John & Jen is a first-rate musical set against the backdrop of a changing American society from the 1950s through the 1990s. Brimming with intelligence, wit, and fine melodies, it is performed by just two actors, and tells a story focusing on the family relationships between a brother and a sister, and subsequently between a mother and her son.
This was the first production in Japan of this work, which has been performed to rave reviews on Broadway and the West End in the world’s two top theater cities. The aim of the production was to aid recovery in the post-coronavirus entertainment market and revitalize the industry, as well as to convey the appeal of Japanese theater from Tokyo to the rest of Japan, and also to New York and London. In charge of direction, translation of script/lyrics and choreography was Yojiro Ichikawa, who received the Yushi Odashima Drama Translation Award in 2023. Paying the role of John were Win Morisaki and Mario Tashiro with Seiko Niizuma and Megumi Hamada taking on the role of Jen, in a roll call of leading Japanese musical stars. The production involved a total of four different cast combinations, with double casting for the roles of John and Jen.