Your Lie in April (musical)

Last updated

Your Lie In April
Music Frank Wildhorn
LyricsTracy Miller
Carly Robyn Green
Book Riko Sakaguchi (Japanese)
Rinne B. Groff (English)
Basis Your Lie in April
by Naoshi Arakawa
Productions2022 Tokyo World Premiere
2024 London Concert Premiere
2024 West End
2024 Seoul Korean Premiere

Your Lie in April is a musical based on the manga series Your Lie in April written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. The show features a score with music by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Tracy Miller and Carly Robyn Green, a Japanese book by Riko Sakaguchi, an English-language book by Rinne B. Groff, and arrangements and orchestrations by Jason Howland. The show is a co-production between Toho Co. Ltd. and Fuji Television. [1]

Contents

Productions

After delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the show made its world premiere in May 2022 at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, directed by Ikko Ueda. [2] The original Japanese cast featured Yuta Koseki and Tatsunari Kimura as Kosei Arima (double cast), Jpop singer Erika Ikuta as Kaori Miyazono, Fuka Yuzuki as Tsubaki Sawabe, and Koka Mizuta and Takuto Teranishi as Ryota Watari (double cast). [3] A nationwide tour followed throughout Japan, featuring the original cast. [4]

An English-language concert staging, with direction by Nick Winston and produced by Carter Dixon McGill Productions and Indie Theatricals, ran from April 8 to 9 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on London's West End to rave reviews. [5] Zheng Xi Yong and Rumi Sutton led as Kosei and Kaori, while Rachel Clare Chan and Dean John-Wilson returned from the Death Note concerts as Tsubaki and Watari. [6] Joanna Ampil portrayed Kosei's mother. [7]

Weeks after its preview West End concert run, a full West End production was announced. The show began previews on 28 June 2024 and officially opened on 5 July 2024, where it received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. It will run until 21 September 2024 at the Harold Pinter Theatre. [8]

A Korean premiere in Seoul has also been announced, opening in June 2024 and running through August 2024 at the CJ Towol Theatre at the Seoul Performing Arts Center. Produced by EMK Musical Company, the show will star K-Pop idols and TV/film stars triple cast and double cast as leads: Lee Hong-ki from FT Island, Yoon So-ho, and Kim Hee-jae as Kosei; Lee Bom-sori, Kei from Lovelyz and EL7Z Up, and Jung Ji-so from Parasite as Kaori; Lee Jae-jin from FT Island, Kim Jin-wook, and Cho Hwan-ji as Watari; and Park Si-in and Hwang Woo-rim as Tsubaki. [9]

Cast albums and recordings

A Japanese-language concept album with 11 songs from the show was released in 2020, featuring Erika Ikuta, Yuta Koseki, Tatsunari Kimura, Fuka Yuzuki, and Kouki Mizuta. [10]

Your Lie in April, Studio Cast Japan 2020
No.TitleLyricsMusicPerformerLength
1."If I Can't Hear the Music"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornYuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura5:25
2."Just Like a Movie"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornYuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura3:39
3."Who Put You in Charge Here?"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornYuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura / Erika Ikuta3:14
4."Perfect"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornErika Ikuta3:56
5."The Beautiful Game"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornKouki Mizuta4:30
6."Where's My Superhero?"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornFuka Yuzuki4:51
7."Speed of Sound"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornErika Ikuta / Fuka Yuduki / Yuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura / Kouki Mizuta3:22
8."Catch a Shooting Star"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornErika Ikuta / Yuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura4:18
9."One Hundred Thousand Million Stars"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornErika Ikuta / Yuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura3:41
10."100 Lost Days"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornFuka Yuzuki / Yuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura / Kouki Mizuta4:53
11."I Can Hear You"Carly Robyn Green / Tracy MillerFrank WildhornYuta Koseki / Tatsunari Kimura3:47

Songs

This is a list of the songs in the show. Songs that are featured on the Japanese concept recording have characters' names listed next to the titles. Act 1 and Act 2 are not guaranteed to be split like they are here. [11]

2022 Japanese Productions

Act 1
  • ”If I Can't Hear The Music” - Kousei Arima
  • ”This Is Our Time” - Kousei, Ryota Watari, Tsubaki Sawabe
  • ”Perfect” - Kaori Miyazono
  • ”One Note”
  • ”Just Like A Movie” - Kousei
  • ”The Beautiful Game” - Watari, Company
  • ”Who Put You In Charge Here?” - Kaori, Kousei
  • ”Where’s My Superhero?” - Tsubaki
  • ”I Can See You Now”
  • ”I’m Scared”
  • ”Speed of Sound” - Full Cast
Act 2
  • ”In Your Hands”
  • ”One Single Moment”
  • ”Catch A Shooting Star” - Kaori, Kousei
  • ”Look How Far We’ve Come”
  • ”Come Find Me”
  • ”Edge of the World”
  • ”One Hundred Thousand Million Stars” - Kaori, Kousei
  • ”100 Lost Days” - Kousei, Watari, Tsubaki
  • ”I Can Hear You” - Kousei

2024 London Concert Production

Act 1
  • ”If I Can’t Hear The Music” - Kosei, Kosei’s Mother
  • ”This Is Our Time” - Ensemble
  • ”Perfect (Preprise) - Kaori
  • ”One Note” - Ensemble
  • ”Perfect/One Note 2” - Karoi, Ensemble
  • ”One Note 3” - Ensemble
  • ”Just Like A Movie” - Kosei
  • ”The Beautiful Game”
  • ”Who Put You In Charge Here?” - Kaori, Kosei
  • ”Where’s My Superhero?” - Tsubaki
  • ”One Note 4/At Last” - Ensemble, Karoi
  • ”This Is Our Time (Reprise) - Kaori, Kosei
  • ”4.9 (Speed of Sound)” - Ensemble/ Full Cast
Act 2
  • ”In Your Hands”
  • ”One Single Moment”
  • ”Just Like A Movie (Reprise)”
  • ”Catch A Shooting Star”
  • ”If I Can’t Hear The Music (Reprise)”
  • ”Home Free”
  • ”Come Find Me”
  • ”One Hundred Thousand Million Stars”
  • ”100 Lost Days”
  • ”Perfect (Reprise)”
  • ”One Single Moment (Reprise)
  • ”I Can Hear You”

Related Research Articles

<i>The Boys from Syracuse</i> 1938 musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

The Boys from Syracuse is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. The show was the first musical based on a Shakespeare play. The Comedy of Errors was itself loosely based on a Roman play, The Menaechmi, or the Twin Brothers, by Plautus.

Frank Wildhorn is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical Jekyll & Hyde ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitney Houston.

<i>Jekyll & Hyde</i> (musical) Musical

Jekyll & Hyde is a 1990 musical loosely based on the 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Originally conceived for the stage by Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden, it features music by Frank Wildhorn, a book by Leslie Bricusse and lyrics by all of them. After a world premiere run in Houston, Texas, the musical embarked on a national tour of the United States prior to its Broadway debut in 1997. Many international productions in various languages have since been staged including two subsequent North American tours, two tours in the United Kingdom, a concert version, a revamped US tour in 2012, a 2013 Broadway revival featuring Constantine Maroulis, and an Australian concert version in 2019 starring Anthony Warlow.

Brandi Lynn Burkhardt is an American television and film actress, and former Miss New York. She grew up in Pasadena, Maryland and lives in Los Angeles.

<i>Dorodango</i> Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate shiny sphere

Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are combined and moulded, then carefully polished to create a delicate shiny sphere resembling a billiard ball.

Nick Winston is an English director and choreographer working in theatre, opera and film.

Rinne Groff is an American playwright and performer.

<i>Lord of the Rings</i> (musical) 2006 stage musical

Lord of the Rings is a stage musical with music by A. R. Rahman, Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale, and lyrics and book by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, based on the novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the most prominent of several theatre adaptations of the novel. Set in the world of Middle-earth, the musical tells the tale of a humble hobbit who is asked to play the hero and undertake a treacherous mission to destroy an evil, magic ring without being seduced by its power.

<i>Camille Claudel</i> (musical) Musical

Camille Claudel is a musical with a book and lyrics by Nan Knighton and music by Frank Wildhorn, their second musical. It is based on the life of the real-life French sculptor and graphic artist Camille Claudel. The musical premiered at Goodspeed Musicals in 2003.

Cyrano de Bergerac is a musical with a book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn. It is based on the 1897 play of the same title by Edmond Rostand.

<i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i> (Wildhorn musical) Musical

The Count of Monte Cristo is a musical based on the famed 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, with influences from the 2002 film adaptation of the book. The music is written by Frank Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Jack Murphy.

<i>Waiting for the Moon</i> (musical) Musical

Waiting for the Moon: An American Love Story, formerly Zelda or Scott & Zelda: The Other Side Of Paradise, is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Jack Murphy. It is the second finished production the two have presented, having previously collaborated on The Civil War. The show had its world premiere at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey in July 2005. The musical is based on the lives of famed American author F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald.

<i>Bonnie & Clyde</i> (musical) 2009 musical

Bonnie & Clyde is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchell. The world premiere took place in San Diego, California in November 2009. The musical centers on Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the ill-fated lovers and outlaws whose story has been infamous since they achieved folk hero status during the Great Depression. Wildhorn described the music as a "non-traditional score, combining rockabilly, blues and gospel music". The San Diego run was followed by a Sarasota, Florida, engagement in 2010.

Darren Ritchie is an American actor and singer, originally from Florida.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (musical) 2013 musical

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a musical based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, with book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

<i>Your Lie in April</i> Manga series by Naoshi Arakawa and its franchise

Your Lie in April is a Japanese romantic drama manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. It was serialized in Kodansha's magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine from April 2011 to February 2015. The story follows a young pianist named Kо̄sei Arima, who loses the ability to perform the piano after his mother's death, and his experiences after he meets violinist Kaori Miyazono.

Secondhand Lions: A New Musical is based on the 2003 movie of the same name. Music and lyrics for the musical were written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who also wrote First Date. The book was by Rupert Holmes.

<i>Death Note: The Musical</i> 2015 musical

Death Note: The Musical is a musical based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell

<i>Your Lie in April</i> (film) 2016 Japanese film

Your Lie in April is a 2016 Japanese youth music romance film directed by Takehiko Shinjō, written by Yukari Tatsui, starring Suzu Hirose and Kento Yamazaki and based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. It was released in Japan by Toho on September 10, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carly Robyn Green</span> American singer-songwriter

Carly Robyn Green, born Carly Greenberg, is an American recording artist, songwriter, and musical theatre lyricist originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her original musicals have been staged from Tokyo to London's West End. Her original songs have been featured in over 175 television shows and films, and she writes for artists worldwide. Green is signed to BMG.

References

  1. Raven Brunner (May 5, 2022). "World Premiere of Frank Wildhorn's New Musical Your Lie in April Sets Tokyo Run". Playbill. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. Rafael Antonio Pineda (July 20, 2021). "Your Lie in April Stage Musical Runs Next May After COVID-19 Delay". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  3. Chloe Rabinowitz (May 16, 2022). "First Look at the World Premiere of Frank Wildhorn's Your Lie in April in Tokyo". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  4. Hayley Levitt (May 19, 2022). "Frank Wildhorn Musical Your Lie in April Celebrates Tokyo World Premiere". TheaterMania. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  5. Cindy Marcolina (April 9, 2024). "Your Lie in April – The Musical in Concert, Theatre Royal Drury Lane". BroadwayWorld UK. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  6. WhatsOnStage (February 22, 2024). "Cast announced for Your Lie in April manga musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane".
  7. Greg Stewart (April 8, 2024). "Your Lie in April The Musical in Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane". Theatre Weekly. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  8. Alex Wood (May 2, 2024). "Your Lie in April Manga Musical Announces 12-Week West End Run". What's On Stage. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  9. Shin Youngeun (May 3, 2024). "The Musical 'April is Your Lie'". Maeil Business News Korea. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  10. Staff (December 1, 2021). "CD Your Lie in April - Studio Cast Japan 2020". Sound of Music. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. "A New Musical "Your Lie in April" at Hakataza Theater (Fukoka Japan) (Digest for J-LOD3) 4K". YouTube .