Virtual Idol Hatsune Miku to Star in Expo 2025 Kabuki Play
The virtual singer Hatsune Miku is to appear alongside the actor Shido Nakamura in a kabuki play to be performed at Expo 2025 in Osaka. The production is a type of performance called cho-kabuki or "ultra-kabuki," which is said to combine the traditional beauty of Japanese performance arts with the latest cutting-edge technology.
This is not the first time for Hatsune Miku and Shido Nakamura to perform cho-kabuki together. Nakamura, who is a well-known international film star as well as a traditional kabuki actor, first appeared with Hatsune Miku in the play Hanakurabe Senbonzakura in 2016. The same play was also performed in Kyoto's Minami-za Theater in 2019 and at the Kabuki-za Theater in Tokyo in 2023.
The play was partly inspired by the classic kabuki play Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, or Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees. First performed in 1748, this play is based on the story of a famous 12th-century samurai, Yoshitsune Minamoto, who helped his brother Yoritomo take control of Japan, only to have Yoritomo turn against him.
However, the cho-kabuki play was also partly inspired by Hatsune Miku's popular song "Senbon Zakura." This fast-paced pop song has lyrics that reference a time in the late 19th century when Japan was experiencing rapid modernization. Released in 2011, the song was a big hit and has been covered by other bands many times.
For the World Expo in Osaka, an updated version of the play will be performed with the title: Hanakurabe Senbonzakura Expo 2025 Version.
The play is scheduled to be performed on May 24 and 25 in the Expo Hall theater, which has seats for around 1,850 people.
