English Title: The Emblem of Venezia / Junction 24
Japanese Title: ヴェネチアの紋章 ／ ジャンクション24
Romanized Title: Venechia no Monshou/Jankushon 24

Troupe: Hanagumi
Year: 1991
Performances: Takarazuka, 6/28 - 8/6; Tokyo, 11/3 - 11/29

The Emblem of Venezia:

Based On: the novel The Murder of Saint Marco by Shiono Nanami
Author/Director: Shibata Yukihiro
Music Composed By: Terada Takio, Yoshida Yuuko
Choreographer: Nakura Kayoko
Shinjin Kouen Director: Shibata Yukihiro
Shinjin Kouen Conductor: Nomura Youji

Junction 24:

Author/Director: Kusano Akira
Music Composed By: Terada Takio, Yoshida Yuuko, Takahashi Kuni
Choreography: Hayama Kiyomi, Nakura Kayoko, Jim Clark, Shou Sumire, Ooura Mizuki

Available on DVD: Yes (release date 12/20/08)
DVD Scene/Music Cut: Yes
Scene 4 of Junction 24 had sound replaced

Role	Cast	Shinjinkouen Cast
Alvise Gritti	Ooura Mizuki	Makoto Tsubasa
Livia (Madame Priuli)	Hibiki Mito	Hana Youko
Marco Dandolo (Alvise's old playmate)	Anju Mira	Aika Mire
Priuli (Livia's husband)	Ritsu Tomomi	Oomai Kaori
Mellina (Alvise's mother)	Kitakouji Miho	Kirihara Shouko
Andrea Gritti (The monarch of Venezia, Alvise's father)	Misa Noeru	Tachibana Sae
Pietro Zen (An ambassador of Venezia)	Isono Chihiro	Shizuki Asato
Lemine	Mineoka Nachi	Himiya Reiko
Vittorio (Alvise's subordinate)	Maya Miki	Takumi Hibiki
Ibrahim (the Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire)	Kaji Issei	Ootomo Reika
Kazim	Takaragi Meri	Shibuki Jun
Giovanni (Vittorio's companion)	Aika Mire	Hatsukaze Midori
Laudomia (Alvise's niece)	Hana Youko	Tsukikage Hitomi
Sebastiano Contarini	Makoto Tsubasa	Natsushiro Rei
Olympia (Marco's mistress)	Kousaka Chiaki	Morina Miharu
Orfan (Ottoman Captain)	Shibuki Jun	Kizuki Ayumu
Rossana	Kirihara Shouko	Shou Tsukasa
Danieli (Ottoman Captain)	Takumi Hibiki	Kaori Yutaka
Enrico (Ottoman Captain)	Natsushiro Rei	Iori Naoka
Sultan Süleyman	Shizuki Asato	Ezaki Rise
Veronica	Morina Miharu	Aya Hiromi

Other Cast: Takatsuki Shou, Kurokawa Miyuki, Shino Yuka, Natsume Kana, Tachibana Sae, Yumeno Chikoto, Moemi Serika, Oogi Chihiro, Asakaze Yuki, Yukino Marie, Hama Shioka, Morotori Ai, Shiraho Mari, Asaki Yui, Futaba Karen, Shihou Akeno, Masono Arisu, Akiyoshi Akane, Ibuki Kazu, Mizuki Ai, Maio Tsubasa, Shiki Kaoru, Mayuka Reo, Mariai Hitomi, Sachimi Anna, Yuuya Naho, Chinami Yuu, Kazato Yuma, Kochou Asuka, Sagami Rei, Ai Miyabi, Asakura Aoi, Otoki Mika

Grand Theater only: Sagano Yuri

WARNING!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!

At the beginning of the sixteenth century the Republic of Venezia was the most prosperous country in Europe. The two great powers of the day, the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, were putting pressure on Venezia. Carolus V, the King of Spain and the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, had Rome and the whole of the Italian peninsula under his control except for the Republics of Venezia and Florence. Mohammed II, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, had conquered the Byzantine Empire and occupied Constantinople.

Constantinople was the center of the flourishing trade between Western Europe and the Orient. Mohammed's grandson, Sultan Süleyman, ruled the greatest territory in the Mediterranean world. The Republic of Venezia depended on trade with the Turkish Empire.

In 1527, Alvise Gritti, a thirty year-old of great wealth returned to his homeland Venezia from Constantinople. He was the youngest illegitimate child of Andrea Gritti, the monarch of Venezia. His mother, Mellina, was a Grecian woman who lived in Constantinople. From the age of eight he was educated in Venezia for twelve years. He then returned to Constantinople after college. His great personal resources, his courage and his good looks made the tall young man in a few short years the idol of the ladies of the Empire, the trusted advisor to the Sultan and his Chief Minister, Ibrahim, and a most successful businessman. Alvise had everything in the world he desired except for a noble rank. His illegitimate birth put a title out of his reach.

Alvise was a proud man like his father and he could not bear to be excluded from the highest ranks of society. Alvise's birth make it impossible for him to marry the aristocratic lady he fell in love with. This was the motivation for him to seek his fortune outside of Venezia and to drive himself to amass such enormous wealth. His dream was nothing less than someday ruling Venezia.

When Alvise returned to Venezia he met Marco Dandolo, an old childhood playmate. Marco, now a Senator, was very happy to meet Alvise after a ten year separation. Marco believed Alvise's only reason to return to Venezia was to attend the wedding of his niece, Laudomia. Olympia, Marco's mistress, told Marco that she was certain Alvise had other more important reasons for coming back to Venezia.

Landomia's wedding was a splendid celebration held in the royal palace. All the guests were surprised to see the usually subdued and rather cool Madame Priuli dance the Morreca with Alvise. The couple danced passionately and saw nothing but each other.

Not long before Alvise's scheduled departure Marco saw Madame Priuli leaving as he arrived to visit his old friend. Alvise confessed to Marco that Madame Priuli was Livia, his former sweetheart. After Alvise had left for Constantinople she had become the second wife of Priuli but their love never died and Alvise and Livia were still deeply in love with each other.

Alvise returned to Constantinople. Soon after, Marco was ordered to serve as adjutant to Pietro Zen, the Venezian Ambassador to the Turkish court. The Venezian Monarch, Gritti, told Marco that his son had long been a Venezian secret agent. He asked Marco to help Alvise.

King Ferdinand of Austria, the brother of Carolus V, invaded Hungary, a vassal state in the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan was forced to postpone his plans to push the invaders out because there was no General available to direct his army. Alvise volunteered to lead the attack.

The Venezian Ambassador, Zen, begged Alvise to wait until he could consult with the Monarch of Venezia. The Ambassador believed that it was politically unwise for the son of the Monarch of Venezia to lead the Sultan's army against Austria over yet another country, Hungary. However Alvise did not wait. He led the Sultan's army to victory and Alvise was appointed Governor-General of Hungary. Alvise had even higher ambitions. He wanted the Hungarian throne.

Marco reported Alvise's actions and ambitions to the national assembly in Venezia. The Monarch and the government feared that Alvise would cause the relationships between Venezia and Carolus V to break down. They fiercely opposed Alvise.

Marco secretly met Livia and gave her a ring from Alvise. The ring was a signal from Alvise that the time was right for Livia to leave her husband. Alvise had become politically powerful as well as wealthy. His plan was first for Livia to join him in Constantinople where they could live together. Then after he became King of Hungary they would marry. It seemed to be no more than a matter of time. Just then riots broke out in Hungary and as Governor-General it was Alvise's duty to put them down...

---

At dawn in a big city a youth sings about his loneliness. The train station clock mysteriously begins to move anticlockwise.The drab station is transformed into a showy revue theater. The entire cast bounds joyfully out onto the stage to sing and dance.

Guy (Singer) ~ Ooura Mizuki
Gal ~ Hibiki Mito
Guy ~ Anju Mira, Maya Miki



Three street musicians, Red, Benny and Glen, perform on the city streets. One day a thief suddenly grabs their musical instruments and runs. Benny and Glen run after the robber. Red is left alone.

Downhearted he stares at the gleaming instruments in the display window of a music shop. A figure appears out of nowhere and offers to take Red into a jazzy dream world.

Red ~ Maya Miki
Glen ~ Misa Noeru
Benny ~ Kaji Issei
Jazzy Fairy ~ Hana Youko



A snobbish-Iooking, rather elegant gentleman is on his way to meet his lady friend at the train station when Stephan and Yudi, two common road sweepers, get in his way. The gentleman tears himself away and rushes off to his appointment. The roadsweepers come across a beautiful young girl waiting for someone on a station bench. The roadsweepers make a pass at the girl and the three have a gay time until the snobbish fellow finally arrives and takes his girl off. The train pulls out leaving behind two very disappointed roadsweepers.

Stephan ~ Ooura Mizuki
Yudi ~ Isono Chihiro
Gentleman ~ Anju Mira
Girl ~ Shino Yuka



At the station entrance an aristocratic-looking lady who in fact is a thief receives a stolen attache case from her gang. As various trains pull into the station the attache case is passed from hand to hand.

Lady thief ~ Hibiki Mito
Her gang ~ Aika Mire, Makoto Tsubasa
Jazz singers (trio) ~ Mineoka Nachi, Natsume Kana, Tachibana Sae

Singers and dancers dressed in white disembark from a white train.

Singer in White ~ Anju Mira

An elderly gentleman who was a passenger on a silver train does an amusing dance with two ladies of the silver set.

Elderly gentleman ~ Ooura Mizuki

A young lad full of pep and clad in red jumps off a red train and dances with two lasses in red.

Young lad in red ~ Maya Miki

A golden train pulls in. Three of its wealthy passengers sing a comical tune.

Three wealthy passengers ~ Hibiki Mito, Kitakouji Miho, Misa Noeru

A killer and his tough gang arrive on a jet-black train.

Killer ~ Anju Mira

The godfather of all the gangsters fires a golden machine gun at all the passengers and shoots out the lights by mistake. In the dark and all alone the godfather dances the blues.

Godfather ~ Ooura Mizuki

The stage is transformed into a setting for a gorgeous line-up.



In the darkness a man appears with a flashlight and an attache case. His name is Ever Green. He takes a jacket out of the case, puts it on and sadly sings his memories.

Ever Green is a dancer in this city but once before he had left town. He had three close friends who were also dancers, Tommy, Charlie and Lise. Ever Green was in love with Lise. One day he discovered Lise and Tommy were in love with each other and he decided to leave his friends and the city behind.

Just at that time there was a chance to audit on for a show that needed a trio of dancers, one girl and two guys. Ever Green was the best dancer of the four. Without him, none of the others would likely pass the audition. Ever Green gave Charlie intensive training until Charlie was good enough to go through the audition with Tommy and Lise with flying colors. Then it was time for Ever Green to leave.

Ever Green ~ Ooura Mizuki
Ever (a former) ~ Anju Mira
Tommy ~ Shibuki Jun
Charlie ~ Takumi Hibiki
Lise ~ Morina Miharu



Ever Green sings a blues song The Dancer At Midnight. Then he walks out of the dancers' training institute leaving his jacket behind him. All the other dancers find his jacket, realize what has happened and search for him crying out, "Please, please come back, Ever Green." Ever Green is deeply moved by their pleas for him to stay. He comes back. Dressed in gold as the star of the show Ever Green dances joyfully with his mates.

Ever Green (The star of the show) ~ Ooura Mizuki



A duet leads off with a rhythm impossible to resist. Next a star dancer leads a group of twelve to the gallant beat of "Tuxedo Junction." The exciting Takarazuka kick line follows. And then on the dazzling, grand staircase a happy couple dances gracefully. The show closes with the entire cast on stage to bid the audience farewell.

• FInal performance for Ooura Mizuki and Hibiki Mito.
• Also the final performance for Kitakouji Miho, Kaji Issei, Kurokawa Miyuki, Kousaka Chiaki, Yukino Marie, Ezaki Rise, and Sagano Yuri (Grand Theater).

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