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.
Whole Hog Theatre has been working on the production, which utilises a series of large-scale puppets made from recycled materials to recreate Hayao Miyazaki’s tale of the struggle between nature and the greed of mankind, for more than a year.
Although there was no mention of any such plans when the project was announced last year, it was revealed earlier today that the play would also be performed in Japan between April 29 and May 6 at the Aiia Theater Tokyo.
Studio Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki, producer of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away among others, said that he was excited to see the “unusual Princess Mononoke” and to experience it exactly as UK audiences would.
Who knows; if the production is a hit in the birthplace of the original story, perhaps audiences in other countries, too, will be able to catch it at a theatre near them in the near future? Time to start badgering Ghibli, boys and girls!
▼ Mononoke in the flesh
Source: Princess Mononoke JP
Inset image via Whole Hog Theatre