Sunrise Promotion Tokyo Co., Ltd.
AmBitious’s Rion Ouchi stars in a musical for the first time! Musical “William and William’s William” opens
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The musical “William and the William’s” began preview performances at the Parthenon Tama Main Hall in Tokyo from Saturday, February 10, 2024. Prior to the first day, we held an interview session for the media and a public general presentation.
[Image: https://prtimes.jp/i/41063/568/resize/d41063-568-400200957d1e5569ed7b-0.jpg&s3=41063-568-863c83a4a8f013e9a8dd9650e654eacf-3900×2600.jpg] The musical “William and William” was performed in Taehanno, Seoul’s theater district, from March to May 2023, and received great acclaim. This is a work with an unprecedented taste, in which a man who loves William Shakespeare so much that he gets caught up in the vortex of forgeries, and the “lies” and “truths” show a stunning reversal. A fierce battle unfolds between a father and son who are embroiled in a debate over the forgery of Shakespeare’s last play, and an unknown gentleman named H who appears with a new work. Rion Ouchi plays the role of Henry, a son who wants to impress his father, in a fresh and endearing manner. Hajime Komada delivers a comical and emotional performance as Samuel, a father who argues for his son. He brilliantly and smartly creates the role of the mysterious unknown gentleman H. Don’t miss the fast-paced development of Kojiro Oka, a different character, and the many emotionally charged musical numbers. What will be the outcome of the trial over whether it is Shakespeare’s work or not? Please look forward to the conclusion of the musical, which is based on a true story and is making its debut in Japan.
To mark the opening of the show, we would like to introduce comments from actors Rion Ouchi, Kojiro Oka, Hajime Komada, and director Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi at an interview. The musical “William and William’s William” will be held from February 10th (Saturday) to February 12th (Monday/holiday) at the Parthenon Tama Main Hall in Tokyo (preview performance), and from February 15th (Thursday) to February 18th (Sunday). ) will be performed at the Hyogo Arts Center Hankyu Middle Hall, and at the Sunshine Theater in Tokyo from February 28th (Wednesday) to March 4th (Monday). Please check the official website for performance details and same-day ticket information. Synopsis
London in the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution began. In an era when factories are busy and the profits they generate can even change one’s personal status, an incident occurs that suddenly grabs people’s attention. In London, where everyone goes crazy when they hear about Shakespeare’s last work, a father and son are put on trial for plagiarizing a play that is said to be Shakespeare’s last work. William Samuel Ireland makes a passionate argument on behalf of his son, William Henry Ireland begins his own story instead of giving a statement, and an unknown gentleman H appears with a new posthumous work.
What will be the outcome of this trial? What will be the fate of William and his son?
Rion Ouchi Comment
It’s my first musical and my first lead role, so I’m very nervous, but I’ve been looking forward to the first day since rehearsals, and I’m filled with the desire to get there and sing as soon as possible. The character I play, Henry, sings about 14 songs. Since I’m on stage all the time, I think you can see all the different facial expressions, emotions, and the process of growth, and there are many scenes that make my heart swell and my heart flutter as I play the role. During rehearsals, Mr. Oka and Mr. Komada brought out my unique singing voice, and Mr. Motoyoshi taught me a lot about the joy of acting. I think it has turned out to be a wonderful piece of work, so I will continue to evolve from the first day until the final stage, and I will do my best to present a play that fills the entire audience with emotion at every performance. Please see it in theaters.
Kojiro Oka comment
The character “H” that I play is, as the name suggests, a nameless character, and at times he appears as Henry’s ideal person, Samuel’s imagined person, and a being that expresses what is in the minds of the parent and child. Masu. It’s a very difficult role, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it will be perceived by the audience. And the songs in this musical are really great and very difficult. It’s been a while since I worked so hard on it, but there are so many wonderful songs. There are some exciting scenes, and there are some fun scenes, and there are only three performers, three performers, and only six people on stage, so this intense time is packed with entertainment for 100 minutes. I would like you to share it. Also, this work is based on a true story. I think you’ll enjoy it even more if you keep that in mind when you watch it.
Hajime Komada Comment
I feel that this musical is not only Henry’s coming-of-age story, but also the coming-of-age story of his father, Samuel. Please pay attention to how much Samuel, who neglects his son and still has a strong desire to become a writer, will grow and how he will show love to his son. Those who like Shakespeare will find this work interesting from a different perspective, and I think even those who don’t know Shakespeare will enjoy the exchange. And the songs are really great. I think this is a work that is hard to come across. The trio of piano, cello, and violin will play a wonderful sound, and all the staff, including the lighting, will work together to deliver the sound, so please enjoy it. Best regard.
Directed by Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi Comments
The Korean version’s ambitious script and music that incorporates good K-POP melodies are full of thoughts about how to make the audience happy as entertainment and how to create something theatrically interesting, which is why I started writing books for the first time. I felt really jealous when I read it. In order to fully express this message, we put a lot of effort into the positioning, nuances, and visuals. We received an order from the Korean side asking us not to do it exactly as the original, so we are approaching this as a challenge. It’s a book that can be interpreted in many different ways, and while it’s packed with universal messages, the music, lyrics, and lines are sprinkled with messages that can be interpreted as you like, so I hope you’ll enjoy it as you please and take it home with you. Is happy. Performance overview
Performance name: Musical “William and William’s William”
Screenplay/Lyrics: Kim Youngmi
Composer: Namgoong Yujin
Original Production by The Best Plays Inc. Gekiretsuden Co., Ltd. Directed by: Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi
Performance script/translation: Kyoichi Itagaki
Music director: Hori Kuraaki
Cast: Rion Ouchi, Kojiro Oka, Hajime Komada
[Preview performance]
Date: February 10th (Sat) – 12th (Monday/holiday), 2024
Venue: Parthenon Tama Large Hall (2-35 Ochiai, Tama City, Tokyo) Ticket price: S seat: 11,000 yen, A seat: 8,000 yen (tax included/all seats reserved) *Preschool children are not allowed to enter. [Hyogo performance]
Date: February 15th (Thursday) to February 18th (Sunday), 2024 Venue: Hyogo Arts Center Hankyu Medium Hall (2-22 Takamatsucho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture)
Ticket price: 12,000 yen for all seats (tax included/all seats reserved) *Preschool children are not allowed to enter.
[Tokyo performance]
Date: February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) – March 4, 2024 (Monday) Venue: Sunshine Theater (Sunshine City Bunka Kaikan 4F, 3-1-4 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo)
Ticket price: 12,000 yen for all seats (tax included/all seats reserved) *Preschool children are not allowed to enter.
General ticket sale date: Sunday, January 7, 2024
Official website: https://www.musical-www.com
Instagram & X (formerly Twitter): @musicalwww2024
Inquiries regarding tickets: Sunrise Promotion Tokyo 0570-00-3337 (Weekdays 12:00-15:00)
Planning and production: Sunrise Produce, WOWOW
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000568.000041063.html