FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR
ORIGINAL JAPANESE STAGE PRODUCTION OF
STUDIO GHIBLI’S OSCAR-WINNING CLASSIC
“SPIRITED AWAY”
AT THE LONDON COLISEUM
PLAYING FROM
30APRIL UNTIL 24 AUGUST 2024
TOHO Co., Ltd. and PW Productions Ltd. are delighted to announce the full cast for the European premiere of the stage adaptation of SPIRITED AWAY at the London Coliseum.
Returning from the original Japanese production are Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro, Kotaro Daigo and Hiroki Miura as Haku; Fu Hinami as Lin and Chihiro’s mother; Tomorowo Taguchi and Satoshi Hashimoto as Kamaji; Mari Natsuki and Romi Park as Yubaba and Zeniba; Kenya Osumi as Aniyaku and Chihiro’s father; Sunao Yoshimura as Chichiyaku; Obata no Oniisan as Aogaeru; Yuya Igarashi as Kashira and Mayu Musha as Bo.
Mari Natsuki returns to the role of Yubaba in this stage production, having voiced the role in Studio Ghibli’s 2001 Oscar-winning film.
Joining the company for the London production are Rina Kawaei and Momoko Fukuchi as Chihiro; Atsuki Mashiko as Haku; Hikaru Yamano as Kaonashi or ‘No-Face’; Yuki Hana and Rion Misaki as Lin and Chihiro’s mother; Tomu Miyazaki as Kamaji; Hitomi Harukaze as Yubaba and Zeniba; Toshihiko Ito as Chichiyaku and Seiya Motoki as Aogaeru.
Completing the company are Miyu Ayahashi, Kaito Arai, Yoko Ose, Wataru Oshige, Motoko Orii, Akino Konno, Ryo Sawamura, Mayu Suetomi, Rico Takahashi, Hayato Takehiro, Saya Chinen, Hanano Teshirogi, Ayame Nakagami, Yuuki Nishinomiya, Rei Hanashima, Yoshiki Fujioka, Norihide Mantani, Eiji Mizuno, Miffy, Maki Morita, Yuna Yasuno, Yamato, Kazuma Kimura, Annakanako Mohri, Marina Mori and Toshiki Hirose.
Studio Ghibli’s SPIRITED AWAY, created by legendary animator and director Hayao Miyazaki, has beenre-imagined for the stage by Toho Theatrical Department and Olivier and Tony Award-winning director John Caird (Les Misérables). Following a sell-out tour of Japan in 2022, the original Japanese cast will perform this spectacular production for a strictly limited London season. The production will be presented in the original Japanese, with English captions. Miyazaki’s masterpiece is brought beautifully to life with a live orchestra playing the magnificent film score by Joe Hisaishi arranged by Brad Haak (Mary Poppins), dazzling set design by Jon Bausor (Bat Out of Hell), wildly imaginative puppets designed by Toby Olié (Pinocchio: National Theatre), choreography by Shigehiro Ide (NODA MAP Series), and lavish costumes by Sachiko Nakahara.
Director Hayao Miyazaki’s timeless masterpiece SPIRITED AWAY became an explosive blockbuster after its 2001 release and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2003. A masterpiece of storytelling and stunning visuals SPIRITED AWAY tells the enchanting tale of Chihiro who while traveling to a new home with her family, stumbles 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.
TOHO Co., Ltd. is the leading production company of theatre and film in Japan, internationally recognized for the Godzilla series and for Akira Kurosawa’s masterpieces. Its theatrical department has presented numerous original and licensed musicals and plays in Japan, including Broadway and West End imports such as Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage Aux Folles, RENT, Jekyll & Hyde, Next to Normal, Jersey Boys, Beautiful The Carole King Musical, Waitress and The Producers among many others. Recently, Toho has co-produced the Broadway musical Tootsie. Toho has also produced the Japanese versions of musicals from Central Europe, including Elisabeth, Mozart! and Rebecca the Musical. The company also collaborated to create the original musicals Marie Antoinette and Lady Bess with the creators of Elisabeth, Michael Kunze (book and lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music). Marie Antoinette was licensed and presented in Germany, Korea and Hungary. In 2017, Toho presented a new production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It directed by Michael Mayer, music by Tom Kitt, choreography by Lorin Latarro. Previous productions with John Caird include Les Misérables (original production co-directed by Trevor Nunn), Beggar’s Opera, Candide, Private Lives, Daddy Long Legs, Twelfth Night and Knights’ Tale. Alongside this London production, TOHO Co Ltd will also present SPIRITED AWAY on a National Tour of Japan in 2024.
PW Productions Ltd. is one of the West End’s most prolific and significant theatre producers, responsible for some of the most successful productions in British theatre since it was founded in 1983 by Peter Wilson MBE. Productions have included Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, An Inspector Calls, Sting’s The Last Ship and many more. The company has acted as General Manager and Production Accountant for more than 600 productions throughout the world. PW Productions, in partnerships with promoters and co-producers, has also presented work in Japan, Singapore, Canada, USA, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Austria, Australia and Hong Kong.
The original Japanese Stage Production of SPIRITED AWAY is based on the Oscar-winning animated feature film by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted by John Caird, co-adapted by Maoko Imai and featuring the original score by Joe Hisaishi.