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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stage Musical Cancels 1st 3 Days

The official website for the stage musical of "Phantom Blood," the first arc of Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga, announced on Sunday that the first three days of the production have been canceled, just two days before its slated opening. TOHO and the Imperial Theater venue explained that arrangements for the opening are taking more time than expected, so they are canceling the four performances slated for February 6, 7, and 8. (February 8 would have had both afternoon and evening performances.)

The musical is now slated to open in Tokyo's Imperial Theater on February 10-28. (The production is not performing on Fridays.) It will then run at Hokkaido's Sapporo Cultural Arts Theater Hitaru from March 26-30 and Hyogo Performing Arts Center – KOBELCO Grand Hall from April 9-14.

The cast includes:

Yūya Matsushita and Shotaro Arisawa as Jonathan Joestar

Mamoru Miyano as Dio Brando

Miisha Shimizu as Erina Pendleton

Young Dais as Robert E.O. Speedwagon

Yoshihisa Higashiyama and Yūsuke Hirose as Will A Zeppeli

Yamato Kochi as Jack the Ripper

Jumpei Shimada as Wang Chan

Kong Kuwata as Dario Brando

Tetsuya Bessho as George Joestar I

Nei Hasegawa is directing the musical. Hasegawa previously directed, scripted, and choreographed the stage adaptation of Araki's Shikei Shikkōchū Datsugoku Shinkōchū manga in 2015. French composer Dove Attia is composing the music for the production. Tsuneyasu Motoyashi (My Hero Academia stage productions) is penning the script.

Viz Media is releasing the various JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series in English, including Phantom Blood. Viz Media describes the beginning of the arc:

Young Jonathan Joestar's life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!

The first arc inspired a 2000-2002 original video anime run, a 2007 anime film prequel, and a 2012-2013 television anime series.

Araki launched The JOJOLands manga, the ninth and latest part of his JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series, in Ultra Jump on February 17.

Sources: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure musical's website, Comic Natalie