Bingbing Yin

In 2022, Spirited Away was reimagined as a stage play, instantly causing a significant sensation both domestically and internationally. Directed by John Caird and starring Kanna Hashimoto, Kotaro Daigo, and others, the stage play Spirited Away is currently enjoying a highly popular summer tour in Shanghai. This theatrical adaptation preserves the core narrative of the film while innovatively transforming the two-dimensional animation into a three-dimensional stage production through live actor performances, stage design, lighting techniques, and props. It incorporates artistic features from Symbolism, Expressionism, and traditional Japanese theatre forms, such as: the use of color symbolism to metaphorically express characters' emotional transformations and the deeper thematic connotations; lighting technology serving as a method for externalizing characters' psychology; and the adoption of elements like the revolving stage from kabuki and the "kuroko" (stagehands) from bunraku. This fusion of multiple theatrical styles represents a bold innovation in theatrical aesthetics. This paper will explore the uniqueness of its stage artistic expression from the dual perspectives of stage technology and theatrical genres.

Color Metaphor; Externalization of Characters; Revolving Stage; Kuroko (Stagehands)

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