Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Spirited Away’ becomes a play

Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki’s’ Spirited Away ‘receives treatment for the play courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. and award-winning director John Caird (‘ Les Misérables’, ‘Nicholas Nickleby’, ‘ Daddy Long Legs ”). The play envisions a world premiere in February-March 2022 in Tokyo, followed by a tour through Japan to cities such as Osaka (April 2022), Fukuoka (May 2022), Sapporo (June 2022) and Nagoya (June and July. ). . Caird is also known to be the Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

“Spirited Away” is often considered one of Miyazaki’s best films and, until last year, was the highest grossing film in Japan. The story centers on Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl who moves with her parents to their new home. The family gets lost in a mysterious world of fantastic spirits, ruled by the witch Yubaba, who turns Chihiro’s parents into pigs. After a series of bizarre and dangerous challenges, including the loss of her identity, Chihiro must use her whole mind to survive in this strange place and return to the human world.

The upcoming play “Spirited Away” cast two actresses like Chihiro, Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi. The play will mark Kanna’s stage debut, while Mone is a bigger star in Japan and recently gained attention for her voice role in the hit animated film “Your Name”.

“I feel so excited and privileged to be working on the very first stage adaptation of ‘Spirited Away,” director Caird said in a statement. “For many years, I have considered Hayao Miyazaki to be one of the most prominent geniuses in world cinema and the biggest supporter of the anime form.”

Caird continued, “I share a belief in all of the most dominant themes of Miyazaki’s work, themes that are at the heart of the ‘Spirited Away’ world – care for the environment, respect for nature, a belief in the strength of good spirits within us; and the empowerment of young women and men to change the world for the better.

Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki added in a statement, “We, Hayao and I both loved John’s vision. She’s a person we can trust. I can’t wait to see Chihiro grow on stage under his guidance. I could tell how much he loves this story by his delighted face when I gave him a No-Face (Kaonashi) piggy bank.

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