The West End musical Your Lie in April Harold Pinter Theatre
The Producers said today: “We are proud to have made history by bringing the first manga musical from the Far East to the West End and to have given the opportunity for the first 100% Asian and Southeast Asian cast to perform in a West End musical. Our journey from two sold out concerts at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to a full West End production at The Harold Pinter Theatre (hosting its first musical since 2016) turned around in a matter of weeks due to popular demand. We are immensely proud of the show and the amazing work from the creative team, cast, crew, and musicians – and we thank them for their dedication and incredible work. It is particularly exciting to us how many people made Your Lie in April their first ever West End musical experience. And to our audiences who dressed the part and cheered them on, we say Bravo!”
Ticket holders for performances beyond 11 August will be contacted by email by ATG.
Where and when? Your Lie In April is a new musical from legendary Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award nominated composer Frank Wildhorn. Based on the multi-million-selling manga by Naoshi Arakawa, Your Lie In April the musical premiered in Tokyo in 2022 to great acclaim and it wasn’t long before a nationwide tour was mounted. Following the new musicals raucous success, an English language concert production was staged in April of this year and a full West End production was soon announced. Frank Wildhorn, known for his hits such as Jekyll & Hyde, Bonnie & Clyde and the recent Death Note The Musical, brings the romantic story of Your Lie in April to life with his magnificent score, blending classical and musical theatre seamlessly. Currently playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre until September, London audiences once again have the opportunity to experience this beautiful musical in a visually stunning full production.
Who’s in the cast? For this full production, Nick Winston (Chess, Death Note: The Musical, Bonnie & Clyde, Shrek The Musical, Rock Of Ages) directs Zheng Xi Yong (Spring Awakening, Piaf, Miss Saigon) as Kosei Arima, Rachel Clare Chan (Oliver!, Death Note The Musical, Miss Saigon) as Tsubaki Sawabe, Dean John-Wilson (The King and I, Passion, Cruel Intentions) as Ryota Watari and Mia Kobayashi in her professional debut as Kaori Miyazono. Joining them are Ernest Stroud (Miss Saigon, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington) as Takeshi, first cover Watari/second cover Kosei, JoJo Meredith (Pacific Overtures, Death Note, Camelot) as Derick, first cover Kosei, Chris Fung (The Society For New Cuisine, Redcliff, Frozen) as Mi-ike/ensemble, Eu Jin Hwang (Pacific Overtures, Death Note, Aspects Of Love) as Kaori’s Dad/Judge #1, Kevin Tristan (Cabaret) as wing/dance captain, Mairi Ikegami (Women A New Musical, Urinetown, Into The Woods) as Sing/first cover Kaori, Daniel Nardone making his professional duebt as swing, Ericka Posadas (Can’t See For Looking, Miss Saigon, West Side Story) as Emi/ensemble, Lucy Park (Priscilla: The Party, Peter Pan, Come From Away) as Kosei’s Mom, Gracie Lai (Priscilla: The Party, Jersey Boys, Bonnie & Clyde) as Kaori’s Mom/Judge #2, Imogen Law Hing Choy (Big The Musical) as ensemble and Ria Tanaka (insert credit) as swing.
Creative team Justin Williams Death Note: The Musical, Stranger Sings- A Parody Musical, Who’s Holiday) has created another fantastic set design using pastel colours on an abstract levelled Japanese garden, with a large automated piano spinning on a revolve in the centre and a beautiful pink cherry blossom tree presiding over the action at the back. Dan Light created a wonderful video design which adorned the back wall of the set, allowing for characters inner thoughts and moods to be artistically portrayed throughout the performance. The addition of a live camera feed of Yong’s hands as he played his Rachmaninoff was an inspired effect, engrossing the audience further in his performance.
What’s the show about? Considered one of the most popular romantic stories and greatest tearjerkers in Japanese manga history, Your Life In April follows Kosei Arima, the perfect piano prodigy dubbed the “Human Metronome” for his mechanical accuracy who has won many prestigious competitions. However, Kosei has a secret, he loses his ability to hear music following the death of his mother. His life then changes again when he strikes a friendship with a talented violinist Kaori Miyazono. Can his new formed friendship help him return to playing the music he loves?
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Assisted performances TBC
Review As our hero, Zheng Xi Yong as Kosei Arima was mesmerising. Forget the triple threat performer, Yong’s performance seamlessly combined a powerful vocal, an affecting dramatic turn, an energetic physical performance and the ability to play Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor Op. 23 No. 5 in full to concert pianist standard. Deserving of the mid-show standing ovation he received, Young’s performance in Your Lie In April is nothing short of inspirational. Making her professional debut, Mia Kobayashi plays young violinist Kaori Miyazono to perfection. While Akiko Ishikawa beautifully plays violin onstage for her, Kobayashi’s vocal is absolutely stunning, one of those voices you would give a standing ovation for singing the phonebook. Kobayashi played to the Pinter space beautifully with every nuanced expression and quirky moment of her Kaori splendidly portrayed. Future Elphaba, perhaps? Rachel Clare Chan as Tsubaki Sawabe was beautifully performed and another voice you could listen to all day while Dean John-Wilson gave a comical turn as Ryota Watari and his vocal melted like butter. The ensemble gave body to WIldhorn’s score and was exceptionally strong throughout with each individual solo displaying incredible vocal talent across the board.
The original Your Life In April manga was published in 2011, selling well over 7.5 million copies in 17 countries. It was adapted into a 22-part anime TV series in 2014 and a Japanese live-action film in 2016. This sensational new musical version is playing at the Harold Pinter theatre until September, so don’t miss your chance to be a part of this world-wide sensation and witness the magic of Manga live on stage in the West End!
Reviewed by Stuart James for West End Wilma
★★★★★
Where can I get tickets? https://westendwilma.londontheatredirect.com/musical/your-lie-in-april-tickets
