Your Lie in April (musical)

Your Lie In April
MusicFrank Wildhorn
LyricsTracy Miller
Carly Robyn Green
BookRiko Sakaguchi (Japanese)
Rinne B. Groff (English)
BasisYour 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]

Productions

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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 and former Nogizaka46 member Erika Ikuta as Kaori Miyazono, Fuka Yuduki 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] Justin Williams was the designer of the Death Note concerts and Your Lie in April.

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 was initially set to run until 21 September 2024 at the Harold Pinter Theatre but closed early on 11 August 2024.[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][unreliable source?]

Another Japanese production is set to make its premiere in August till September 2025, the cast features Kurumu Okamiya and Misato Higashijima as Kosei Arima (double cast), Ririka Kato and former Juice=Juice member Karin Miyamoto as Kaori Miyazono (double cast), Shio Kisui and Saki Yamamoto as Tsubaki Sawabe (double cast), and Masato Yoshihara and Taisei Shima as Ryota Watari (double cast).

Cast albums and recordings

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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

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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 and 2025 Japanese Productions

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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

[edit]
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"

References

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  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 Newspaper. 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.
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