 Hayato Kakizawa  Kenji Urai | Kira may just have been cast in Death Note stage shows rolling out in Japan and South Korea next year. I say 'may' because - let's be completely honest here - I have no Japanese, and so I'm relying upon the vagaries of Google Translate to tell me the news. I've seen what that program does to Welsh, so I'm not confident that it's any better in Japanese. For those able to read the rumors in its original language, here is the source. And please do report back, if I've totally misread the gossip. However, my current understanding is that Frank Wildhorn has found two actors in a dual casting. They will each take on the role of Light Yagami, though I'm unsure whether that's in one city, sharing the performances (even Kira has to schedule in some nights off!) during its entire three-month run, or else one actor for Tokyo and another for Seoul. The two gentlemen in the frame are Hayato Kakizawa and Kenji Urai. Neither are quite the High School teenager that's at the heart of Death Note (Hayato is 27 and Kenji is 33), but their resumes show promise for an all singing, all dancing Kira. Kenji Urai has a long history performing in musicals, including those adapted from manga and/or anime. He was third long-serving actor to play Mamoru Chiba (aka Tuxedo Mask) in the Sailor Moon shows. He also portrayed Alfred in the Toyko musical of Roman Polanski's Dance of the Vampires, and Rudolf in the Osaka staging of Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay's life of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria - eponymously titled Elisabeth. Here he is in action as Tuxedo Mask in Tuxedo Mission. Look like a potential Light Yagami to you? |
Though Hayato Kakizawa is billed everywhere as an actor in musicals, it's a little harder to track down which ones. I've found four recent live action movies (Kaiji 2, Akko-Chan: The Movie, Koi and Bad Boys J: The Movie), but none which involve hearing his tonsils vibrate to the big notes.
He does seem to have the dancing part covered though. Hayato Kakizawa portrayed Romeo in a 2013 Toyko ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Hold on! Victory! I've found him in the title role of Melchior in a 2009 musical production of Spring Awakening. Does THIS scream possible Kira to you?
He does seem to have the dancing part covered though. Hayato Kakizawa portrayed Romeo in a 2013 Toyko ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Hold on! Victory! I've found him in the title role of Melchior in a 2009 musical production of Spring Awakening. Does THIS scream possible Kira to you?
As always, you'll get more when I've got it. Enjoy!
