Ukon Onoe talks about the charm of the Broadway musical “Pretty Woman” *Kyodo Medias Co., Ltd.*
Press release: August 25, 2024
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Ukon Onoe talks about the charm of the Broadway musical “Pretty Woman” The long-awaited musical adaptation of the blockbuster movie “Pretty Woman”! Kabuki actor Ukon Onoe talked about the appeal of the musical version, which will be performed for the first time in Japan in September.
The movie “Pretty Woman” was released in theaters in 1990 and became a huge hit in Japan and around the world. Set in Los Angeles, the love story between Edward, a shrewd businessman played by Richard Gere, and Vivian, an innocent call girl played by Julia Roberts, has everyone watching. The musical version of “Pretty Woman” will be released in Japan for the first time.
This work, which premiered in 2018 and was performed on Broadway in New York and the West End in London, was co-written by J.F. Lawton, who has written many Hollywood screenplays, and Garry Marshall, who wrote the movie “Pretty Woman.” It also became a hot topic that Grammy-winning artist Bryan Adams, who was in charge of the project, wrote music for a musical for the first time.
Prior to the musical’s arrival in Japan, the Tachihi Group’s 100th anniversary commemorative project PRESENTS will be held at TOHO Cinemas Tachikawa Tachihi in Tokyo on August 24th to commemorate the musical’s first landing.
An invitation screening event for the movie “Pretty Woman” was held. Kabuki actor Ukon Onoe will appear on the talk show and discuss the appeal of the movie and musical versions. Immediately after the event, we once again asked him about the appeal and highlights of “Pretty Woman.”
The movie was released in 1990. For Onoue, who was born in 1992, this is a work from before he was born, but he says, “Although it’s been about 34 years since it was released, I felt that it still has something to do with modern times in terms of the way we connect and interact with people.” In that sense, it was a timeless work, and I was able to see it in a very fresh way,” he said, reaffirming that it has a timeless appeal.
Onoe said during a talk show, “I thought, “Why hasn’t this been made into a musical?” However, many years have passed since the movie became a huge hit before it was made into a musical. “I’m glad that it’s been made into a musical and that it’s being performed in Japan.There’s a scene in the movie where the two of them are watching an opera, and as a stage actor, I’m looking forward to seeing that scene in the musical as well. I’m interested in how the play within the play will be expressed,” he said, expressing high expectations. Furthermore, “Music has been used in impressive ways in movies, but I think music becomes even more important in musicals.In movies, words are exchanged as dialogue, but in musicals, is expressed through song, so I think there are many songs from the musical version that will remain as masterpieces,” he said, adding that he is also paying attention to the unique “music” of the musical version.
Lastly, “I think both those who have seen the movie and those who haven’t seen the movie will enjoy the musical version.I’m really looking forward to it because there’s an atmosphere unique to a live stage performance, and there are things that can only be experienced at that time.” He concluded with a message of hope.
The Broadway musical “Pretty Woman” will be held at the New National Theater in Tokyo from September 11th to 16th, 2024.
At the Opera House, TACHIKAWA STAGE, Tokyo from September 18th to 23rd Performed at GARDEN (Tachikawa Stage Garden). There are also plans to perform in Osaka in October.
-First performance in Japan-
Date: 8 performances from Wednesday, September 11th to Monday, September 16th, 2024
Venue: New National Theater Opera Palace (directly connected to Hatsudai Station on the Keio New Line)
-Tachikawa performance-
Date: 8 performances from Wednesday, September 18, 2024 to Monday, September 23, 2024
Venue: TACHIKAWA STAGE GARDEN (JR Chuo Line Tachikawa Station)
Price: S seat 16,000 yen, A seat 12,000 yen, B seat 9,000 yen Official performance homepage http://prettywomanjapan.jp
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