SPIRITED AWAY: Live on Stage is Coming to U.S. Theaters
GKIDS has announced that it has acquired the distribution rights to the recordings of the 2022 Studio Ghibli/Toho co-production of SPIRITED AWAY: Live On Stage, filmed during the performances held at the historic Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Japan. The stage play is notable for featuring Tony award winning director John Caird, known for his work on the stage play adaptation of Les Misérables, helming the production.
Theatrical Poster
GKIDS will release two separate filmed performances of the production later this year in theaters in the United States. The stage play adaptation stars Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, double-cast as the lead heroine Chihiro. Character actor Mari Natsuki, who voiced the sorceress Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original motion picture, returns to her original role, accompanied by voice actor Romi Park alongside a cast of Japan’s best theatrical actors. The cast is listed below, with the synopsis following:
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Cast
- Chihiro: Kanna Hashimoto/Mone Kamishiraishi
- Haku: Kotaro Daigo /Hiroki Miura
- No Face: Koharu Sugawara/Tomohiko Tsujimoto
- Lin/Chihiro’s Mother: Miyu Sakihi/Fu Hinami
- Kamaji: Tomorowo Taguchi/Satoshi Hashimoto
- Yubaba/Zeniba: Mari Natsuki/Romi Park
- Aniyaku/Chihiro’s Father: Kenya Osumi
- Chichiyaku: Sunao Yoshimura
- Aogaeru: Obata no Oniisan
Synopsis:
Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.
While traveling to their new home, Chihiro and her family stumble into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. When her parents are turned into pigs and she is put to work in a magical bathhouse, Chihiro must use her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents, and return to the normal world.
Source: Press Release
