into a sumptuous production, which was perfect for Takarazuka. The other legendary musical is Man of La Mancha starring the Kabuki actor Hakuo. It was premiered in Japan in 1969 when he was still named Somegoro, revived when he succeeded to the name Koshiro, and again in 2019 after he inherited the present name Hakuo. He set a record of playing the leading role in Man of La Mancha 1,300 times,
Other New Musicals and Topics The Man Who Laughs is based on Victor Hugo’s novel. It was premiered in South Korea and the creative team is made up of 085
Americans. The book was written by Robert Johanson, lyrics by Jack Murphy and the music by Frank Wildhorn. There was room for improvement in the script of the musical that premiered in South Korea in 2018 and in Japan in 2019. The Japanese version was directed by Ueda Ikko and I could tell that he had struggled throughout the piece. The off-Broadway musical The Story of My Life (lyrics and music by Niel Bartram, book by Brian Hill) was another musical that came to Japan via South Korea. With two actors, it follows two childhood friends from their childhood up to the present. It came from Korea in the same format and in the same way as Thrill Me. There was also the world premiere of La Tempesta. It is a new Theatre in Japan
Theatre Yearbook 2020
