It has been announced that the musical "Welcome to the Quiet Room The Musical," written and directed by Suzuki Matsuo, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW in May.
"Welcome to the Quiet Room" is an original novel written by Matsuo, who is the head of the theater company "Otona Keikaku" and is active as a writer, director, and actor. It was later made into a film starring Yuki Uchida, with Matsuo himself serving as the scriptwriter and director. Now, 19 years later, a musical has been born that breaks new ground for Matsuo.
Set in the closed ward of a psychiatric hospital, this musical is a "hymn to humanity" that depicts the daily lives of people with various problems as they move from despair to rebirth. Matsuo's unique humor and fantasy add color to the work, elevating a serious theme into entertainment.
The main character, Miyu Sakihi, is played by Miyu Sakihi, and her partner, Yakihata Tetsuo, is played by Yuya Matsushita. The cast also includes a diverse cast of actors and musicians. The music is by Akira Miyagawa, and the choreography is by Takuro Suzuki.
The play, which was filmed at THEATER MILANO-Za (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) on January 26th this year, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW.
◇Story
Sakura Asuka (Sakihi), a 28-year-old divorced freelance writer, lives with her partner, Yakihata Tetsuo (Matsushita), a writer for variety shows. As a popular writer, she is consumed by a stressful daily life, interviewing big-name comedian Sumida (Minagawa Sarutoki) and meeting manuscript deadlines. One day, she wakes up in an unfamiliar white room. It's a closed ward in a psychiatric hospital for women, known as the "Quiet Room." She loses consciousness after taking an overdose of sleeping pills to relieve stress, and is labeled a suicide candidate.
While she is suddenly thrown into a strange new environment and bewildered, she gradually becomes accustomed to the closed ward as she interacts with unique patients, including the strict nurse Eguchi (Ryo), Yamagishi (Sakurai Reika), Miki (Kon Natsumi), a young girl she meets on her first day of hospitalization, Kume (Minagawa Sarutoki), a former call girl specializing in chubby women, and Nishino (Akiyama Natsuko), a former adult video actress. At the same time, Asuka, who has been removed from her daily routine, begins to reexamine herself, her life, and her relationship with Tetsuo. As she prepares for discharge, she begins spending her days with fellow patients who all have their own unique circumstances.
◇Recommendation from theater and film critic Hitomi Hagio
~ Suzuki Matsuo's Serious Musical ~ It has been carefully ripened for 20 years. That's what Suzuki Matsuo's new musical, "Welcome to the Quiet Room," feels like. The original novel was published in 2005. After being adapted into a film that he wrote and directed himself, it has finally become the musical he has always dreamed of. The story of women who live in a closed ward and are outcasts from the world in various ways is filled with dark, offbeat humor, and the pop music and playful choreography make it a joyous experience. The gentle sympathy that runs through its roots and the gentle gaze that looks at life are truly wonderful. This musical, in which some rather poisonous people are somehow regenerated, also seems to have a detoxifying effect on the mind.
