“Princess Mononoke” to be Reimagined as a Stage Play in London!

Hayao Miyazaki is a legend in the world of Japanese anime. Now, his representative work, Princess Mononoke, is becoming a stage play by the English theatrical troupe Whole Hog Theatre. The play will run from April 29 to May 6, and will even come to Japan for a performance at the AiiA Theater Tokyo.

At a press conference held on March 5, Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, along with Alexandra Rutter, the founder and current art director of Whole Hog Theatre, appeared on stage together with several sponsors of the Japanese performance. At the conference, Suzuki spoke candidly about Miyazaki’s previous refusals to allow Ghibli’s works to be made into overseas movies or stage plays. According to Suzuki, Miyazuki allowed the stage play to come to fruition due to becoming interested after seeing a test video using puppets. Suzuki expressed his anticipation for Rutter’s new take on Princess Mononoke, saying, “I believe in her 100%, and I left everything to her.”

In a comment of praise for the original Princess Mononoke, Rutter commented, “I want to express the story in a unique way using the stage.”

Look forward to seeing more on this unique version of the beloved classic, Princess Mononoke.

Source:
http://animeanime.jp/article/2013/03/05/13191.html (Japanese)