theater

An intro to Iwami Kagura battle dancing, Noh theater’s wild awesome cousin, and where to see it

Weekly performances with dragons and demons in Japan’s Iwami region are an incredible way to connect with and preserve its history.

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New trailer for Fist of the North Star musical released ahead of Tokyo and Fukuoka performances

You’re already fabulous.

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Learn about Noh with these cool accessories from Felissimo Museum Division

These items are not only stylish, but also educational!

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Two Sailor Moon musicals will stream online for overseas fans this winter

If you couldn’t make it to these shows in Japan, worry not: now’s your chance to watch them online!

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play to make Asia debut in Tokyo with Japanese cast

The stage sequel to the Harry Potter series is finally coming to Japan!

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Our reporter breaks her Takarazuka virginity with an all-female performance of City Hunter

Battling first-timer nerves, we take a seat at the renowned Takarazuka theater.

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New socially distant stage in Aichi lets you watch dance in an unusual way: through a peephole!

The view becomes another part of the art, and could also keep you safe!

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We went to a Thai transgender cabaret show in Pattaya for an experience of a lifetime【Pics】

Join us as we take a peek into this stunning cabaret performance.

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New 2.5-D Sailor Moon musical to be performed in New York, Washington【Video】

The glittery, galactic battles of Usagi and her friends will be performed live in the United States as a 2.5-D stage production!

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Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind set to become live-action Japanese kabuki play

All-male cast brings anime classic to the traditional stage in a historic first for Studio Ghibli director and co-founder Hayao Miyazaki.

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America’s Got Talent winner Kenichi Ebina in charge or upcoming Captain Tsubasa stage show

 

Bringing the over-the-top soccer moves of Captain Tsubasa to a live stage seems like a crazy idea, but it’s the kind of crazy Ebina has built a career on.

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Short thriller by JoJo series creator Hirohiko Araki to become unique theatrical production!

Manga artist Hirohiko Araki is best known for his hugely popular JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure comic series, which began in 1986 and is still going strong today, after nearly 30 years. But now fans of the series can look forward to enjoying one of Araki’s works in a different form this fall — as a theatrical production! This is actually the first time a manga by Araki will be turned  into a play, so fans are bound to be excited, but, as it turns out, it’s not a story from the JoJo series that we’ll be seeing on stage. Instead, it’s a short story with a fast-paced and bizarrely creepy plot, known in English by the title Under Execution, Under Jailbreak, and fans are already abuzz with speculation about the upcoming production!

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Hold on to your straw hats, kids! One Piece to hit the kabuki stage this winter

Last December, we here at RocketNews24 gave you the scoop on manga and anime smash One Piece being adapted into a fully-fledged kabuki play. With the performance dates coming up within a few short months, the official kabuki website Kabukibito has released a Laboon-sized amount of new details.

Although a warning before you click ahead: if you have not read or watched One Piece up until the time skip, be aware that thar be spoilers ahead!

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Japan National Bunraku Theater turns Terminator poster into ad for traditional puppet show

It’s quite the summer of 90s nostalgia at the movies this year. Just this past month we had a new Jurassic Park movie, an original Pixar movie, and next month is bringing us the latest Terminator outing in the form of Terminator Genisys.

Anticipation for the film has been high in Japan, but one group you may not expect to be fans of machines killing each other seems to have taken a special liking to it. The Japanese National Bunraku Theater took the poster for the Terminator movie and transformed it into an advertisement for their traditional puppet theater, making it one of the most confusing yet oddly satisfying collaborations we’ve ever seen.

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Full cast revealed for the third Black Butler musical – did the butler do it again?

You know something is popular when it starts getting adapted into anime, drama CDs, movies and games. But maybe one of the biggest and strangest adaptations is the musical. Oddly enough, staged musicals are popular enough in Japan that plenty of series get live-action singing and dancing versions performed for ecstatic fans in packed theaters. If you’re not convinced that a musical means a popular title has hit the big time, how about a third musical?

That’s right, Black Butler is set for its third musical and the final cast photos have been released!

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Naruto stage play releases first photo, announces cast, adds performances outside Japan

With the Naruto manga all wrapped up, we imagine a lot of fans are feeling sort of lonely. Sure, there’s an animated movie coming up, and you can still catch episodes of the weekly anime series, but with no more issues of the comic to look forward to, it must seem like the series’ cast of charismatic ninja have drifted just a little farther away.

Soon enough, though, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will be just a few rows of seats away from their adoring public, as the Naruto stage play is set to open this spring, and producers have just announced the cast and released the first shot in-costume photo of the star of the show.

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Catch a film in Laputa, the Tokyo movie theater inspired by Studio Ghibli’s classic animation

Usually all we look for in a theater is comfy seats, a decent sound system, and good movies. If you’re really picky, you might even seek out places with a beer menu, cheap tickets, or a unique schedule. Probably the last thing on your mind would the architecture of the building–but if you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli, you’ll definitely want check out Laputa, a cinema in a building inspired by the legendary Castle in the Sky!

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Boston theatre puts on play about Astro Boy and Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka‘s Astro Boy, in addition to being a historically important piece of entertainment, is also widely beloved around the world. And now, some sixty-plus years after its first inception as a manga, it’s been granted additional life on the stage, thanks to the efforts of playwright and director Natsu Onoda Power, and the folks at the Company One theater company.

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Since its first performance 100 years ago, Japan’s Takarazuka Revue has been the country’s most respected theater company. While the troupe is known for its lavish costume and set designs, as well as its bombastic musical performances, its most distinctive characteristic is that the group is composed entirely of actresses, with women playing both male and female roles.

To their fans, Takarazuka actresses are the epitome of grace and poise. There are a lot of pitfalls that have to be avoided to maintain that pristine image, though, as shown by the company’s list of the 25 marks of ugly women.

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Stage Adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke Coming to Japan this April!

The British stage production of Studio Ghibli’s 1997 animated classic Princess Mononoke, originally only intended for audiences at London’s Diorama Theatre this April, will be brought to Japan, it was announced earlier today.

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