Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Spirited Away’ Stage Adaptation Premieres in London’s West End, Featuring Japanese Cast, English Subtitles
1:00 JST, May 10, 2024
LONDON — The stage adaptation of “Spirited Away,” the popular anime film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, opened in a London’s West End theater district on Tuesday.
The stage play originally premiered in Japan in 2022 and is directed and adapted by British director John Caird. The Japanese cast performs in the Japanese language, with English subtitles displayed at the top and sides of the stage.
The play will run through Aug. 24.
West End is considered a sacred place in the theater world, alongside Broadway in New York. It is extremely unusual for a performance originating from Japan to be performed in the Japanese language overseas for nearly four months.
On Tuesday, Kanna Hashimoto, 25, performed as the protagonist Chihiro in the matinee, and Mone Kamishiraishi, 26, in the evening show, both of which were nearly sold out. There were standing ovations at the end of the performances.
"Culture" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
-
Japanese Sneakers Making their Presence Known with Innovative Designs; Drawing on Retro Inspiration for New Styles
-
Ancient Japan’s Shoso-In Treasures Exhibited in Nara; Cloisonne Mirror, Fish-Shaped Ornament Among Highlights
-
Nintendo Releases Game Music Streaming App; Music from Famicom, Nintendo Switch, GameCube, More Available to Stream
-
Takarazuka Revue Company’s School Removes ‘Good-Looks’ Application Requirement; This Year’s Acceptance Rate 1 in 12
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
- G20 Sees Soft Landing for Global Economy; Leaders Pledge to Resist Protectionism as Trump Calls for Imported Goods Flat Tariff
- 2024 POLLS: Ruling Camp Likely to Win Lower House Majority
- Chinese Social Media Still Full of Anti-Japanese Posts 1 Month After Boy’s Fatal Stabbing; Malicious Videos Gain Large Number of Views
- Chinese Rights Lawyer’s Wife Seeks Support in Japan; Sophie Luo Calls for Beijing to Free Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong