News
One Piece Kabuki Play Star Steps Down After Breaking Arm
posted on by Karen Ressler
One Piece kabuki play star Ichikawa Ennosuke IV is stepping down from the roles of Luffy and Hancock due to an injury on stage.
During the curtain call of the midday performance on Monday, Ichikawa fell onto a stage mechanism and, when part of his costume got stuck in the machinery, he broke his arm. He was transferred to a hospital where the injury was diagnosed.
Onoe Ukon will take over Ichikawa's roles beginning on Tuesday. Onoe previously played Sadi-chan and Marco; Bandō Shingo will take his place as Sadi-chan, and Nakamura Hayato will take his place as Marco.
A timeframe for Ichikawa's return has not been set. In a comment to the Comic Natalie news website, Ichikawa told fans he is doing well. "I broke a bone, but please don't worry," he said. "I am true Gum-Gum power user Luffy!"
The play first ran from October-November 2015 at the Shinbashi Enbujō theater. 100,000 tickets for the Tokyo run all sold out. The play then ran in Osaka in March 2016, and then in Fukuoka in April 2016. Theatrical screenings of the play across Japan premiered last October. The current play, Super Kabuki II One Piece, is running from October 6-November 25.
Source: Comic Natalie
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