Romantic Manga Musical
“Every sound is beautiful to me “
Kaori Miyazono
Your Lie in April is a Japanese Anime Manga musical, by Naoshi Arakawa, which features Kosei Arima (Zheng Xi Yong) a brilliant musician, who loses the ability to play the piano after a traumatic event. A beautiful and talented violinist Kaori Miyazono (acted and sung by Mia Kobayashi, with violinist Akiko Ishikawa) will help him regain his musical gift. The story has components like Erich Segal’s 1970 film Love Story and is as heart breaking.
We start with Kosei recalling the cherry blossom of April and how she lied to him on one occasion. He is playing Beethoven on the piano but his mother (Lucy Park) is haranguing him saying “It has to be perfect!” She is the proverbial Tiger Mom and we see the little boy (Timothy Jian Soon/Eoin McLoughney/Theo Oh) at the grand piano. What we are hearing sounds like child abuse but it is this discipline which means Kosei practises until he becomes an exceptional pianist.
We jump to school and meet Kosei’s classmates Tsubaki Sawabe (Rachel Clare Chan) who really likes Kosei and the college Jock, Ryota Watari (Dean John-Wilson). Ryota is throwing poses on the baseball field. Kosei says he cannot hear the notes properly and that he can only see in black and white. Both his friends Tsubaki and Ryota try to persuade Kosei to resume playing the piano.
A new transfer student arrives, the beautiful violinist, Kaori Miyazono and she tells Kosei she wants to be Ryota’s girlfriend. There is good comedy from Dean John-Wilson as Ryota with his exaggerated physical sportsman persona and self-important moves. The three friends go to a music competition where Kaori’s brilliant violin playing is too modern for the judges. They say, “Entrant number 14 made a mockery of this competition,” but she wins the popularity audience award and gets into the second round.
They go to a café where Kosei explains that he cannot accompany her because he cannot hear the piano notes and we learn about his mother’s death with thunder and rain darkening the stage. In the exciting second round, beautifully lit in conjunction with the music and the audience joining in with their hands, Kosei accompanies Kaori.
The second act has tragedy but I shall not go into this now. The set is dominated by the proscenium arch covered with cherry blossom and transforming video scenes illustrate changing locations behind the leaded windows, including a panorama of the stars in the night sky for the romantic duet and highlight, “Catch a Shooting Star” sung by Kosei and Kaori.
All the cast have very fine voices and Zheng Xi Yong also plays the piano as well as acting and singing, not to mention his degree in law! I liked Rachel Clare Chan as Tsubaki singing “Where’s my Superhero?” about her affection for Kosei and his gentle reply which is still devastating for her, “I love you very much, but not in that way.” When Kaori plays the violin she is choreographed with the bow and her back towards us but at other times she sings with Akiko Ishikawa playing the violin. The final scene will be a spoiler but does illustrate the finest musicianship in this talented company.
This is the first London musical with a cast 100% drawn from the East Asian community and is sure to find an audience that will love its Anime origins and beautiful production values. You might want to take a handkerchief as well for your emotional involvement.
Editor of TheatreVibe.co.uk
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Musical Numbers
Act One
If I Can’t Hear The Music
This Is Our Time
Perfect (Preprise)
One Note
Perfect/One Note 2
Just Like A Movie
Who Put You In Charge Here?
Where’s My Superhero?
One Note 3/At Last
This Is Our Time (Reprise)
4.9 (Speed of Sound)
In Your Hands
Act Two
One Single Moment
Just Like A Movie (Reprise)
Catch A Shooting Star
Look How Far We’ve Come
Home Free
Come Find Me
Edge of the World
One Hundred Thousand Million Stars
100 Lost Days
Perfect (Reprise)
One Single Moment (Reprise)
I Can Hear You
Production Notes
Your Lie in April
Directed and Choreographed by Nick Winston
Cast
Starring:
Zheng Xi Yong
Mia Kobayashi
Rachel Clare Chan
Dean John-Wilson
Lucy Park
Akiko Ishikawa
With:
Chris Fung
Eu Jin Hwang
Mairi Ikegami
Gracie Lai
Imogen Law H
Ing Choi
Jojo Meredith
Daniel Nardone
Ericka Posadas
Ernest Stroud
Ria Tanaka
Kevin Tristan
Little Boy:
Timothy Jian Soon
Eoin McLoughney
Theo Oh
Creatives
Director and Choreographer:
Nick Winston
Set Designer: Justin Williams
Costume Designer: Kimie Nakamo
Musical Supervisor: Katy Richardson
Lighting Designer: Rory Beaton
Sound Designer: Rob Bettle
and Adam Fisher
Video Designer: Dan Light
Musical Director : Chris Poon
Musical Arrangement
and Orchestration: Jason Howland
Information
Running Time: Two hours 30 minutes with an interval
Booking until 21st September 2024
Theatre:
Harold Pinter
Panton Street
London SW1Y 4SW
Tube : Piccadilly Circus
Telephone: 03330 096 690
Website: haroldpintertheatre.co.uk
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge at the Harold Pinter Theatre
on 5th July 2024
