“Your Lie In April” Review: Joyous, Uplifting & Eager

Your Lie in April, written by Rinne B. Groff, is a musical that carries the flavour of a Nicholas Sparks romance novel, with a youthful and uplifting undercurrent.

Inspired by Naoshi Arakawa’s award-winning manga series of the same name, the narrative follows a young pianist named Kо̄sei Arima, who loses the ability to play the piano after his mother’s death, and his experiences after meeting violinist Kaori Miyazono.

Zheng Xi Yong plays the protagonist. He is clearly cast for his superb piano playing skills, and his simple demeanour perfectly suits the character of a teenager grieving both the loss of his mother and his ear for music.

Rumi Sutton (centre) is the outstanding vocalist of the evening. © Mark Senior.

Rumi Sutton, who plays Kо̄sei’s driven, lively love interest Kaori Miyazono, is undeniably the outstanding vocalist of the evening, bringing layers of nuance and complexity to her numerous solos.

Composed by Frank Wildhorn and with lyrics by Carly Robyn Green and Tracy Miller, this production has an independent musical style that distinguishes itself from the original. The soundtrack consists mostly of dramatic ballads, all carrying a sense of hopefulness and eagerness that is deeply resonant with adolescent idealism.

At the same time, it may be more pleasurable to have greater tonal distinction between the musical numbers, particularly those that are character-driven. While the narrative is rather faithful to the source material, there are currently five songs with reprisals, all of which sound rather similar. The music becomes a little repetitive after a while.

Dean John-Wilson (left) as Ryota Watari and Rachel Clare Chan (right) as Tsubaki Sawabe. © Mark Senior.

One such song that differs from the rest is ‘The Beautiful Game’, a charm song by Kosei’s friend Ryota Watari (Dean John-Wilson). John-Wilson is charming as the affable jock. However, this song can be developed further to capture the essence of his sport. Jason Howland’s music arrangement and orchestration is gorgeous, but this particular number slightly misses the mark.

This concert, directed and choreographed by Nick Winston, is a joyous display of East and Southeast Asian talent onstage. The main characters are supported by a delightful and dynamic ensemble, with company members Hannah Yun Chamberlain and Chris Fung taking the entire production up a notch with their boundless energy.

Musical director Chris Poon and his orchestra are excellent. Combined with lighting designer Simon Sherriff’s iridescent palette of blue, purple, pink and green washes, both components blend together to deliver a striking audiovisual experience. Designer Justin William’s images, designed like anime-style background art and projected as manga-strip rectangles, provide the audience with a clear idea of the story’s various settings.

Zheng Xi Yong (left) as Kо̄sei Arima, Joanna Ampil (right) as Kо̄sei’s mother, and Harrison Lui (bottom) as Young Kо̄sei. © Mark Senior.

The climactic moment of the evening is not a showstopper delivered by any of the leads, but Xi Yong’s passionate piano solo during Kо̄sei’s deeply private moment of self-catharsis, resulting in a much-deserved standing ovation by audience members.

Thus is the essence of Your Lie In April; an ode to the restorative power of music––one of the purest forms of expression, and also one of the most significant displays of human beings’ artistic capability and excellence.

This concert is a brilliant team effort, not only from the production’s cast and creative team, but to all the artists who have contributed to this beloved manga and its adaptations since its origination in 2011.

Your Lie In April delights its loyal fanbase while embracing new audiences to both manga and musical theatre.