Sigh, I'd love to see the Trocks too, like their spoofs of "Les Sylphides", "Concerto Barocco" and "Deaths and Entrances" - if they're still performed, that is

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And yes, Japan is their biggest market, but it makes sense as there are lots of cross-dressing theatre forms in Japan from Kabuki with all the roles performed by men, to musicals where all the roles are performed by girls. <P>Couldn't agree more, Stuart. The all-female musicals you mentioned are performed by the Takarazuka Revue, which is staffed by graduates of its school. Selection is strict, the training even more so. (There is a film based on the women of Takarazuka called "Dream Girls".) <P>The women who perform the male roles are, for some reason, especially popular among Japanese women. It's not uncommon to see these housewives stake their idols out to offer them loads of gifts - one of them said it's not something they'll do for a man. By 25, however, the Takarazuka women are expected to retire, as Japanese women are supposed to get married by then. <P>You can tell this is a common trend in Japan when comics on male-male love/sex are mainly targeted at college-going women (though it's likely that these comics also appeal to a tiny percentage of gay men).<p>[This message has been edited by Malcolm Tay (edited January 13, 2002).]