Whole Hog Theatre
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"...Sublime! A Whole Hog Theatre should be commended for another triumph…"

Otaku News

© Piers Foley Photography

"Beautiful... a visually striking evocation of animation"

Time Out

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"Evocative...eloquent"

The Financial Times
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"Enthralling... beguiling... and strangely beautiful"

The Reviews Hub

"….strong direction by Alexandra Rutter the immaculately designed stage is beautifully lit up… and the moments of animation projected on to it delight…"

London Pub Theatres

© Piers Foley Photography

"…a beautifully presented, unusual piece of theatre which is well worth seeing..."

North West End​

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"…Rutter’s deceptively simple production does justice to Shinkai’s original themes of the loneliness... a stylish show that remains true to its animated, Japanese roots..."

The Morning Star
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"a chance to see something special…. the show honours the stylised theatrical traditions of the past with the innovative techniques of tomorrow..."

Breaking The Fourth Wall

"….The acting is superb" 

London Theatre Reviews
Story
Whilst seeking solace in a Japanese garden, an out-of-step woman and an offbeat teenager meet by chance. Social misfits with a shared sense of loneliness, the unlikely pair bond over classical poetry, shoemaking and bad cooking. But the heartfelt companionship that could save them might also ruin them…      

Based on the stereotype-defying Anime and novel from world-renowned filmmaker, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name., Suzume), Japanese animation continues to make waves on the UK stage with this global premiere. A refreshingly candid Tokyo tale reminiscent of the adorable melancholy of Lost in Translation.  ​Delve deeper into Shinkai’s visually emotive story about the lines between platonic and romantic longing and what it is to feel alone in the biggest metropolis in the world. Seven lost souls, drowning in technology yet unable to connect.  

From the UK’s Whole Hog Theatre, creators of the world's first stage adaptation of a Hayao Miyazaki film with the kind permission of Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke), and Tokyo’s Anime stage production specialists Nelke Planning (Attack on Titan, Naruto, Sailor Moon stage productions) comes a unique, new Anglo-Japanese collaboration.

" …Profoundly hypnotic…a treat to watch…"

A Spy In The Stalls

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"...a clever collection of poetic textures that convey the realities of communal sorrow in a big city. This flavour of sorrow, though, is not weighty; it’s light and refreshing.."

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"...respects the original story but also expands it in excellent ways. I waited three years for this stage production and can say it was very much worth the wait. "


​"…Gorgeous… sends us to another place...” 

Broadway World

Cast

TAKAO AKIZUKI I HIROKI BERRECLOTH
SHOTA AKIZUKI I JAMES BRADWELL
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REIMI AKIZUKI UNDERSTUDY I KAT CLEAVE
REIMI AKIZUKI I SUSAN MOMOKO HINGLEY
SHŌKO AIZAWA I SHOKO ITO
RIKA TERAMOTO I INIKI MARIANO
YUKARI YUKINO I AKI NAKAGAWA
SŌICHIRŌ ITO I MARK TAKESHI OTA

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​"…engrossing... Rutter’s direction and a capable cast add new weight... a knotty tale of the perils of dream-chasing…"

Why Now

Team

Adaptors Susan Momoko Hingley & Alexandra Rutter
Director & Co movement Alexandra Rutter
Producer Shuang Teng        
Music Mark Choi     
Set & costume design Cindy Lin    
Puppets and puppetry Mikayla Teodoro  
 Lighting Rajiv Pattani
Sound design Nicola T. Chang
 Projection KENNY        
Co Movement Director Iskandar Sharrazudin 
Associate Director Caroline Yu
Associate Director Mei Mac
Assistant Director & Reimi Understudy Kat Cleave 
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London Pub Theatres

"….a beautiful amalgamation of Japanese movement, puppetry… In the last decade, Alexandra Rutter has carved-out a niche for herself as a specialist director of Anglo-Japanese collaborative theatre and here demonstrates why she remains a talent to watch…"

LondonBoxOffice.com​

© Piers Foley Photography

"…Alexandra Rutter’s direction is ambitious... and shows some flashes of genius… fantastic use of projection design by Kenichi Arakaki …"

All That Dazzles

​"…Moments of striking beauty... visually arresting symbolic images…"

The Stage
© Piers Foley Photography

"a visually delightful and ambitious stage adaptation… a unique exploration and crossover of culture and different artistic mediums"

A Youngish Perspective

"a heartfelt story about connection and loneliness...
​graceful and tender, with creative staging and intimate storytelling."

Adventures in Theatreland

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"Berrecloth...is mesmerising… Nakagawa… is equally compelling…"

Paul in London

Company no. 08095834 registered in England and Wales
© Whole Hog Theatre Ltd. 2019
​All rights reserved - all photos subject to artist copyright

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  • HOME
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Benefactors
  • UK・JAPAN
    • The Garden of Words  言の葉の庭- Tokyo
    • The Garden of Words - London
    • The鍵Key
    • Tristan and Isolde
    • Princess Mononoke  もののけ姫
  • UK
    • Dangerous Liaisons
    • Five Kinds of Silence
    • Costanzo
  • Contact