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Spirited Away Stage Play Cancels 6 More Days After COVID-19 Cases Including Co-Lead Mone Kamishiraishi (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The official website of actress and singer Mone Kamishiraishi announced on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19. She is undergoing medical treatment and follow-up observation on the advice of medical professionals.
Also on Tuesday, the staff of the Spirited Away stage play announced that they were canceling more performances due to "multiple" COVID-19 cases among the people involved in the production. The staff had already announced on Monday that Tuesday's performances were canceled, but all performances through Saturday are also now canceled.
Mone Kamishiraishi (right in posters below) has been starring as Chihiro in the stage play in alternating performances with fellow actress Kanna Hashimoto (Gintama, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Kingdom, left poster). She also played the lead roles in Makoto Shinkai's anime film your name. and the live-action productions Chihayafuru, L-DK: Two Loves, Under One Roof, and Come Come Everybody. She sang theme songs for 7SEEDS, Major 2nd, and RIN-NE 3.
The play had previously canceled last weekend's performances. The Sports Hochi newspaper reported that audience members were already taking their seats in the theater that Saturday when the staff announced the sudden cancellations. The talent agency Production LAL announced on Saturday that voice actress and stage actress Romi Park (Fullmetal Alchemist anime's Ed, Spirited Away play's Yubaba/Zeniba) has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The play is now at Nagoya's Misono-za theater for a June 22-July 4 run. July 4 is the last scheduled day of the play after touring Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The production had sold out every performance at every venue. The staff had planned to have a pay-per-view live stream of the play next Sunday and Monday in Japan.
The play had previously canceled performances in Fukuoka from May 17 to May 25 after co-lead Hashimoto's COVID-19 diagnosis.
Tony and Olivier Award-winning director and the Royal Shakespeare Company's Honorary Associate Director John Caird (Les Misérables, Nicholas Nickleby, Daddy Long Legs) wrote and directed the production.
Spirited Away was previously the highest-grossing Japanese film worldwide until Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train surpassed the record. Spirited Away remains the only non-English-language title to win the Academy Awards' Best Animated Feature award, which it earned in 2003.
Update: The production canceled the July 3 performance, but still held a final performance on July 4. Hashimoto played Chihiro, and Natsuki played Yubaba/Zeniba in that final performance.
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