It’s time to dance—in Japan! The Japanese production of The Prom is newly opened, and from the looks of things, it’s just as adorable as ever. Check out clips from the show above.
Performances began in Japan March 10 and will run through April 13 at Tokyo’s TBS Akasaka ACT Theater. The production then heads to Osaka’s Festival Hall May 9-16. Goro Kishitani wrote the Japanese translation and serves as director with assistant directors Yasufumi Terawaki and Hideomi Terasaki.
The cast features Wakana Aoi as Emma, Ayaka Miyoshi as Alyssa, Kiriya Hiromu as Angie, Goro Kishitani as Barry Glickman, and Yasufumi Terawaki as Trent Oliver, Misa Fujibayashi as Mrs. Greene, and Kazumasa Koura as Sheldon. Dee Dee Allen is triple cast with Maki Ohguro, Tamiyo Kusakari, and Chizu Hosaka taking on the role, although Hosaka is only performing in Tokyo. Tatsuhiko Saga and TAKE are double-cast as Principal Hawkins. For more details about the production, click here.
A Japanese-language production of Waitress also opened in Tokyo earlier this week. The influx of opening shows comes a year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered theatres and decimated the industry. A light appears to be at the end of the tunnel, however, with London shows announcing reopening plans and NYC venues adding performances to their docket.
The Prom features music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin. Based on an original concept by Jack Viertel, the musical tells the story of Emma, a high school student in Indiana who becomes the center of a media scandal for wanting to bring her girlfriend to the prom. It opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre November 15, 2018, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.
Nicholaw returned to choreograph the Netflix adaptation that debuted at the end of 2020, directed by Ryan Murphy.
