"Frank Wildhorn & Friends" performed in Japan March 12 through March 21. The concert, presented in Tokyo and Osaka, was the first concert event in the history of Japanese theatre that features a whole program of music by a living American composer. Started March 12, 2010 at Tokyo’s renowned Bunkamura Orchard Hall and followed by a run in Osaka, Wildhorn’s music enchanted thousands of Japanese fans.
The concert consisted of two parts. The first half was the concert version of the musical work titled MITSUKO, based on the life story of Mitsuko Coudenhove-Kalergi, the first Japanese woman in history who married a European aristocrat. This musical work was originally commissioned by Kyodo Tokyo, and the concert version was premiered at Vienna’s Kunsthalle in December 2005. It was announced on the first day of the concert in Tokyo that the full production of the musical will have its world premiere in Japan in the spring of 2011.
The second half of this concert program featured Wildhorn’s well-known songs performed by top artists of Japan as well as some special guests performers from Europe: Takeshi Kaga (Jekyll & Hyde, Cyrano, Les Miserables), Marcia (Jekyll & Hyde), Rena Sasamoto (Rudolf, Woman In White), Kei Aran (Takarazuka’s The Scarlet Pimpernel), Yoshio Inoue (Rudolf), Mate Kamaras (Elisabeth), among others. This section also introduced new works of Wildhorn, such as “Bonnie and Clyde”, to the Japanese fans.
The full version of the musical Mitsuko is just one of the many Wildhorn works that have been scheduled or currently negotiated in Japan. Wildhorn’s history Japanese theatre goes back to “Jekyll & Hyde” in 2001, when show became one of the Japanese audiences’ most beloved musical works. The show has been repeatedly played in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. As Wildhorn’s fame in Japan was rising, a challenging and historical new project was announced: Takarazuka Revue Company, one of the country’s most established theatre companies, commissioned Wildhorn to write an entire original score for their season of 2006. This resulted in “Never Say Goodbye”, which many theatre critics described as a historical success, the American composer to be commissioned to create an original piece for Takarazuka.
List of the Works by Frank Wildhorn and its Premier Year in Japan
Jekyll & Hyde - Nissei Theatre, Tokyo (2001-2007)
Never Say Goodbye - Takarazuka Grand Theatre, Hyogo (2006)
Rudolf - Imperial Theatre, Tokyo (2008)
Scarlet Pimpernel - Takarazuka Grand Theatre, Hyodo (2008-2011)
Cyrano - Imperial Theatre, Tokyo (2009)
For more information on Frank Wildhorn, as well as upcoming performances of his work, visit
www.FrankWildhorn.com.
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