Dream Boy or Dream Boys (abbreviated as Doribo) is a Japanese musical production. It features many performers from Johnny & Associates and was first performed in January 2004 as Magical Musical Dream Boy starring Hideaki Takizawa, and has been performed again with repeated cast and content changes. It is a story of "boys' dreams, setbacks, and friendship," interwoven with boxing, flying direction, comedy, and improvisation. It was written, composed, and directed by Johnny Kitagawa; Koichi Domoto has directed the show since Kitagawa's death in 2019.
Story The story of Dream Boy has varied over the years, with multiple changes to the script and score. The 2004 and 2005 productions were stories "about the world of boxing", an element that has been carried over into the majority of later productions. In 2006, in addition to the boxing storyline, a new heart transplantation storyline was added, and further inspiration was drawn from West Side Story with a new conflict between the East and West.
In 2007, Johnny Kitagawa rewrote the show again, now featuring three main characters: the protagonist, his rival, and his best friend. The 2007 rewrites feature the drama of the main character killing a boxing champion, and his interactions with the champion's sick brother.
By 2009, another storyline was added in that the main three characters are former members of the same idol group, which was carried over into the 2011 production. The rival remains a boxing champion, while the best friend becomes a musician.
2006 Yokoyama, a movie producer, selects Kazuya to play the lead role in a film about the life of legendary boxer Subaru. However, Subaru and his friends (Kanjani Eight) do not take kindly to Kazuya and his friends (KAT-TUN) and violently oppose them. Subaru and Kamenashi decide to settle their differences in the ring, but what awaits them is a tragedy.
2011 The story follows three people after the breakup of their idol group, who are each involved in a boxing movie as a lead actor, a model athlete, and the theme song writer.
2016 Act 1
The three friends talked about their dreams when they were young, but now have a strained relationship. Yuta quits boxing just before his rookie championship match, but he wants big money and gets a job starring in a movie through Toshiya, who has become a music producer. The fact that it is a boxing movie antagonizes Kent, the champ, and the two box over the shoot. Kent's skull is cracked, his condition deteriorates, and he is hit by a straight right hand from Yuta and falls in the ring. The match seemed to be decided, but Sanada finds a lead plate in Yuta's glove. Kent is rushed to the hospital, and Yuta is framed for a crime he did not commit. Yuta goes into hiding with his madam, the president of a film production company. However, Yasuyi comes to take revenge with a knife, and after a struggle with Kaito, who stops him, Yasuyi stabs himself and falls to the ground. As the police arrive on the scene, Yuta escapes, protecting Kaito, who is holding the knife. Kaito collapses in agony, and Toshiya suspects Yuta and despises him. However, Yuta's desire for a large sum of money is to pay for Kaito's heart surgery, as he loves Kaito like his own brother.
Act 2
While Yuta is on the run, Kaito, who has been performing as one of the "Jet Boys," suffers a seizure on a singing show and is reunited with Kent, who is in the hospital. Kent, who believes in Yuta's innocence, is moved by Kaito's confession of the knife incident. Kent entrusts the Champion's Glove to Kaito and decides to get to the bottom of the matter. Meanwhile, Yuta discovers that the mother who abandoned him as a child was Madame, and that the mother who abandoned the young Kaito was Rika. The lives of both sons were ruined by the feud between the two mothers. When Yuta angrily confronts Rika the truth, she realizes that she has been trying to destroy her own son, Kaito, and her son's benefactor, Yuta, out of hatred for the madam, and she regrets it terribly. Yasuyi and Kent appear at their doorstep, where they reveal that the knife incident was an accident, and that the lead in the glove was Sanada's madness under Rika's direction, and Yuta is finally cleared of suspicion. Yuta returns to tell Kaito that his heart surgery was a success, and the two sets of parents and children are reconciled.
The misunderstanding is cleared up, and the three sing together on a park bench, just as they did when they were children. While Yuta talks about his boxing dream and Toshiya talks about his show business dream, Kent remains motionless and they take care of him. Yuta and Kaito continued to box with Kent in their hearts after he dies
Production history
2004 The first performance at Imperial Theatre starred 21-year-old Hideaki Takizawa. The show's music and theme, "Dream Maker" was composed by Koichi Domoto. Takizawa plays the role of a world boxing champion. During the performance, Takizawa bungee jumped from a height of 15 meters.
The original plan was for a total of 36 performances from January 8 to 31, 2004, attracting 66,000 people, but due to the many requests for tickets, the theater held its first morning performance and three performances a day (additional performances were held for 5 days), and attracted about 75,000 people over their 41 performances. It was announced at the final performance that the show would be performed again in May of the same year.
The first revival of the play was performed at the Umeda Koma Theatre from April 30 to May 23, 2004 for a total of 36 performances. Hideaki Takizawa became the theater's youngest chairperson. The first 14 performances from April 30-May 7, in which Takizawa was not participating due to a concert, starred KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight; the remaining 22 performances from May 8-May 23, starred Takizawa. The production saw a total attendance of 76,200 people.
2004 casts +RoleJanuary 2004April–May 2004ActorHideaki TakizawaHideaki Takizawa (May 8-May 23)ChampYasuei YakushijiKAT-TUNJin AkanishiKazuya KamenashiYuichi NakamaruJunnosuke TaguchiKoki TanakaTatsuya UedaJin AkanishiKazuya KamenashiYuichi NakamaruKoki TanakaTatsuya UedaKat-Tun：Biography2004. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。Kanjani EightRyuhei MaruyamaShingo MurakamiTadayoshi OkuraSubaru ShibutaniShota YasudaYou Yokoyama関ジャニ∞：Biography2004. Johnny's net (n.d.) access-date=2018-06-14A.B.C.A.B.C.Discography(ジャニーズJr.) > Dream Boy［DVD］. Johnny's net (n.d.) access-date=2018-10-14A.B.C. (May 8-May 23)Boys in wheelchairsKei InooHey! Say! Jump：Biography2004. Johnny's net (n.d.) access-date=2018-10-14Yuta TamamoriOthersDaiki AriokaTaisuke FujigayaHiromitsu KitayamaToshiya Miyata Tsubasa MakotoKohei MatsumotoTakashi Nikaido Kento SengaYuya TakakiKota YabuWataru YokooTomohiro KamiyamaAkito KiriyamaJunta NakamaHonoka SuzukiYuya TakakiKota Yabuジャニーズ West：Biography2004. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。
Hey! Say! Dream Boy (2005) Performed at Umeda Arts Theatre from April 27 to May 15, 2005. 37 performances with 70,000 people in attendance. The 2005 production starred KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight. The show featured "flying," in which the performers flew above the audience.
Jin Akanishi did not participate, but made a surprise appearance at the park scene only at the final performance, playing the senior role of Kazuya, which was normally played by Kamenashi.
Cast KAT-TUN Kazuya (Kazuya Kamenashi): martial arts fighter Junnosuke Taguchi Koki Tanaka Tatsuya Ueda Yuichi Nakamaru Kanjani Eight Subaru (Subaru Shibutani)関ジャニ∞：Biography2005. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。 former street fighter Ryo Nishikido, Ryuhei Maruyama, Shota Yasuda,関ジャニ∞：Biography2005. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。 Tadayoshi Okura,関ジャニ∞：Biography2005. Johnny's net (n.d.) access-date=2018-10-14 You Yokoyama,関ジャニ∞：Biography2005. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。 Hiroki Uchi Tomohiro Kamiyama: Subaru's younger brother. Akito Kiriyama, Junta Nakama, Takahiro Hamada.
2006 Starring KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight, ed by Subaru Shibutani, it was performed at Imperial Theatre from January 3 to 29, 2006, for a total of 38 performances, drawing 70,72 audiences.
The circus scene in the first act featured a tightrope walker suspended in midair, Kamenashi flying 15 meters in the air, Junnosuke Taguchi's lat technique, and A.B.C.'s aerial performance. In addition, Tanaka and Nakamaru dressed as clowns and brought audience members up to the stage, and J.J. Express and other trainee tap danced. The "Small but BIG 4," a four-member group formed by Yuto Nakajima (acting), Joey Tee (dancing), Yasumasa Gotoh (violin), and Mao Tommy (baton), each with specialized skills, appeared as a group of specialists in the play. In the second act, Kazuya used a 16.2m x 7.2m vision, the largest in the theater's history, to perform spider flying, running around the wall with his body tilted to the side, suspended in the middle of the screen.
The play featured an arrangement of "Challenger" by Johnny & Associates's star Masahiko Kondo, and songs by KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight were sung following the performance. During a press conference on January 8, it was announced that the play would be performed again the following year, which the performers had not been informed of.
Cast KAT-TUN Kazuya (Kazuya Kamenashi) Childhood friend of Jin and Ryo. He is becoming blind due to the aftereffects of a disease. Kouki (Koki Tanaka): He owes money to a movie company to protect the team. Jin Akanishi (Jin Akanishi): Childhood friend of Kazuya and Ryo Junnosuke Taguchi, Tatsuya Ueda, Yuichi Nakamaru Kanjani Eight Subaru (Subaru Shibutani): Legendary champ and Yuta's older brother. He is suffering from aftereffects of the injury he received in a match. Yokoyama (You Yokoyama) Film producer Ryo (Ryo Nishikido): Childhood friend of Kazuya and Jin Shingo Murakami, Ryuhei Maruyama, Shota Yasuda, Tadayoshi Okura A.B.C. Shota Totsuka, Fumito Kawai, Koichi Goseki, Ryouichi Tsukada Small but BIG 4 Yuta (Yuto Nakajima): A boy with a serious illness Joey T. Tommy Mao Yasukan Goto Hiromitsu Kitayama, Kyohei Iida, Kento Senga, Toshiya Miyata, Wataru Yokoo, Taisuke Fujigaya, Yuta Tamamori, Takashi Nikaido, Daiki Arioka, Kei Inoo, Ryosuke Yamada,Hey! Say! Jump：Biography2006. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-10-14 Yuya Takaki, Ryosuke Hashimoto,A.B.C-Z：Biography2006. Johnny's net (n.d.) 2018-06-14閲覧。 Ryutaro Morimoto
2007 The main cast consisted of Kazuya Kamenashi, Koki Tanaka, and Tomoyuki Yara, and was performed at Imperial Theatre from September 5 to September 30, 2007. A total of 70,000 people attended the 38 performances. It was decided at the beginning of the run that the show would be repeated in March of the following year. Kamenashi showed aerial performances such as trapeze, wall flying, and a high-speed 20-turn.
Cast Kazuya - Kazuya Kamenashi (Kat-Tun): Protagonist Kouki - Koki Tanaka (Kat-Tun): The champ. Legendary boxer and rival of the main character. Yara - Tomoyuki Yara (M.A.): Friend of the main character A.B.C. Koichi Goseki, Shota Totsuka, Fumito Kawai, Ryouichi Tsukada Kis-My-Ft2 Hiromitsu Kitayama, Wataru Yokoo, Taisuke Fujigaya, Toshiya Miyata, Yuta Tamamori, Takashi Nikaido, Kento Senga Producer: Tsubasa Makoto Madame: Maeda Bibari Yuki - Shintaro Morimoto, Ryutaro Morimoto, Taiga Kyomoto (triple cast)
2008 Starring Kazuya Kamenashi, it was performed at the Imperial Theatre from March 4 to March 30, 2008, and at the Umeda Arts Theatre Main Hall from April 4 to April 16, 2008. 200 performances in total were achieved at the evening performance on March 8. The main cast for the Imperial Theatre performance was Koki Tanaka and Kota Yabu, and Daichi Nakata joined the cast for the Osaka performance. Kamenashi played the role of a boxer following his role in the TV drama The Gospel of One Pound at the same time. He had to remake all 23 of his costumes because his body had grown by one size.