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Newest Black Butler Musical Gets Overseas Performances in China
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The September issue of Square Enix's G Fantasy magazine revealed on Tuesday that Musical Kuroshitsuji -Chi ni Moeru Licorice- (Musical Black Butler: Licorice that Blazes the Earth) — the third musical adaptation of Yana Toboso's supernatural manga Black Butler — will have performances in three different cities in China.
The production will run at the Shanghai Art Theater in Shanghai from December 11 to 13. The musical will then run at the Beijing Exhibition Center in Beijing from December 18 to 20, and at the Shenzhen Poly Theatre from December 25 to 27. This will be the first Black Butler stage musical production that will hold performances outside of Japan.
The stage musical revealed visuals of the production's cast in costume in June. The cast includes:
Yūta Furukawa as Sebastian Michaelis
Nayuta Fukuzaka as Ciel Phantomhive
Takeuya Uehara as Grell Sutcliff
Yūsuke Yata as Charles Grey
Yūsuke Hirose as Charles Phipps
Teruma as William T. Spears
Yoshihide Sasaki as the Viscount of Druitt
Noboru Washio as Baldroy
Takuya Kawaharada as Finnian
Shiori Sakata as Mey-Rin
Shun Takagi as Fred Abberline
Takeshi Terayama as Sharpe Hanks
Shūhei Izumi as Undertaker
Hirofumi Araki as Lau
Akane Liv as Madam Red
The site also revealed a main visual for the musical.
The official website revealed a visual featuring Furukawa and Fukuzaki as Sebastian Michaelis and Ciel Phantomhive in May. Furukawa (live-action Beck, Shinsengumi Peace Maker, Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, several Prince of Tennis musicals) is replacing Yūya Matsushita in the role of Sebastian. Matsushita had played the titular butler role in all musical adaptations of the franchise until now.
The new run of the musical will premiere in Osaka in November before traveling to Miyagi, Tokyo, and Fukuoka in November and December. Tickets will go on sale starting on August 30.
The third musical, which is based on the manga's Jack the Ripper arc, originally ran in Tokyo in September 2014 and in Osaka in October 2014.
Sono Shitsuji, Yūkō (That Butler, Friendship), the first Black Butler musical, ran in Tokyo in 2009. The second musical, Musical Kuroshitsuji- The Most Beautiful DEATH in The World- Sen no Tamashii to Ochita Shinigami (Musical Black Butler: The Most Beautiful Death in The World – A Thousand Souls and The Fallen Grim Reaper) debuted in 2010 and had a second run in Tokyo in May 2013 and in Osaka in June 2013.
The original manga revolves around a noble English boy named Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaels, Ciel's butler who is more than he seems. The manga already inspired a television anime series in 2008, a television anime sequel in 2010, several original video anime, and a live-action film. The manga also inspired the Black Butler: Book of Circus television series that premiered in July 2014.
Images © 2015 Yana Toboso/Musical Kuroshitsuji Project
