Stage Play "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl" Theater Review 2021/06/13

Performance Title: "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl"
Theater: New National Theatre, Tokyo (Playhouse)
Original Work: Tomihiko Morimi
Screenplay/Direction: Makoto Ueda
Cast: Shiori Kubo, Ichitaro Nakamura, Reo Tamaoki, Shunya Shiraishi, Riko Fujitani, Saori, Gota Ishida, Yoshifumi Sakai, Takashi Sumita, Kazunari Tosa, Sadamu Ikeura, Shintaro Kanemaru, Nanami Kusaka, Masahiro Naya, Sawa Suzuki, Hiroyuki Onoue, Shoko Fujimatsu, Hikaru Nakamura, Morihiro Yamaguchi, Marie Machida, Naoto Takenaka
Performance Period: 6/6–6/22 (Tokyo), 6/26–6/27 (Osaka)
Running Time: Approx. 180 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission)
Keywords: Love story, youth, musical, stage design
Personal Satisfaction: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

I went to see the stage adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi's "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl," which was adapted for the stage for the second time under the script and direction of Makoto Ueda from Europe Kikaku.
I haven't read the original novel, but I have seen the animated film version, and this was my first time seeing the stage version.

My impression was that while all the essential elements from the original and the animated film that I didn't want to see removed were included, there were many parts that were cleverly adapted to suit the stage.
What particularly caught my eye was the rotating stage set placed in the center, and the way the same characters appeared repeatedly across "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," and "Winter," effectively forming the story.
Regarding the rotating stage, the way the stage spun around to progress through detailed situations (especially in "Spring") without missing a beat felt like it effectively got the whole production on track from the very beginning.
As for the characters, I was impressed by how characters who appeared in other seasons were brought back to skillfully depict the connections between people. It gives a glimpse into the high level of Makoto Ueda's scriptwriting and directing skills.

Also, the "common cold" that appears in "Winter" felt to me like a performance that strongly evoked "COVID-19," even though it wasn't explicitly stated. The depiction of people feeling a sense of unity once again through the "cold (COVID)" linked well with the way modern people living in the "COVID-19 pandemic" seek human connection, making it a very well-crafted production.

With highlights such as the rap-style musical numbers, the Kabuki scene by Ichitaro Nakamura who plays the "Senior," and the highly original character setting of Li Bai played by Naoto Takenaka, the casting was also perfect, making it a highly satisfying production.
I would especially recommend this work to those who have seen the original novel or the animated film.

↓ Novel "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl"

[Viewing Motivation]

I had seen the animated film version of "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl" and knew the story, so I decided to see the stage version. I was very interested in seeing it because the script and direction were by Makoto Ueda of Europe Kikaku, and many of the cast members were familiar to me, such as Naoto Takenaka as Li Bai and Reo Tamaoki as the Panty Leader. My expectations were high.

[Story/Content] (*Contains spoilers)

The "Senior" (Ichitaro Nakamura), a dull man, is in love with the "Girl with Black Hair" (Shiori Kubo) whom he met at a wedding reception. To get her to notice his feelings, he has been carrying out the "Nakame Operation," acting in ways that keep him in her sight as much as possible.

"Spring"
Besides the "Senior," a man named Todo (Kazunari Tosa) has been approaching the "Girl with Black Hair." At a cocktail bar, Todo tries to touch her under the influence of alcohol, but she avoids it with a finishing move called the "Friend Punch" that she learned from her older sister (Marie Machida).
The "Girl with Black Hair" is a very heavy drinker and is well-liked by the older generation, even showing them the "Sophistry Dance" passed down from their elders. She even wins a drinking contest against an elder named Li Bai (voiced by Mugihito), who loves fake Electric Brandy.
Meanwhile, the "Senior" was carrying out his "Nakame Operation" toward the "Girl with Black Hair," but he was having a miserable time, such as having his pants stolen by a certain group.

"Summer"
The "Girl with Black Hair" is looking for a picture book she loved as a child called "La Ta Ta Tam," and she shows up at the festival thinking it might be at the "Shimogamo Cool Summer Used Book Market."
The "Senior" is advised by the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman (Shunya Shiraishi) that if he gets his hands on "La Ta Ta Tam" and presents it to her, she might fall in love with him, so he decides to participate in the auction hosted by Li Bai. However, he encounters more miserable experiences, such as getting ice cream smeared on him by a boy at the used book market (Riko Fujitani) and getting into a fight.
Meanwhile, the "Girl with Black Hair" meets Master Higuchi (Gota Ishida), Hanuki (Sawa Suzuki), a woman in a kimono (Saori), and the boy from the used book market, talking about various things regarding "La Ta Ta Tam" and books. Master Higuchi also decides to participate in the auction to look for the book he is after.
The auction is an event where those who can endure eating super-spicy hot pot can get the books they want. The "Senior" desperately eats through the super-spicy hot pot and manages to get "La Ta Ta Tam."

There is an intermission here.

"Autumn"
Pant Boss (Reo Tamaki) recounts that a long time ago, while reading a book on a bench, a woman sat next to him. At first, he felt nothing, but after an apple fell from the sky onto his head, he fell in love. Even now, Pant Boss still thinks of the woman he encountered then.
It was the season for the university school festival. At the festival stalls, there were performances of the biwa and folk songs, and in some places, Rihaku could be seen playing the guitar and singing. Also, a guerrilla play about the love between a man and a woman, "The Eccentric King," was to be performed on a stall. The "Girl with Black Hair" was chosen as the heroine for this guerrilla play. Her partner was Pant Boss, who always wore the same pair of underwear.
Around that time, the "Senior" had become a subordinate to the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman. He tried various ways to get a role as the partner in "The Eccentric King" to have some connection with the "Girl with Black Hair." However, through detailed analysis by the Executive Committee, they determined that the location where "The Eccentric King" was held was moving as if it were following the kotatsu where Master Higuchi and Hanuki were. Perhaps the stalls were following the manuscript for the next "The Eccentric King" as Master Higuchi and his group finished writing it. The "Senior" hurried to chase after the kotatsu where Master Higuchi and the others were.
At night, the "Senior," who jumped into the middle of the play between Pant Boss and the "Girl with Black Hair," appeared proudly in front of the "Girl with Black Hair" like a Kabuki onnagata and confessed his feelings. However, Noriko (Shoko Fujimatsu), the artist who created the elephant's rear and who had dropped the apple on Pant Boss's head long ago, barged in. Then, the disguised School Festival Executive Committee Chairman appeared before Pant Boss, and it was revealed that the person Pant Boss had fallen in love with was actually the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman.
Even after learning that the person he had fallen in love with was the cross-dressing Executive Committee Chairman, Pant Boss said his feelings would not change because he had fallen in love with the situation. However, suddenly, a carp fell onto the heads of Noriko and Pant Boss, and the two of them fell in love.

"Winter"
A cold was spreading throughout the town. Even Master Higuchi, who seemed immune to colds, caught one. However, the "Girl with Black Hair" showed no signs of catching a cold. She went to visit and care for the people who had taken care of her, starting with Master Higuchi.
Meanwhile, the "Senior" was also feeling lonely, stuck in bed at home due to a cold.
While going around caring for others, the "Girl with Black Hair" realized that Rihaku was the cause of the cold spreading through the town, and she went to visit Rihaku's house.
She said to Rihaku, "Teacher, you said that humans are not connected and are lonely, but I think people are connected by passing colds to one another." Furthermore, she said that because she never catches a cold, she feels lonely, as if she were disliked by God. Rihaku, who regained his energy thanks to the medicine prepared by the "Girl with Black Hair," told her that there was a young man waiting for her, and the "Girl with Black Hair" headed toward the "Senior."
By the "Girl with Black Hair" going to visit the "Senior," the two were finally able to meet. Since the "Senior" had been doing things to catch her eye through the "Nakame Strategy," their conversation flowed naturally. Then, the "Senior" gave her "La-ta-ta-tum," which made her happy, and the two were united. The story ends here.

Since I have not read the original work myself, my thoughts are based on a comparison with the animated film version. A major difference was the setting where Noriko in "Autumn" was an artist who created an elephant's rear. It seems this was a setting that appeared in the original work, but because there were many scenes focusing on Noriko, I felt that the scene where Pant Boss falls in love with Noriko at the end stood out more.
Also, not just in Noriko's scenes, but compared to the animated film version, the fact that characters other than the main cast, such as the "Senior" and the "Girl with Black Hair," had their own stories carefully depicted throughout the four seasons made the strengths of the stage play shine through. For example, the scene where Kosaka (Hiroyuki Onoue) repeatedly shouts "Marry me" to Naoko (Nanami Hinaka) throughout the "Autumn" and "Winter" seasons was very funny, and the fact that the sophistry club alumni appeared even in the "Winter" season was brilliant, as it emphasized human connections by effectively using existing cast members.
Personally, I felt "Summer" was a bit long-winded, but I felt that the other seasons were very well adapted.

【Worldview & Production】 (*Contains spoilers)

In any case, the stage design for this production was incredibly luxurious, and it was a large-scale setup with a massive amount of stage props prepared to recreate many scenes.
I will look at the stage sets, costumes, lighting, sound, video, and other production elements in that order.

First, the stage sets, which I want to highlight the most. Since the stage sets are completely different for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, I cannot describe everything in detail, but I will look at them roughly by season.
First, "Spring" had a luxurious design from the start, with a revolving stage built in the center. The revolving stage had three rooms prepared, and I had the impression that the entrance, the cocktail bar where the "Girl with Black Hair" drinks with Todo, and other scenes were performed and rotated with good tempo. In Spring, my eyes were drawn to the revolving stage.
"Summer" was not as luxurious as "Spring," but I remember a background panel that evoked a second-hand book market installed across the back of the stage. Other than that, I remember a stage being prepared in the center for the sale event. There was a scene there where they ate hot pot and frogs and snakes appeared and fought.
"Autumn" felt like a parade of stage props, with stalls on stage left, a screen showing Kyoto University in the center, and a space on stage right to isolate Hanuki, who was captured by the School Festival Executive Committee. I had the impression that the stage was quite crowded.
Conversely, in "Winter," there were almost no props on stage; I remember only a screen across the back of the stage evoking wind and a single stage in the center. That stage was very important because the final scene where the "Girl with Black Hair" and the "Senior" meet is performed there, and the sight of the "Girl with Black Hair" being brought down from there by Pant Boss and the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman at the end was impressive. Also, one of the revolving stages was used to represent Rihaku's house.
Looking at it by season, it was like this, but besides that, the large sheet recreating the train when Rihaku appears, with a small hole opened in the center for his face to peek through, was impressive, and it was a fun stage design full of highlights.

Next, the costumes. Personally, I liked the "Girl with Black Hair's" autumn costume. The red and white mottled costume with a Daruma motif as a character appearing in "The Eccentric King" was very lovely. In addition, the figure carrying the giant red koi carp won at the stall made the Daruma costume look like a carp, and it was nice that it also evoked "love" (koi) through the connection to "koi" (carp).
I also liked Pant Boss's costume. Above all, it was a nice design where the faded, smelly look of those pants was conveyed just by the visuals.
The costumes of the supporting characters at the autumn school festival were also lovely, and I liked the costumes that matched the worldview, being a bit hippie-like or ethnic.

Next, the lighting. The lighting was luxurious, but there were too many scenes, so I will only mention the impressive parts.
I think the scenes that were colorful using various colored lights were the scene where events are held at the stalls during the autumn school festival and the final scene where the "Girl with Black Hair" and the "Senior" are united. Especially the final scene where they are united was wonderful, with blue and green colorful lights illuminating the two in a musical style, making it a perfect happy ending.

And the sound. This production also has musical elements, and there is a lot I want to write down.
First, the opening is a scene where the "Girl with Black Hair" walks and sings while talking in a rap style, and that carefree and pure impression matched the character image of the "Girl with Black Hair" very well. It's not exactly rap, but a song with a large amount of lyrics, so I can't describe it well, but I don't think you can imagine it without hearing it.
Personally, I liked the "La-ta-ta-tum" musical scene. It appears in summer, and that sound and tempo of "La-ta-ta-ta-ta-tum" are stuck in my ears. It was a song that didn't appear in the animated film, so it was original to the stage play, but I thought it was a very tasteful composition.
Also, the scene where the "Senior" appears as a Kabuki onnagata was impressive. It's not exactly a song, but the scene where the "Senior" wears a red cloth and acts was a scene that demonstrated Ichitaro Nakamura's characteristics as a Kabuki actor.
Also, the scene where all the cast members sing and dance in the final scene where the "Girl with Black Hair" and the "Senior" are united was lovely. It was a heartwarming ending where all the characters who had appeared in the past gathered, and I really felt the connection between people.

Video was also used a lot in this production.
First, in the opening scene, the "Senior" starts talking about the "Girl with Black Hair" as if he were rattling off words quickly like in a Kaki-kuu-kyaku production, and the production where all the words were displayed on video was interesting. This might have been the first time I encountered this kind of production.
In the opening, the production where the corresponding cast members appeared from the left and right at the same time as the performers' names were displayed was also very good; I think this kind of thing is also fine.
At the timing when "Spring" ended, the end credits flowed, and the video production where the end credits were pushed up along with the "Senior's" action of pushing them up was also interesting. I also liked the line at that time, like "Tickets are expensive, around 10,000 yen, so it shouldn't end here, right?"
Also, there were videos of apples falling and carp falling, but for the carp, they used actual objects for the production, but for the apples, they fell on the heads of Pant Boss and the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman via video, so I thought it would have been better if that part were real.

I will list other production elements that were interesting and left an impression.
After all, what stood out the most was that I really liked the acting of Rihaku, played by Naoto Takenaka, who was doing whatever he wanted. I laugh just by Rihaku appearing. His guitar playing and singing are truly the best, and it's wonderful because it fits perfectly within the framework of the school festival.
Also, regarding the guitar, I thought it was very good that the school festival scene was a scene that made good use of the cast's special skills. For example, Nanami Hinaka's special skill as Naoko is biwa performance, and the production that incorporates the scene where she plays the biwa is wonderful. I think the same goes for Ichitaro Nakamura's aspect as a Kabuki onnagata.
Also, in the "Winter" scene, there was a production where they interviewed various people with a TV camera and watched it on TV, and it was very interesting how it reflected what that person thought of the person who appeared on TV depending on how they watched the TV. For example, it was funny that Naoko immediately turned off the TV where Kosaka was shouting "Naoko-" through the TV camera.
Also, the scene where all the male cast members appeared in the same "Senior" pajamas and were tormented was impressive. It was unexpected that even Mr. Tamaki as Pant Boss and Mr. Shiraishi as the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman appeared in those pajamas.
There were really many ingenious production points that I can't remember right now, but I'll stop here because it will get long.

【Cast & Characters】 (*Contains spoilers)

The cast was a luxurious lineup of actors and actresses, centered on actors belonging to Europe Kikaku. I will pick up the cast members who left an impression.

First, Shiori Kubo of Nogizaka46, who played the "Girl with Black Hair." I had the impression that she was surprisingly well-suited to the "Girl with Black Hair" I saw in the animated film.
She has the impression of a Heian beauty, or a slightly plump and fair-skinned woman, and her carefree and pure nature was wonderful as it reproduced the character of the "Girl with Black Hair" very well.
Also, she is very good at singing. There was a sense of discomfort because I thought she was wearing a microphone and her voice could be heard from the speakers, but she established a pop musical that was comfortable enough to listen to, enough to wipe away that discomfort.
And her costumes and such suited her very well, so my personal satisfaction with the "Girl with Black Hair" in this production is perfect.

Next is Ichitaro Nakamura, who played the "Senior." Although Nakamura is a Kabuki actor who performs female roles, I didn't particularly feel any Kabuki-like mannerisms; the impression was simply that of an actor standing there.
In this play, I got a very strong impression of him being like Nobita from Doraemon. Perhaps because the "Senior" in the animated film is voiced by Gen Hoshino, he had a more mature, frail, salaryman-like (though actually a student) impression, so maybe this version is a bit too well-behaved.
However, I thought it was excellent that the pathetic "Senior" looked incredibly cool in the "Eccentric King" scene during the "Autumn" school festival. Although he ends up being knocked over by an elephant's rear end there, it was definitely a scene that would be burned into the "Girl with Black Hair's" mind, so I thought it was a good scene that connected well to the second half.

The most interesting part was Naoto Takenaka, who played Li Bai. I had imagined it to some extent, but my impression was that he really did whatever he wanted. I expected the scene in "Spring" where Li Bai pops his head out of the train, but I still laughed.
And I thought his guitar performance was truly unfair. It fit perfectly within the framework of the school festival, and because he stood out so much, I couldn't help but keep my eyes on him.
However, because his presence was so overwhelming, I couldn't think of any lines of his that left an impression.

The duo of Reo Tamaoki as the Panty Leader and Shunya Shiraishi as the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman was incredibly good. At the turn of the seasons, a screen descends to the front of the stage, and the acting unfolds in front of it; the interaction between the two there is very funny, and it becomes even funnier when the "Senior" joins in.
In the "Autumn" scene, the setting where the person he fell in love with after an apple fell on his head was actually the School Festival Executive Committee Chairman in drag also had something that really stimulated the audience, as it evoked a relationship between the two that went beyond just being a duo.
Also, since they were the ones who carried the "Girl with Black Hair" down from the stage in the final scene, I felt they really supported this entire work as a duo.

As for other supporting roles, I really liked the slightly annoying guy vibe of Hiroyuki Onoe, who played Takasaka, and I was very impressed by the reliable older sister vibe of Marie Machida, who played the older sister of the "Girl with Black Hair"; her "Friend Punch" was particularly intense.
Also, the aura of Kota Ishida, who played Master Higuchi, as he smoked was very charming, and while Riko Fujitani, who played the boy at the used book market, created a very sharp and unique character, it was a pity that the rap-style part about how books are all connected was hard to hear.

[Analysis of the Play] (*Contains spoilers)

I had previously watched the animated film version of "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl," so I knew the story and content, but I thought I would write down some new realizations I had after watching the work as a stage play.
As I wrote in the beginning, I was reminded that this work has a message that makes you want to cherish connections and relationships with people.

Previously, I interpreted this work as a love story depicting the growth of the "Girl with Black Hair" and the "Senior." The "Girl with Black Hair" grows into an adult through various experiences that decorate a page of her youth, such as searching for "La-Ta-Ta-Tum" and performing in the "Eccentric King" play. And in the end, the story concludes with her visiting the "Senior" for the first time, learning about love, and growing into an adult.
That is why the "Girl with Black Hair" says at the end, "I might have caught a cold too."
On the other hand, the "Senior" is initially ignored by the "Girl with Black Hair," has his pants stolen, gets into a fight with the boy at the used book market, and ends up catching a cold, but his series of actions pays off, and in the end, he is acknowledged by the "Girl with Black Hair," or rather, she comes to like him.
In this stage production as well, those elements of growth were fully felt, and because it was a stage play, I feel that the coolness the "Senior" shows at the school festival and the joy when he brings the "La-Ta-Ta-Tum" at the end felt more realistic, perhaps bringing out those important elements even better than the animated film version.

However, it's not just that; perhaps because we are currently in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cold that appears in "Winter" felt like it was strongly reminiscent of COVID.
When I watched the animated film version before, COVID was obviously not prevalent, so I didn't think about it from that perspective at all, but now, in the middle of the pandemic, when I watch this "Winter" scene again, the cold spreading through the streets inevitably makes me think of "COVID."
Of course, the word "COVID" is not explicitly used in the stage play, but it makes me think that the director himself might have intended for the audience to have that thought cross their minds.
The reason I thought so is because of the direction that emphasizes human connection through a "cold." During the play, the "Girl with Black Hair" desperately goes around nursing people and talking about how others are doing, but it also uses television broadcasts (which I believe was an element not in the animated film version) to confirm that even though a cold is spreading and people cannot meet in person, they are still connected.
In the animated film version, there is a line where the "Girl with Black Hair" says, "The teacher said that humans are not connected and are lonely, but I think people are connected by passing on colds," but in the play, it seems to be reinterpreted into a message that even in a state where you cannot go out due to a cold, you are connected to people and are not alone. This is exactly close to our situation experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

And finally, when Li Bai's cold is cured and the "Girl with Black Hair" and the "Senior" are united, it is depicted as if spring has arrived again, and there is a scene where all the cast members dance in a circle, which represents the return of human connection, making me think it might be a production that wishes for the end of COVID.
Interpreted that way, I feel this work is extremely well-made. While retaining the goodness of the original "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl," the ending treats the "cold" that appears in "Winter" as COVID, depicting a hope for a bright future recovering from it.
Isn't it a work with a message that is worth performing precisely because we are in this situation now?