Advance tickets for the latest Studio Ghibli screen-to-stage anime adaptation show up earlier than expected.

For a group of artists so strongly associated with a single medium, anime films, Studio Ghibli’s works have proven to be surprisingly suited to live-theater adaptations. So far My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind have all made the transition from the screen to the stage with thunderous applause from critics and audiences, and soon it’s going to be Princess Mononoke’s turn.

First announced back in November, Princess Mononoke, like Nausicaa, will be not just a stage adaptation, but a kabuki one as well, to be performed at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theater in Tokyo this summer. Princess Mononoke’s Japanese setting and mythological inspirations should lend themselves very well to kabuki, and fans have been anxiously awaiting the start of ticket sales, which were scheduled for May 25. However, in a surprising twist, tickets for two Princess Mononoke performances are on sale right now.

▼ Poster for the Princess Mononoke kabuki adaptation, featuring calligraphy written by veteran Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki himself

While tickets for the play will be available through a number of online services, one of them, E-plus, is the exclusive provider for two dates, July 26 and August 15 (both starting at 4 p.m.), and tickets for the E-plus-exclusive shows are on sale between now and May 6. With demand expected to far outstrip supply, technically you’re putting your hat into the ring for a drawing for a chance to purchase tickets, but that also means you’ve got as good a chance of getting tickets as anyone else as long as you get your application in by the 6th, and eligibility winners will be notified on the 8th.

While kabuki is a classy artform, the tickets aren’t prohibitively expensive. Prices vary by seat, but start at just 3,000 yen (US$19), which seems rather reasonable for an evening of such live entertainment.

▼ As is kabuki tradition, all roles are performed y men, with Dango Ichikawa (left in the photo below) playing Ashitaka and Kazutaro Nakamura portraying San.

Applications for the E-plus exclusive performances can be made online here. Meanwhile, general ticket sales for July dates are scheduled to go on sale through the production’s official website here on May 25, and tickets for August performances will become available on June 25, with the Princess Mononoke kabki play itself running from July 3 to August 23.

Related: Princess Mononoke kabuki official website
Source: E-pkus (1, 2), Princess Mononoke kabuki official website
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Princess Mononoke kabuki official website
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!