When I first spied the Spirited Away press release with the label “New York,” my heart leapt for a moment at the chance that the Spirited Away stage play would come to Broadway. Sadly, that’s not in the cards at the moment. But the news is still good. The filmed versions of both Japanese casts of the production will arrive in American movie theaters this spring.
GKids announced earlier this week that it acquired the North American distribution rights to Spirited Away: Live on Stage. Performed in 2022 at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre with alternating casts, the show adapts the Oscar-winning animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a young girl who gets, well, spirited away to a mystical realm filled with vibrant characters such as the gluttonous No-Face, the controlling Yubaba, and the kindhearted Haku.
Spirited Away with Two Worlds and Two Casts
In adapting these unique characters and magical visuals, the stage production employs the use of puppetry and practical effects. It also utilizes two different casts, with Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi starring as Chihiro. Romi Park and Mari Natsuki alternate as Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba. Notably, Natsuki voiced both of the twin characters in the original Studio Ghibli film. The poster for the cinematic release of Spirited Away: Live on Stage highlights the double-casting with both Hashimoto and Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.
Tony award-winning director John Caird directed the production of Spirited Away: Live on Stage. And viewers will get to see both casts in the filmed versions. GKids will screen both versions in US movie theaters this coming spring. In the press release, GKids President David Jesteadt shared the exciting news of the announcement:
“We are thrilled to offer this unique opportunity for Studio Ghibli fans in America to experience the stage production that wowed Japanese press and audiences last year. This imaginative stage adaptation by the legendary John Caird, featuring two wonderful performances by lead actors Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, helps bring to life one of the greatest films of all time in a dazzling new way.”
As someone who has previously gushed about the visuals and stagecraft of the Spirited Away stage play and enjoys all things Studio Ghibli, I know I’ll be going to movie theaters to see this. I may even see both casts. And if it does well, who knows? Maybe we will see Spirited Away: Live on Stage come to America live on stage. If Chihiro could travel across realms of existence, surely she can cross an ocean too.
