The music drama "Singing Shylock" will be performed at the Minami-za Theater in Kyoto from February 9 (Thursday) to February 21 (Tuesday), 2023.

The musical drama is a reworking of Shylock, the loan shark and villain of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", with writer/director Yoshinobu Chung, who has produced numerous masterpieces including "Violets in a Perm Shop" and "Yakiniku Dragon". In 2023, the play will be staged in Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Tokyo, with a new look.

Goro Kishitani plays the lead role of Shylock. Goro Kishitani, who wrote and directed the play himself as part of the theater unit "Earth Gorgeous," is making his first appearance on an outside stage in 14 years, and his first appearance at the Minamiza Theater! This will be his first appearance at the Minamiza Theater, and the first time he and Yoshinobu Chung will work together on stage, so expectations and attention are high.
Shylock's daughter Jessica is played by Yuri Nakamura, who continues to appear in high-profile stage and film productions. As Antonio, who owes money to Shylock for his best friend, Watanabe Gota, a versatile dancer who is also an expert in jazz dance and Japanese dance, plays the role of Antonio's best friend, Passanio, in a series of impressive roles in Yoshinobu Chung's works. Yoshinori Okada plays Passanio, Antonio's best friend, and has appeared in many of Yoshinobu Zheng's films, playing a succession of impressive roles. The role of Portia, the daughter of a wealthy man, will be played by Makoto Tsubasa, who has been active mainly on the stage since leaving the Takarazuka Revue.