Star Wars comes to Japanese kabuki stage, Latest Movies News - The New Paper
Movies

Star Wars comes to Japanese kabuki stage

TOKYO : From a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars is coming to a traditional Japanese kabuki theatre stage for a one-off performance in Tokyo celebrating the blockbuster film series.

Kabuki actors will swop their samurai swords for lightsabers to perform the adaptation of the wildly popular series later this month, ahead of the release of the final film of the saga, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, which opens here on Dec 19.

Ichikawa Ebizo, among the biggest names in Japan's heavily choreographed kabuki world, will star as Kylo Ren, the son of Han Solo who is drawn to the dark side.

The performance on Nov 28 at an undisclosed location in Tokyo is shrouded in secrecy but will feature key moments from recent instalments of the series, the Japanese arm of Disney said in a statement.

Disney said it plans to invite at least 25 couples to the performance, which will also be live-streamed.

"Star Wars kabuki will depict the sagas of love and loss for the Skywalker family that stretch for more than 40 years," Ichikawa said in the statement.

"It will be a show that both Star Wars fans and kabuki fans will enjoy." - AFP

Movies