The stage play adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s anime film, “The Garden of Words,” has revealed the main visual for its upcoming Tokyo performance on Aug 23, 2023.

The visual features Kurumu Okamiya, who plays Takao Akizuki, and Mitsuki Tanimura, who plays Yukari Yukino.

Titled “Stage: ‘The Garden of Words’,” this is a collaborative project between UK and Japanese production companies, directed by Alexandra Rutter.

Tokyo’s performance of the stage play will be held at Tokyo’s Steller Ball, and is scheduled to open on Nov 9, 2023.

Moreover, photos from the London performance of The Garden of Words stage play, which opened on Aug 10, and a comment from Alexandra Rutter have been revealed.

Comment from Alexandra Rutter:

“It was such an honor to have the world premiere of the stage adaptation of “The Garden of Words” in London and to welcome the team from Japan to the Park Theatre.

From conceiving the idea for the work nine years ago to finally seeing this stage come to life, I’m truly filled with gratitude. Seeing the two Takao characters from the UK and Japan on stage together is very special, and their strong camaraderie brings me joy! Among the London cast, Hiroki Berrecloth as Takao Akizuki and Shoko Ito as Shoko Aizawa were making their debut in straight plays. I was thrilled and excited to cast them and to see them shine on stage.

For me, who has spent a lot of time living and working in Tokyo over the past ten years, being able to return to London in this form with the best talents from Japan, the UK, and East Asian communities in the UK was a great joy. Collaborating with a team full of collaborative spirit and talent has been truly fortunate, and there were also colleagues who have been with us since the initial plan for the 2020 performance. Overcoming the pandemic to realize this production is an honor, and I look forward to it becoming even stronger.

I’m also excited and filled with new hope to bring this work back to Tokyo and collaborate with the talented Japanese cast and creators. I’m eager to see how the Japanese cast will perceive the London performance and how, as a team, we will evolve the production for the Japanese audience. After the London performance, we will further adjust the script and incorporate elements from the London performance, such as Keira Theodoro’s puppets and KENNY’s amazing visuals, to bring it to life on a grand stage. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone in the theatre and sharing this special project.“

The Garden of Words is a 2013 Japanese anime drama film written, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai, animated by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho.

It stars Miyu Irino and Kana Hanazawa, and features music by Daisuke Kashiwa. The theme song, “Rain”, was originally written and performed by Senri Oe in 1988, but was remade for the film and was sung by Motohiro Hata.

The film was made into a manga, with illustrations by Midori Motohashi, and later novelized by Shinkai, both in the same year as the film.

Source: Comic Natalie