Entertainment · Books & Arts · 1 hr ago
Three new actors cast as Chihiro in Spirited Away stage tour
Three actors have been chosen to play Chihiro in the stage production of Spirited Away: Nogizaka46 member Kaede Inoue, Hana Toyoshima and Kokoro Hirasawa.
They were selected through auditions led by the production’s director, John Caird.
They join four actors already playing the role, bringing the total number of Chihiro performers to seven.
The stage show is based on Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film, which first opened in cinemas in 2001.
All seven actors are set to appear at Tokyo’s Meijiza Theatre from March to May 2027.
The production’s world tour includes Taipei from December 2026, followed by Toronto and Los Angeles in 2027, and London in 2028.
The tour will bring the Japanese-language production to audiences in several countries, while the casting news has also renewed discussion about whether audiences can find out in advance which actor will perform on a given date.
Three actors have been selected to play Chihiro in the 2026–2028 world tour of the stage production of Spirited Away.
The new cast members are Nogizaka46 singer and actor Nagi Inoue, Hana Toyoshima and Kokoro Hirasawa.
They were chosen through auditions by the production’s adaptor and director, John Caird.
They will join four actors who have previously played Chihiro, and all seven are scheduled to appear at Tokyo’s Meijiza in March–May 2027.
The tour is set to visit Taipei, Toronto, Los Angeles and London, as well as cities in Japan.
- Who
- Nagi Inoue, Hana Toyoshima and Kokoro Hirasawa were selected to play Chihiro.
- What
- They will join the 2026–2028 world tour of the Spirited Away stage production.
- When
- The announcement was published on October 14, 2026; the tour runs from 2026 to 2028.
- Where
- The tour includes Taipei, Toronto, Los Angeles, London and Japanese cities.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The stage production had its world premiere at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre.
The production played in Seoul.
The three new Chihiro actors were announced.
The tour is scheduled to play at Taipei’s National Theater.
All seven Chihiro actors are scheduled to appear at Meijiza in Tokyo.
- New actors
- Nagi Inoue, Hana Toyoshima and Kokoro Hirasawa
- Director and adaptor
- John Caird
- Tour period
- 2026–2028
- Tokyo venue
- Meijiza
- Tokyo dates
- March–May 2027
- Existing Chihiro cast
- Kanna Hashimoto, Mone Kamishiraishi, Momoko Fukuchi and Rina Mori
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What people are saying
I am excited to play Chihiro with love for this work.
I feel the greatest joy that I get to play Chihiro.
I am really looking forward to living as Chihiro.