It has been announced that actors Asahi Ito and Seiya Nakagiri will be guest stars on the 26th episode of the musical program "Live Broadcast! Yoshio Inoue Musical Hour 'Yoshio's Musical'," which will be broadcast and streamed live on WOWOW on October 16th. The two will be double-casting for the role of Rudolf in the musical "Elisabeth," which will be performed at Tokyu Theatre Orb (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) from October 10th, and will rush to the studio after the performance on the day of the program to talk and sing.
"Elisabeth" is a musical that premiered in Vienna in 1992, and was first performed in Japan by the Takarazuka Revue in 1996, with the Toho version premiering in 2000. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Toho version's premiere, and Futo Nozomi and Rio Asumi will be making their debut in the role of Elisabeth. Continuing from the previous performance, Furukawa Yudai, Yoshio Inoue(Tokyo performance), and Yamazaki Ikusaburo (Hokkaido, Osaka, and Fukuoka performances) will appear in the role of Todt. Asahi Ito and Nakagiri Seiya have been selected for the role of Rudolf, a role that can be said to be a stepping stone for young musical actors.
Ito made his debut in the TV drama "Emergency Interrogation Room" (TV Asahi) in 2017. He then played his first leading role as Kairi Yano/Lupin Red in "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger" (same station, February 2018 - February 2019). He made his musical debut in 2024 as Mercutio in the musical "Romeo & Juliet," and energetically played the role of Robespierre, leader of the revolution, in "1789 - The Lovers of the Bastille."
Nakagiri graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music's Musical Course with honors. He won second place in the musical category at the 2022 International Vocal Competition. He has appeared as an ensemble member in "Newsies" (2021), "Yasha-ga-ike" (2023), "Shrek the Musical" (same year), "Lupin: The Secret of Countess Cagliostro" (same year), and "Ensemble in Vegas" (2024). He was selected for the role of Marius in the 2024-2025 production of "Les Misérables" after an audition.
Inoue, who will be the program's MC, played the role of Rudolf in the Toho production of "Elisabeth" 25 years ago, and will appear as Todt this time. On the program, he will talk with Ito and Nakagiri, who are appearing together in a musical for the first time. They will also be performing songs from "Elisabeth," with Inoue singing "Rondo of Love and Death" solo and Inoue, Ito, and Nakagiri singing "Yami ga Hiroba" together.
The 26th episode of "Live Broadcast! Yoshio Inoue Musical Hour 'Yoshio's Musical'" will be broadcast live and streamed live on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 10:00 PM on October 16th.
◇Comment from Asahi Ito
I am extremely honored to be appearing on the show as W Rudolf. During rehearsals for "Elisabeth," I am learning a lot every day with the help of Yoshio-san. On the day of the broadcast, I will be appearing after the matinee performance with Yoshio-san (Tod), so I hope to be able to talk about various things while still feeling the same excitement from the stage. Also, this is my first time singing live on air, so I am a bit nervous, but I hope to enjoy singing and experience the different atmosphere from the stage. Please be sure to watch.
◇Comment from Masaya Nakagiri
I'm Nakagiri Seiya, and I'll be appearing on "Yoshio's Mew"! It's like a dream come true! I've always hoped to appear on the show, but I'm so happy that my heart is overflowing with excitement. This will be my first time acting alongside Yoshio in "Elisabeth," but I've always admired him, so I'm truly honored to be working with him. What's more, it's a live broadcast, so I'm extremely nervous, but I want to cherish every minute and second! I'm really looking forward to it.
