Tomoki Hirose: “This is the first time I’ve ever memorized all the lines in a reading.” Classic Movie Reading Vol.5 “Casablanca” opens

Tomonori Hirose: “This is the first time I’ve ever memorized all the lines from a live reading.” Classic Movie Reading Vol. 5 “Casablanca” Opens ​
Style Office Co., Ltd. Press Release: September 6, 2025 Tomoki Hirose: “This is the first time I’ve ever memorized all the lines from a play.” Classic Movie Reading Vol. 5 “Casablanca” opens.
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The fifth installment of the “Classic Movie Reading” series, featuring staged readings of classic films passed down around the world, “Casablanca,” will open at Hakuhinkan Theater on Saturday, September 6, 2025. This 1944 Academy Award-winning film, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is set in Casablanca, Morocco in 1941, in the midst of World War II. It is a love story in which Rick, an American who runs a bar where freedom-seekers gather, is forced to choose between helping his former lover Ilsa and her husband, Laszlo, a resistance leader being pursued by the Nazis, escape after a fateful reunion, or choosing to remain in love with Ilsa. The screenplay is by Suzuki Tomoharu and the director is Tsuboi Akihiro. The cast includes Hirose Tomoki as the protagonist, Rick Blaine, Arisa Hitomi as Ilsa Lant, Kagimoto Teru (Lead) as Victor Laszlo, as well as Kawakami Masahiro, Hiroi Yuji, Okumura Kensuke, Yamaguchi Yumena, Yamaguchi Fumiya, Funato Shinji, and Kouga Shinobu. A dress rehearsal and press conference were held the day before the opening, with Hirose Tomoki, Arisa Hitomi, and Kagimoto Teru taking to the stage to speak about their enthusiasm for the upcoming opening day. Hirose “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to rehearse thoroughly under the direction of the passionate director Tsuboi-san. That’s because, with reading plays, the number of rehearsal days is often quite limited, but I feel like we were able to rehearse quite a lot this time. But that also means that the expectations are high, so I’m actually half hopeful and half anxious, hoping that we’ll be able to overcome those obstacles, but I’m looking forward to it.” Arisa “There are only four performances, which makes me a little sad, but we’ve had such an intense time rehearsing, and Tsuboi-san’s direction is so spot on, so I’ve learned so much every day. I’m really looking forward to seeing what emotions the audience will feel when they’re there during the performance, and whether I’ve been able to convey that to them, starting tomorrow. I’ll do my best and put my heart and soul into all four performances.” Kagimoto “This work is an incredible masterpiece, which goes without saying, but it was someone my generation first learned about when we were offered the job, However, I’m sure that for older generations, it was a work that really made a lasting impression on them as it was a time of their youth. By recreating this
masterpiece as a Japanese reading play and performing it with Japanese actors, I hope to be able to express in this reading play the little passions that aren’t in the original, and the hidden aspects that only sensitive Japanese people can express, so I will do my best until the very end.” When asked about the difficulties he faced in taking on the role, Hirose said, “This work is littered with memorable lines, and Rick is particularly famous for saying something cheesy like, ‘Here’s a toast to your eyes,’ which is something he would never normally say, but it’s because Rick truly means it that he comes across as such a charming person, and those words are used as a realistic expression, so I thought I had to make sure to cherish them. Because I’m not used to saying them, I hope I can make sure I take good care of each and every word.” When asked if his feelings had changed between before rehearsals and after the final rehearsal, he said, “I was like, ‘Huh? “I remember all the lines,” he said, marking the change between before and after rehearsals. On the first day of rehearsals, Tsuboi-san told me, “It’s okay if you memorize the lines,” and as someone who is performing in a recitation play, I felt that it would be a lot of pressure, but I went in thinking that as I performed while receiving direction, it would be easier to incorporate a certain amount of lines, since I would have to digest and deepen my understanding of the material, and many of the lines would become clear to me, and before I knew it, I had memorized all the lines. This was my first time performing a recitation play like this, and personally, I consider it a “hybrid recitation play.” “Classic Movie This will be Arisa’s second time appearing in “Reading,” and she said, “Last time, the cast was only four women, and the atmosphere was gentle and warm, but this time there were many male cast members, and each of them had a great character and energy, even in the rehearsals. I’m a woman, but my impression from the early stages of rehearsals was that unless I performed with a strong inner self, the play wouldn’t be deep, and it was fun to clash with each other every day.” Talking about the differences from her previous work, “Little Women,” Arisa said, “I wanted to try playing a role like Ilsa, who has such a wide emotional range. I knew it would be tough, but we really connected, and I could feel things overflowing inside me, but it was different every time, and thanks to everyone, I really felt like the character was coming to life on stage. That’s why I think no two plays will ever be the same, but I was happy to play Ilsa.” 。 Regarding the atmosphere at the rehearsal studio, Kagimoto said, “From the reading stage, I could really feel Tsuboi’s passion for the work, and that’s why we felt we had to respond properly. We all tried different approaches every day, and repeated trial and error, until we were able to reach the dress rehearsal. On the last day of rehearsal, Tsuboi said to me, ‘Please cherish the live feeling,’ and the rehearsal studio had the feeling that we wanted to cherish what is being born today and what will be born tomorrow, and perform it on stage.” Looking back, Kagimoto commented on the similarities between the character of Laszlo and himself, saying, “Laszlo’s strong will to change the world with just one action is incredible, and if Laszlo were in modern-day Japan, I think he would be the kind of person who would stand up and run for parliament in order to make Japan an even better place. I’m not that kind of person, but being in this industry, there are things I can learn from Laszlo about the attitude of pushing forward towards one dream, and I think we’re not far apart in that respect.” When asked “Which character do you recommend?” Kagimoto replied, “All of the characters.” He went on to say, “This time we’ve gathered actors with a truly diverse range of voices. I think it really brings out the strength of the voices that the 10 characters weave together, and if we compare it to ramen, it’s like these three (Hirose, Arisa, and Kagimoto) first make the soup and noodles, and then everyone adds delicious pork fillets, delicious bamboo shoots, and delicious spring onions to create the ramen that’s perfect for the role,” revealing his unique interpretation, which got the audience excited. Finally, Hirose said, “As this is a work set during wartime, the war is a heavy burden that cannot be turned away from, but we have focused on the hearts of the people living through those times, the hearts of people who live with political beliefs, and their emotions, and have rehearsed to really build up the inner workings of the characters. I feel like the story changes drastically just by changing our state of mind on that day, so I hope we can enjoy those aspects as well, and live honestly. I hope that the audience who watches the film will be left with at least one memory, such as the beliefs of these people, the beauty of people living for others, or the preciousness of human life. I look forward to seeing you at the theater,” and with this, the press conference came to a close.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/21465/234/21465-234-fd2c23cec5ed6b968c26fb85307446b0-3000×1999.jpg ＜Performance Overview＞ Classic Movie Reading Vol. 5 “Casablanca” Script: Suzuki Tomoharu (Theatre Company, Suzuki-ku, Tokyo) / Director: Tsuboi Akihiro ■Synopsis 1941, Casablanca, Morocco, is on the brink of war. A reunion occurs with a pair of refugees in a bar where freedom-seekers gather. A man and woman who once loved each other but were torn apart by fate── Rick, the bar owner, and Ilsa, who had become the wife of an exiled resistance leader. Facing his past, a man’s decision is torn between love and faith. Are there any feelings that remain unchanged in changing times? The timeless classic, “Casablanca,” is vividly brought back to life as a reading drama. ■Cast Tomoki Hirose Hitomi Arisa Teru Kagimoto Masahiro Kawakami Yuji Hiroi Kensuke Okumura Yume Yamaguchi Fumiya Yamaguchi Shinji Funato Shinobu Kouga ■Performance Dates September 6th (Sat) – 7th (Sun), 2025 September 6th (Sat) 14:00/18:00 September 7th (Sun) 12:00/16:00 ■Venue Hakuhinkan Theater (8F, 8-8-11-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8132) ■Tickets (All seats reserved, tax included) With bonus: 9,900 yen / General: 9,000 yen ※Bonus: Original mini photo book ※Preschool children not allowed ■Ticket sales Ticket Pia:
https://w.pia.jp/t/casablanca-reading/ Lawson Ticket (L code: 36016): https://l-tike.com/casablanca_reading/ eplus:
https://eplus.jp/casablanca-reading/ Planned, produced, and organized by: style office Official X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/cmrstage Official performance website: https://casablanca-reading.com Contact: stage.contact55@gmail.com For more information about this release automatically, so please do not reply.