A Night at the Kabuki, the acclaimed Japanese stage production inspired by Romeo & Juliet set to the songs of Queen, is to be streamed globally on Friday 17th November. Transported from the original setting of 14th century Verona, Italy, this production takes place in late12th century Japan at the start of the Samurai era where the rivalry between the Minamoto and Taira clans intensifies after their young heirs Romeo and Juliet fatefully fall in love.
The show – created by acclaimed Japanese theatre maker Hideki Noda OBE- was inspired by legendary Queen front man Freddie Mercury’s love of Japan. The title is taken from the title of Queen’s 1975 fourth studio album A Night at the Opera which features the classics Bohemian Rhapsody, Love of My Life and You’re My Best Friend. ‘Kabuki’ is the equivalent word for ‘opera’ in Japan and embodies a playful spirit and a sense of maverick. The music used in A Night at the Kabuki are all original recordings of Queen’s masterpiece, and fans may also recognise the use of original drum and guitar recordings embedded in the show as sound effects. The current members of Queen guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and retired bassist John Deacon all gave their blessing for the songs and music to be used in the show.
The 2022 world tour was inspired by Queen’s manager, Jim Beach and his praise for the play after seeing the Tokyo premiere in 2019. Before departing for its world tour, it had played to over 70,000 people in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kitakyushu, winning the Grand Prize of the 27th annual Yomiuri Theatre Award. The streamed production was filmed at Sadler’s Wells and marks the first time a NODA MAP show will be streamed.
The 2022 London run featured all of the original core pairs of Romeos and Juliets including Takako Matsu an actress and pop singer who was the voice of Elsa in the Japanese version of Frozen, Takaya Kamikawa the long running male lead Detective Itomura in CSI: Crime Scene Talks, Suzu Hirose, who made her stage debut in the play (after an extensive film, television and modelling career), and became the youngest recipient to win the renowned Kinokuniya Theater Award for her portrayal in the production, and Jun Shison who is a global brand ambassador for Gucci.
Hideki Noda said, ‘’A Night at the Kabuki was one of the highlights of the career. When we started working on the project we weren’t sure how people would react to a new version of this legendary Shakespeare play set to iconic songs from Queen but audiences loved it and we’re thrilled to be able to share it with even more people with this global stream.’’
