The musical “Play a Life” has finally opened!! Comments from all the cast including Takanori Sato (LE VELVETS) and Hiroki Aiba have arrived
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Press release: February 7, 2024
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The musical “Play a Life” has finally opened!! Comments from all the cast including Takanori Sato (LE VELVETS) and Hiroki Aiba have arrived The masterpiece musical “Play a Life”, which has also been made into a drama, will open at Hakuhinkan Theater on February 7th.
On the 6th, the day before the opening day, the general production of “Shironeko” was held, and Takanori Sato (LE
VELVETS), Megumi Hirakawa, China Yabiku, and Kuroneko’s Hiroki Aiba, Rinko Matsubara, and Erika Toyohara have all commented on the opening day.
This work is an original musical written and directed by Kazugo Ueda and composed by Tokifumi Ozawa. A couple who fell in love and got married after seeing the movie “Living in the Now” (1989) starring the famous actor Robin Williams, who passed away in August 2014, and a teacher trainee who was his wife’s student decided to “live in the moment”. It is a work that uses songs to tell a story based on a theme.
Since its premiere in 2015 by the theater company TipTap, which is headed by Ueda, who is known as a director in the Toho Theater Club, it has been performed repeatedly, and was made into a radio drama in 2017. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, it has been performed in various formats, including live streaming in 4K video as a model work for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ revenue enhancement project. Furthermore, in March 2023, Ueda served as director himself as Fuji TV’s first full-fledged musical drama, which was broadcast as a video work, and has been loved by many people.
This performance will be performed by two teams, “White Cat” and “Black Cat”. The three members of the “White Cat” team will be playing the role of “husband”, Sato, “wife”, Hirakawa, and “teacher trainee”, Yabiku. On the other hand, for the “Black Cat” team, Aiba will play the role of “husband,” Matsubara will play the role of “wife,” and Toyohara will play the role of “teaching trainee.”
The story begins with “Overture,” where the singing voice of “Teacher Trainee” is followed by the harmonies of “Wife” and “Husband.” Next, the song “Living in the Now” depicts a husband and wife meeting at a movie theater, falling in love, and becoming husband and wife, inspired by the movie “Living in the Now” (1989) starring Robin Williams. Spelled out. She (the wife) admired movies and wanted to become a teacher, and he (the husband) wanted to be an actor. However, before he knew it, the wife had quit her job as a teacher, and the husband had started working as a part-time instructor at a high school. One day, when asked about his favorite movie, a teacher trainee comes to the school and answers, “Living in the moment.” What was the reason why my wife quit her job as a teacher?
The stage, which looked like school desks and chairs were piled up, hanging, and threads were strung around it, was fantastic, and perfectly expressed the image of the work. From the beginning, the cast’s singing voices resonate beautifully with the live performance of only cello and piano, and you will be overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. Both “Shiro Neko” and “Kuroneko” are talented performers, and their singing voices directly touch your heart.
In the second half of the story, the true nature of the “unnatural feeling” felt in the first half is revealed. My heart tightens at the weight of what the husband was carrying, his wife’s love, and the kindness of the student teachers. Even after leaving the theater, I was left thinking about the film’s theme of “living in the moment.” One of the interesting things about this work is that even though they sing the same song and say the same lines, the impression of the characters changes greatly depending on the cast playing them. We hope you will experience both teams and enjoy the plays and songs that highlight the individuality of Sato and Aiba, Hirakawa and Matsubara, and Yabiku and Toyohara.
Ahead of the opening, comments have arrived from the cast members of the “White Cat” and “Black Cat” teams.
(White cat team)
Takanori Sato (LE VELVETS)
I am very happy to be able to convey to you through my own body the impact I received when I saw this work in 2016.
I was able to deepen my acting skills with Mr. Yabiku and Mr. Hirakawa while having many discussions with the director.
Now I want to live my life on stage, entrusting myself to the power of this work.
Megumi Hirakawa
Musical “Play a
“Life” is a special and important work to me. Living in the present is the theme of this work. I would like to cherish every moment with all of you wonderful people.
Yabiku China
The rehearsal period went by quickly, and it was a fulfilling time. A space for three people. A delicate work that uses energy. I’m nervous, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how it will reach our customers!
The two teams each have their own stories, and the differences between them were interesting even during rehearsals, so I think I would be happy if you could watch both.
I hope you enjoy it!
(Black cat team)
Hiroki Aiba
Finally, “Play a
Life” will begin. I would like to believe in what we have all built together, feel the moment on stage, and just be there and weave it together. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of scenery I’ll see each day. We look forward to seeing you at the theater. Rinko Matsubara
Build up those shining moments. There are lyrics that say, “That’s the living proof of your life.” 『Play a
After coming into contact with wonderful works such as “Life” and the movie “Living in the Now,” I became aware that “life is an accumulation of the present moments.” We would be happy if we could be a part of the bright moments in the lives of the customers who spend their precious time and money to see the theater.
Erika Toyohara
I hope that the work will make you stop and think about what it means to live, and that it will give you a warm feeling. At each
performance, I want to approach the work with a careful heart and deliver it to the audience. We are waiting for you at the theater!
Title: Musical “Play a Life”
■Written and directed by: Kazugo Ueda
■Composer: Tokifumi Ozawa
* -cast-*
White cat = Takanori Sato (LE VELVETS), Megumi Hirakawa, China Yabiku Black cat = Hiroki Aiba, Rinko Matsubara, Erika Toyohara
* -Performance schedule-*
February 7th (Wednesday) to February 12th, 2024 (Monday holiday) 10 times in total
*Please check the official website for the schedule of the white cat and black cat teams.
Venue: Ginza Hakuhinkan Theater
* -Ticket price- Now on sale! *
All seats reserved 8,800 yen *Tax included / Preschool children not allowed * -Inquiries- * Sunrise Promotion Tokyo 0570-00-3337 (Weekdays 12:00-15:00) Official website: https://tiptap.jp/next/#playalife
Gekidan Official X: @gekidan_TipTap
Performance information distribution X: @PlayaLife2024
Official hashtag #PlayaLife2024
Text: Maki Shimada
Photography: Yumemitsu Ikegami (GEKKO)
*About details about this release*
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