Showcase Of Musical POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN To Be Streamed Online Ahead Of Theatrical Opening

A showcase of the musical Poupelle of Chimney Town, based on one of the best-selling picture books in Japan with 420,000 copies sold, will be streamed online for two days on September 19 and 20, 2020. The script, written by Akihiro Nishino, the original author of the picture book, has been adapted into English by Jessica Wu. New York-based composer Ko Tanaka wrote all of the original music for this musical. All cast and production staff members are also New York residents.

Poupelle of Chimney Town was originally scheduled to be performed at an off-Broadway theater this September, but because of COVID-19, the production has been postponed until next year. The upcoming Zoom streaming will preview original songs, as well as the entire storyline of the show and include individual performances by actors. There will also be a Q&A session with the cast and crew after the streaming.

Ko Tanaka, the composer and music director of Poupelle of Chimney Town, was born in Saga, Japan. He studied at HAL music school in Nagoya and subsequently began composing for theater in Nagoya and Tokyo. Before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ko composed music for multiple theater works in Japan, including Desire Caught by the Tail, a play written by Pablo Picasso and adapted by Taigen Teikoku, for which he composed all music. This production was performed at the Aichi Triennale, one of the largest international art festivals in Japan. In 2018, Ko won a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music, where he studied stage direction, music technique, and composition with Michael Wartofsky and conducting with Grammy Award-winning conductor Eric Stern. He is also a first-class member of the Dramatists Guild of America. Poupelle of Chimney Town is Ko's first full musical composition in New York, which will make its debut off-Broadway next year.