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Photos Showcase the Set of the Princess Knight Stage Musical

The actors and director of the upcoming Princess Knight stage musical recently shared their thoughts prior to the show's premiere.

Ikuta stressed that it was a fantasy and was eager to show off the costumes and set to the audience. Kaminaga was primarily excited about being able to perform in the Akasaka ACT Theater. Aoki was nervous about wearing colored contacts for the first time (his character, Blood, has blue eyes). Sakurai promised to add some "nice spice" to the show as a witch's daughter.

Note: All pictures taken from the rehearsal.

As a veteran musical performer, Ikuta was confident in her singing and performing ability, and admitted that her spirits picked up every time she sang. Sakurai has never performed in a musical before and complained about the difficulty. Ueshima reassured her, saying "those who are used to huge stages are somehow different from normal people" and predicted that they would go through a "sudden change" when the curtains rose.

Ikuta remembered that her grandmother had enjoyed Princess Knight, and Sakurai recalled that her mother was a fan, adding pressure to their performances. It was Ikuta's first time staging swordfights, and she said: "At first I didn't even know how to hold a sword, but I got help from all the muscular men around me, and I think I got it so I look a little strong." Kaminaga also had never used a sword before and had to learn as he went along. Ueshima explained that he favored dance-like "pretty" choreography over realistic stances and motions. The show also contains ballroom dancing, and Ueshima had to remind Ikuta to look like she was enjoying herself.

The production stars Erika Ikuta of the J-pop group Nogizaka 46 as Princess Sapphire, Keisuke Kaminaga (Watashi wa Daikōya!) as Prince Franz, Tsunenori Aoki (Garo: Yami o Terasu Mono) as Blood, and Reika Sakurai (also of Nogizaka 46) as Hecate. Yukio Ueshima is the director and choreographer; he directed the Prince of Tennis musical, which Kaminaga and Aoki starred in, as well as a musical based on Tezuka's Rainbow Prelude, which starred Ikuta.

The Princess Knight musical will play at the Akasaka ACT Theater in Tokyo until November 17, after which it will reappear at Osaka's Theater Brava! from December 3 to 6. The Princess Knight musical premiered in 2006 and was originally performed by the J-pop group Morning Musume; the current production celebrates the 60th anniversary of the shōjo manga magazine Nakayoshi, which carried Princess Knight in 1958-9 and 1963-6.

[Via Comic Natalie]