Entertainment

Critically-acclaimed 2001 anime to make North American stage première in Toronto

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Mone Kamishiraishi in "Spirited Away" is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Mirvish, Toho Co. (Mandatory Credit)

The stage adaptation of “Spirited Away” will have its North American première in Toronto.

Mirvish says the international touring production will play a 15-week engagement at the Princess of Wales Theatre from May 6 to Aug. 15, 2027.

The theatre company says the show comes to Toronto “direct from Japan” and will be performed in Japanese with English subtitles by a company of 50 actors, puppeteers and musicians.

The show, which was created by Japanese entertainment company TOHO, brings to the stage a version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning animated film about a girl drawn into a magical world ruled by spirits.

The production was co-adapted for the stage by John Caird, who is also the show’s director, and his wife Maoko Imai.

Caird, who was born in Edmonton and spent most of his life in the U.K., is best known as the original co-adapter and co-director of the “Les Misérables” musical.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2026.