Your Lie in April

Your Lie in April photos

Your Lie in April description

Wherever this show lands, people adore it. If you fancy a beautiful, stylish tear-jerker with a happy ending, this one’s for you. Perfect for lovers of Japanese manga, the concerts that launched it in theatreland were sell-out sensations. We expect the same from the musical.

Brilliant young actors ace this stunningly lovely musical

Zheng Xi Yong stars as Kōsei Arima, Rachel Clare Chan plays Tsubaki Sawabe, and Dean John-Wilson plays the role of Ryota Watari, all of whom starred in the two concert versions of the show that caused such a stir at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. They’re joined by Mia Kobayashi, making her professional debut as Kaori Miyazono.

The musical is based on the beautiful manga series by Naoshi Arakawa, with music by the multi-Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-nominated Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn who gave us Death Note The Musical, Jekyll and Hyde, and Bonnie and Clyde. The lyrics come from Carly Robyn Green and Tracy Miller. It’s directed and choreographed by Nick Winston (Death Note the Musical, Fame, Annie).

A lovely story everyone adores

Frank Wildhorn’s musical first opened in Tokyo during 2022, followed by a tour of Japan that delighted everyone who saw it. It tells the story of the teenage piano playing prodigy Kōsei Arima, who cannot bring himself to make music after his mother's death. Eventually he returns to the spotlight thanks to his new friend and talented violinist Kaori Miyazono.

The plot has a seriously impressive backstory. The Your Lie In April manga, published in 2011, has sold more than 7.5 million copies across 17 countries. It has been made into an animated TV series, a Japanese live-action film in 2016 and a Japanese stage production in 2017. Frank Wildhorn’s musical smashed box office records in 2022 and this production marks its EU English language premiere.

The Director and Choreographer is Nick Winston, with Music Arrangement and Orchestration by Jason Howland. The Co-Director is Jordan Murphy. The Musical Supervisor is Katy Richardson, Musical Director and Conductor Chris Poon, Set Designer Justin Williams, and the Costume Designer Kimie Nakano. The Sound Designer is Rob Bettle for Sound Quiet Time and Adam Fisher, with Lighting Design by Rory Beaton, Video Design by Dan Light, and Orchestral Management by Rich Morris for Music Solutions Ltd. The Production Manager is Toby P Darvill, and the Casting Director is Harry Blumenau CDG CDA.

Playing at Harold Pinter Theatre (venue info)