Whole Hog Theatre's Princess Mononoke, Rescored

Tags

adaptation, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Whole Hog Theatre

Another update from the lovely people preparing the (sell-out) stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke: they have received the blessing from the Japanese animation studio and Hisaishi Joe to use the original music score of the film for their performance.

Originally the Whole Hog Theatre had a completely new score in the works, with Freya Bryson in charge of the composition and arrangement. I’m not surprised that this was their initial plan, because even if they had Studio Ghibli’s permission to put on a stage adaptation of Princess Mononoke, logistical issues – including official permissions of usage (read: the often very pesky issue of copyright) always complicate these kind of things. Now, however, not only Ghibli has given them a yes but also Hisaishi, the composer behind the original music. Maybe the recent sell-out success (tickets for added July performances were gone in less than half a day) and people’s obvious interest in the stage adaptation were a contributing factor?

The music for the theatre adaptation won’t be exactly like the film score, which is performed by a full orchestra, but the Whole Hog Theatre will be using its six musicians and changing some of the instruments to fit its needs. It should still be recognisable enough for the fans of the film and I think we’re all looking forward to hearing it. I’m anyhow.

Bonus Bits

• The official announcement about the musical score on the Whole Hog Theatre’s website (see 26/2/2013 entry).
• MangaUK’s recent interview about the Princess Mononoke stage adaptation with the Whole Hog Theatre.