba, and Suzu. The play they will be performing is Seisho's popular program "The Wartime of Farewells". As it had been previously revived with Kaoruko and Maya in the lead roles, Claudine and Futaba participate with an extraordinary resolve; meanwhile, Suzu gains a keen interest in Siegfeld's newborn raw gems.
Following Regalia, each of them has taken a step forward as a Stage Girl, but Shiro alone remains without a reason to stand on stage. Shiro has been a servant of the Siegfeld family since childhood, and has lived her life solely for Stella's sake, giving everything up for her. However, her reason of being is shaken up once a camaraderie between Stella and Ryoko starts to develop after their revue.
Succumbing to emotion, Shiro reaches her limit—
This is a tale of Rebellion.
"You don't have to act anymore—"[1]
Synopsis[]
WARNING: This section contains spoilers for the stage play.
The play begins with the Junior High singing a song about how life is always changing and holds many possibilities, like a kaleidoscope, which the seniors join in the middle.
Kuina is shown interrogating the Junior High about if they're ready for the first day of the exchange program with seniors from other schools, namely Claudine and Futaba from Seisho and Suzu from Seiran. Ryoko is worried that they're going to be scary, and Shiro reassures her by saying that she has researched all of them and can provide an instruction manual. Yachiyo joins them, and tells them not to be so formal when they greet her, because she's not as strict as Akira. For the exchange program, Akira and Shiori went to Seiran, and Michiru and Mei Fan went to Seisho. Kuina comments on Shiori being noticed by other schools, and Yachiyo teases her, asking if she sees Shiori as a rival. Kuina and the rest of the Junior High say they can't lose to her, because she's also in junior high.
Suzu bursts in, with Futaba and Claudine following, who say Suzu is like a puppy. Suzu calls Yachiyo Tsururin, but she doesn't seem to like the nickname very much. After everyone introduces themselves, Suzu starts asking the Junior High a lot of questions and fussing over Stella, which Shiro reacts defensively to and Minku holds Shiro back. Futaba has to step in because Suzu's scaring them. Minku says Suzu is funny and cool and like a ninja jumping over the wall of people. Minku gets Suzu's nickname for Isurugi (Ishi Ugoki) and Suzu says it seems like they're on the same frequency. Minku asks Suzu to give them nicknames as well, and she comes up with: Stella - Ojou, Shiro - Shironne, Ryoko - Poppo-chan, Minku - Uumin, Kuina - Kuikui. The other upperclassmen react negatively and start complaining about their own nicknames. The Junior High seem to like their nicknames, although Stella was surprised by hers, and Kuina says she doesn't want Minku to call her Kuikui. The bell rings and they run off to class.
Saikawa-sensei announces that they will be performing Seisho's The Wartime of Farewells. The script and costumes will be tailored to them (Yachiyo says to look forward to the costumes). The casting has already been done, and when announcing the roles, Shiro appears dejected at not being cast as Fiona, who is Ayla's (played by Stella) partner in the play. Kuina is very excited to learn from Futaba, and Minku is also curious about how Mahiru played Teresa before, so Claudine says she'll arrange a tea party for them. Suzu immediately wants to join the tea party, saying she'll join even if she dies, and gets excited about what to wear, considering a full body Suzdal Cat suit. Yachiyo leaves to show the upperclassmen to the auditorium, Futaba gives a word of good luck to Kuina, and Claudine asks Minku to give her her contact info later. Kuina, Minku, and Ryoko huddle together and squeal about how cool the upperclassmen are. Saikawa-sensei reminds them that on stage, everyone is equal as co-stars, and leaves.
The Junior High lament about how to get into their characters, and Stella mentions how they're all popular names in Germany, so maybe she can use some sort of German customs, but she doesn't know. Shiro watches the four converse from afar, and then reflects internally on how Stella has changed. She feels torn somehow, despite the fact that it should be a good thing that Stella can face the stage now. She sings, wondering if Stella doesn't need her anymore, even though Shiro dedicated her whole life to Stella. The rest of the Junior High sing about performing on stage, while Shiro is alone in the back singing about how Stella shouldn't change and leave her. Minku is excited about the tea party, and Stella and Ryoko say they'll go too, and Kuina says she's worried about them so she'll tag along. They say she can just say she wants to go and poke fun at her, calling her Kuikui, and they exit the stage, leaving Shiro alone. Shiro finishes the song, singing that if it were possible, she would want to be erased.
The seniors appear in the audience, looking at the auditorium (the stage) and commenting on it. Futaba feels pressured about playing Catalina since Kaoruko played her, and Kaoruko said that if Futaba messes up she'll go to hell. Suzu says she's also feeling under pressure playing Mariavera, Maya's role. Claudine says she's going to surpass her old self, and she can't lose to Maya, who went to Seiran for the exchange. Yachiyo says she'll do her best as Siegfeld's representative. She says the reason the Junior High are participating is because Akira suggested it to help train the next generation of Siegfeld students, etc., and does an impression of Akira. Futaba says they have to look cool for the juniors, and then they perform a jazzy song about it and enjoying themselves.
Stella (Ayla) and Ryoko (Fiona) are rehearsing, while Shiro watches from afar. Shiro sees Stella acting sad and is reminded of Stella's fragility in Regalia, and hallucinates her calling out to Shiro for help. Shiro calls out to Stella, but then is snapped out of her trance when Yachiyo enters, telling Stella and Ryoko to stop. She notices Shiro's face is blue, but Shiro brushes her off. Yachiyo says their acting was good, but still a bit stiff, and starts giving Ryoko advice on how to get a wider perspective. Stella says she feels pressure because they were selected to perform even though they're in junior high, and Shiro scolds her, calling her pathetic and saying she shouldn't succumb to that pressure as the daughter of House Siegfeld. Stella apologizes, and Shiro falters and says she didn't want her to apologize. Yachiyo tries to break the ice, and Ryoko says they should do their best and not worry too much about failing. Stella and Ryoko walk off joking about how they might not be able to fit into their costumes anymore if they practice the fight scenes a lot.
Yachiyo tries to ask Shiro to tell her about what she's worried about, but Shiro says she doesn't need that and walks away. Yachiyo interrupts her saying it's too bad, because she heard Akira said Shiro's on par with the Edels, but she's disappointed. Shiro portrays Luisa as a character who would sacrifice herself for the sake of her comrades. By acting like that, she's acting all by herself. Yachiyo says she knows because she was the same. She says if you don't open your heart, no one will open their hearts for you. Shiro interrupts her, saying it's just acting. As long as you can deceive the audience, that's good enough. Yachiyo takes deep offense to this, and says that if she meant that for real, she doesn't want to stand on stage with Shiro. She then passes it off as a joke and walks away passive aggressively.
One month later, before the performance of The Wartime of Farewells (everyone is in the play costumes), Kuina greets the staff and then peeks at a picture of Futaba she had in her pocket. Minku creeps up on her and teases her about it, accusing her of cheating on Akira. Kuina freaks out and says it's not cheating because she has framed photos of Akira, and this is just because she respects Futaba (she says while biting her lip). They change subjects and discuss how they noticed Shiro is different from usual, wondering if she has something going on. Minku says maybe it's because she was super hungry, and Kuina ignores that she said that. Claudine and Futaba talk about Maya and Kaoruko coming to watch, and Ryoko is worried about her family coming to watch and if they're going to be able to sit still. Suzu and Stella are talking about how Seiran's Snow White at Seisho was well received, and Yachiyo comes in late because Akira called her about Siegfeld's Waltz with the Beautiful Beast at Seiran getting a standing ovation. Shiro comes in late. Stella asks her if something happened, and she says no. Everyone huddles and Futaba and Suzu call everyone's role names, and Shiro looks especially unenthusiastic, barely moving her arm at all when they did a group chant.
Everyone leaves except Shiro, Stella, and Yachiyo, and Shiro asks Stella if she's scared of performing. Stella says she's not afraid because she has everyone there to support her, including Shiro, who protects her. She asks if Shiro is okay, and Shiro says she became okay just then. Stella says she'll see her on stage and they do a fist bump. Shiro apologizes to Yachiyo for saying something rude, and Yachiyo says she said pretty harsh words as well. Shiro says she's reflected on her self-centered acting and has no hesitations anymore, and when Yachiyo asks if something happened, she says it's because she needed to think more of Stella while thinking of protecting others, as that's the only thing she has. Shiro thanks Yachiyo for paying attention to her, and Yachiyo appears concerned as they leave.
They perform The Wartime of Farewells without many changes to the original script. In the opening scene with the Sun Nation knights, Royce seems to respect and be moved by Mariavera even more. Shiro seems to be playing Luisa in good spirits, and claps Kuina on the shoulder as they exit the stage. Claudine portrays Claudia as even more bloodthirsty and with a deeper voice compared to the first rerun, and sings a song as Claudia about seeking strength. When Catalina announces her plan to revolt, Yachiyo portrays Hanna as having more affection and deep concern for Catalina. In the first meeting of the Sun Nation and Black Lion Nation knights for the military exercise, Mariavera doesn't give Hanna the letter for Catalina, and Claudia attacks Mariavera first without warning, setting Royce off, as opposed to Royce challenging Claudia first. Hanna scolds Claudia for her behavior. During the scene where Ayla tells Fiona about the things she's seen, they sing a song together about the world and the freedom they could have.
Shiro is shown reflecting about how The Wartime of Farewells rubs her the wrong way, watching the battle between Mariavera and Claudia play out from afar. When Claudia says she thought she could understand what it means to be strong, Shiro reflects that to her, to be strong is to have the strength to kill her own feelings in order to protect Stella. She watches Ayla and Fiona promise to travel the world together, and says that she doesn't know that face Stella is making. Mariavera says her reason for being strong is because there's someone she wants to meet again, and she might have been only acting strong. Shiro says that it's true, and she knows because she's always been watching Stella act as someone she's not. Shiro says that both Stella and her will not suffer anymore. She imagines Suzu asking her what her reason for wielding a sword is (similar to Akira asking her why she stands on stage in Regalia), and asking her who her enemy is. Shiro comes to the conclusion that her enemy is the stage itself. It returns to the scene where Luisa takes the flag, and Shiro laughs and says it's pointless, ignores her lines, and walks off stage with the flag. Minku, panicked, announces that Luisa took the Black Lion Nation's flag. The first act ends with Catalina killing the Black Lion Nation king. A 15 minute intermission is announced for The Wartime of Farewells.
Minku runs to Yachiyo for help, and she reassures her and asks her to go check on Shiro. The seniors try to figure out why Shiro did that, thinking she messed up her line, but Kuina says that's impossible because Shiro would never forget a line. Kuina says she'll go talk to Shiro as the class president and they should try to keep the play going.
The Revue ringtone plays and Shiro and Ryoko are shown in the underground theater in their Revue outfits. Shiro says since they're destined to fade from the stage and have to prove the worth of their existence, a dark place like the depths of an opera house is the perfect stage for their end. The Revue of Extinction begins, and Shiro says she'll make anything useless disappear. Shiro blames Ryoko for stealing Stella from her, and laughs when Ryoko says she didn't mean to, quoting what Ryoko said earlier about paying no mind to failure, when Shiro and Stella only came to Japan due to a failure. She tells Ryoko not to do anything unnecessary as an outsider who doesn't know anything.
Stella witnesses Shiro beat Ryoko up and runs to Ryoko's side. Shiro sighs and says nothing is going well, and says she's like the Phantom (from the Phantom of the Opera) who just removed his mask. Stella asks Shiro what happened, and Shiro says that this is her true self, with an ugly, twisted spirit, all messed up with envy, jealousy, and resentment. She says it was always being trapped by the stage.
The music changes to happy as Shiro tells the story of Stella being born to the Siegfelds and forced to pursue the stage even though she was shy and afraid, as well as Shiro, who watched over her from the wings and decided to live for her sake. That is their stage. But Shiro intends to end it, saying to Stella, "You don't have to act anymore." She tells Stella that she doesn't need to act as Stella Siegfeld anymore and she'll free her from that detestable stage. Shiro fights Stella and Ryoko who tries to defend her, and says to Ryoko that she's not supposed to be on this stage. Ryoko says she'll go on stage even if it's not her turn, because she decided she's done running away. Kuina and Minku appear and try to tell Shiro to talk to them (Kuina asks Minku what she could even give advice about and Minku says something like what to eat for dinner). Shiro tells them all to shut up, says her head is pounding, and asks what God wants to see. She says God, cruel as he is, wants to see a tragedy of the highest quality—the Stage Girls' extinction. They sing Rebellion while Shiro fights all four of them at the same time. They marvel at her strength, and Ryoko says she won't give up on being Stella's friend, and wants to be friends with Shiro as well (she calls her Shiro-chan). Minku says she wants to know more about Shiro as well, Ryoko says she wants to know all of her strengths and even her flaws, and Stella calls out her name. Shiro tells them to leave her alone, and then Kuina slaps her on the face. Kuina tells Shiro that it's not just her stage, and the actors are supported by so many staff and stand on top of everyone's wishes, so no matter what, she can't stop a performance. Shiro lashes out and tries to say "What do you know about me?", but Kuina cuts her off and says she knows nothing about her, but she's tried to learn more, and wanted Shiro to come to them for advice before it ended up like this.
The seniors appear in the back in their Revue outfits, and Futaba says that people are difficult, and you'll never know what someone is thinking even if you're with them all the time. Claudine says that despite that, they're happy when they understand each other. Suzu says that never fighting will never make a good play. Yachiyo says that all of them should learn more about each other, not as senpai and kouhai, but as co-stars. They have a Revue with the Junior High (Revue of Daybreak) and Elle and Andrew announce the beginning of the Revue. They all finish singing Rebellion. For much of the Revue Shiro is in the front crouched on the floor holding her head, and after they sing the line "teach me of your loneliness and your tears", she seems to realize something and runs off stage.
Suzu defeats Minku, Futaba defeats Kuina, and Yachiyo defeats Ryoko. Claudine spares Stella, saying that she understood how Stella lived and how she'll live in the future. Stella asks Claudine what she should do, and she says to clash with Shiro and hit her with all her feelings, because Stella's brilliance will save her.
Shiro reappears on stage with her weapon fused, and Stella says that she was trapped by the stage and wanted to run away from it many times. Just like Shiro said, she was probably acting as Stella Siegfeld. Shiro tries to say that she'll free her from it, but Stella says that her love for the stage now isn't acting, it's real. Shiro says that the Stella she knows is different, and Stella says she's not, and this is also her—the new her that was born when she moved to Japan and made friends with Ryoko and everyone else. Shiro says she's trying to deceive her, and Stella says she didn't know that Shiro could make a face like that either. Stella says that even though they're together all the time, there's so many things they don't know, and that's what makes people want to learn more about each other. She says she'll show Shiro how much she loves the stage, and raises her sword. Shiro says she'll accept it, but if there's even a hint of a lie in it, she'll force her off the stage. They fight slowly (similar to the ending of Revue Edel in Delight) and Stella removes Shiro's cape.
Minku, Ryoko, and Kuina appear in the back and reflect on how much they still have to grow. Claudine appears and says that it's okay, because even the seniors are unfinished and incomplete, and the stage isn't made up of just one person. Suzu says that they're always unfinished, because if they were wholly finished, it'd be boring. Yachiyo notices that the atmosphere changed in the theater like it's going to end, and they all run off to begin the second act of The Wartime of Farewells (Minku and Ryoko stress about being able to get back there and change costumes in time, but Yachiyo says not to worry about complicated things like that). Futaba asks Kuina if she's okay with not talking to Shiro, and Kuina says it doesn't seem like her place right now.
Shiro is collapsed on the floor, and Stella tells her that the reason she could stand on stage is because Shiro was there. She wanted to show Shiro, who was always watching over her anxiously from the wings, her stronger self. Stella says thank you to Shiro, and then they sing a song together about Shiro's warmth and love for Stella, and the time they spent together and their bond being even stronger than family, but Stella wants Shiro to live her own life. Shiro worries that Stella doesn't need her anymore, and Stella says she just wants Shiro to live on her own stage and wants to see her shine brilliantly. The rest of the Junior High join and sing about how the lead of your life is yourself. Minku says Kuina wants to tell Shiro something, and Kuina apologizes for hitting her, saying she was scared of Shiro because she was so perfect, but she's not scared anymore. She tells Shiro to come to her if there's anything she's worried about, because she might be able to help. Minku says that Kuina's got a lot of experience with being self-centered, so she should be able to give good advice, and Kuina tackles her. Ryoko asks Shiro to lift her head up, and Shiro says she can't because they're all saying things she doesn't know how to pay them back for. The other four sing part of the kaleidoscope of life song while giving Shiro encouragement, and Shiro joins in. They all welcome Shiro back and give her a big group hug.
The second act of The Wartime of Farewells begins. The Black Lion Nation knights go to challenge the Sun Nation knights at the border, and Mariavera and Catalina meet. The two of them argue about the revolution and the Sun Nation king, with Catalina calling the king a coward, and Mariavera suggesting that the Black Lion Nation surrenders, offering to risk her life to ensure Catalina is pardoned. Catalina makes to leave, but Mariavera gives her the letter—Catalina states that they're enemies right now and she'll read it later.
Luisa appears having organized the battle formation, and Mariavera hugs her, and says she's glad that she returned, because everyone was waiting for her. Given Suzu's smile here, this is likely an ad-lib by Suzu showing support for Shiro. Shiro (ad-libbing as Luisa) says she's sorry for causing so much trouble. The rest of the scene proceeds the same as the original.
Shiro reflects on The Wartime of Farewells once more, saying that the reason it shook her heart is because the tragedy of the knights being unable to understand each other reminded her too much of herself. Hanna appears, telling the troops to hold the line of defense until Catalina returns, and Shiro says it's like her trying to live for others. Hanna's ranged troops take out the soldiers next to Teresa, and she breaks down crying, and Shiro says it's like her breaking down from her anxieties. Royce and Claudia fight, and Royce says he'll surpass Claudia and become the strongest, and Shiro says it's like her wishing to remain strong. She says it's like her with a determined spirit, knowing no fear. Stella says it's like her longing for freedom. Ryoko says it's like her trying to keep her current self. Everyone on stage says that they met themselves on stage. Stella says she remembered what it feels like to love the stage, Shiro says she decided to stand on her own stage. They all say they are Stage Girls, and they'll try to turn any tragedy into the best performance.
The confrontation between Mariavera and Catalina is the same as the original script. In the middle it cuts out to Teresa and Luisa, who show concern for each other and say they feel reassured when they're with each other. After Mariavera dies, Ayla is shown trying to stop the fight between the two nations and says she doesn't want anyone else to die, because even though it might take some time, they will be able to come to understand each other. The final scene is of Catalina reading the letter Mariavera wrote to her, and as it fades to black Catalina appears to kiss Mariavera in her embrace.
Suzu and Futaba collapse after the curtain falls, and Claudine asks why Futaba changed Catalina's tone, and Futaba says that Kaoruko's Catalina is already complete, so she wanted to perform her own interpretation of Catalina. Claudine says she'll hear a lot from Kaoruko after going back to the dorms. Suzu begs Claudine to ask Maya what she thought of her Mariavera, because she performed it with "Tenten respect" in mind. Yachiyo says she wants to hear Junna's thoughts too. Futaba says Claudine should ask Maya about her thoughts on Claudine's acting too, and Claudine impersonates Maya saying "Saijo-san, it was wonderful acting."
Shiro and Stella appear and apologize for what happened, and Stella says it's all her fault that Shiro ended up like that so she'll take all the responsibility, and Shiro says it was all her, and they beg for forgiveness. The seniors ask them to listen to the second round of applause the audience gave them, and Yachiyo says that the stage is a living thing so issues are bound to happen, and with this applause you can forget about it all. Minku and Kuina and Ryoko come in stressed about the second round of applause, but the seniors simply bathe in it, so they do as well. Stella says that they're being blessed by the stage, and that they're finally Stage Girls. The Junior High all agree that even though they're still rough gems, they're living on stage. They perform a curtain call song which is the curtain call song for The Wartime of Farewells play within the play, but also the curtain call for the whole play.
Cast[]
![]() Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High | ||||
![]() Kokoro Kuge Minku Umibe |
![]() Kanon Matsuzawa Shiro Ogami |
![]() Hina Aoki Stella Takachiho |
![]() Ruka Fukagawa Ryoko Kobato |
![]() Yuria Sato Kuina Moriyasu |
Edels |
![]() Haruka Kudō Yachiyo Tsuruhime |
![]() Seisho Music Academy | |
![]() Aina Aiba Claudine Saijo |
![]() Teru Ikuta Futaba Isurugi |
![]() Seiran General Art Institute |
![]() Minami Tsukui Suzu Minase |
Ensemble[]
- Arisa Shinohara as Kuromi Saikawa (teacher)
- Yūri Inada
- Miyu Kurogi
- Sakura Shinomoto
- Momoka Natsume
The Wartime of Farewells Roles[]
Sun Nation[]
- Mariavera il Sole: Suzu Minase
- Ayla Santorum: Stella Takachiho
- Teresa Alberto: Minku Umibe
- Luisa Bachmann: Shiro Ogami
- Royce Klein: Kuina Moriyasu
Black Lion Nation[]
- Catalina Leopardo: Futaba Isurugi
- Fiona Schneider: Ryoko Kobato
- Claudia Schwarzwolf: Claudine Saijo
- Hanna Richter: Yachiyo Tsuruhime
Revues[]
Note: Bolded names indicate the winner of the Revue.
- Revue of Extinction (Shiro Ogami vs. Stella Takachiho, Ryoko Kobato, Minku Umibe, Kuina Moriyasu)
- Revue of Daybreak (Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase vs. Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Stella Takachiho vs. Shiro Ogami)
Setlist[]
Main Part[]
- Kaleidoscope of Life (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase)
- Disappearing Me (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High)
- Enjoy Myself (Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase)
- Claudia Schwarzwolf (クラウディア・シュバルツヴォルフ) (Claudine Saijo)
- Sing of Freedom (Stella Takachiho, Ryoko Kobato)
- Rebellion (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase)
- Kaleidoscope of Revue (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High)
- Wakare to Unmei to Eien no Butai (別れと運命と永遠の舞台, The Stage of Farewells, Fate, and Eternity) (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase, ensemble)
Live Part[]
- YUMEmiRO (ユメみロ) (performed by Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High)
- Star Diamond (performed by Aina Aiba, Teru Ikuta, Haruka Kudō, and Minami Tsukui)
- Hoshi no DIALOGUE (星のダイアローグ, Star Dialogue) (performed by Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Aina Aiba, Teru Ikuta, Haruka Kudō, and Minami Tsukui)
- Discovery! (ディスカバリー!) (performed by Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Aina Aiba, Teru Ikuta, Haruka Kudō, and Minami Tsukui)
MC - Kaleidoscope of Revue (Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High, Claudine Saijo, Futaba Isurugi, Yachiyo Tsuruhime, Suzu Minase, ensemble)
Video[]
【SPOILER ALERT(ネタバレ注意)】Revue Starlight -The STAGE Junior High-Rebellion Highlight Video
-The STAGE Junior High- Rebellion Highlight Video
Trivia[]
- In most dictionaries, the word "Rebellion" can either refer to an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader, or the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. However, it is also expressed as a feeling of strong disagreement with an organization or with people in authority.