JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure musical’s abrupt cancellation angers fans
Fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have been angrily taking to social media after the first four shows of the musical JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure- Phantom Blood were cancelled two days prior to the show’s opening. Chief complaints have included the short notice, unclear reason for the cancellation, and the financial costs for fans.
The musical JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure- Phantom Blood is based on the manga and anime of the same name by Hirohiko Araki. The show was slated to be performed at the Imperial Theater in Tokyo from February 6th to 28th. However, at 4pm on February 4th, the theatre company suddenly announced the cancellation of all shows from February 6 through to 8th .
Many people who had been looking forward to the musical took to X to complain about the reason given for the last-minute cancellation. The official account for the musical explained that preparations had not been completed on time. This reason was seen as vague and weak by many commenters- with one poster going so far as to suggest that those affected should file a lawsuit against the theater company.
Response: If it’s permissible to say, “We are cancelling the show for a few days!” due to operational conditions, then please allow audience members to get a refund if they decide “I don’t want to go anymore.”
I have never told someone with 2 days’ notice that I couldn’t get the work done due to lack of preparation. I wonder if Toho realizes that no-one would give me work anymore if I did that…
It can be difficult to get a good ticket for popular shows in Japan, with tickets to short runs sometimes selling out during presale ticket lotteries. Some fans lamented the hours they spent trying to get a ticket with many also complaining about the financial costs for the consumer when a show is suddenly cancelled.
Hotel costs (getting accommodation in cities is expensive)
Travel costs (shinkansen (bullet train), airplane, highway bus etc.)
Regular people’s clothing costs (clothes, make-up, bag)
Spending money for merchandise (for theater programs, and merch sold as “random” (where you don’t know which design you will get)).
People living outside the city take paid vacations from work and plan their trips months in advance, you know. … I want insurance.
Tickets for the first and last show of a musical’s run are often particularly sort after. One fan below had gone the extra mile and got elaborate nail art done for the occasion.
Those who buy theater tickets, book hotels and purchase shinkansen tickets are just regular citizens who go to see their favorite (actor, character etc.), even if it means having to scrimp and save.
Even two days after the announcement, the JoJo musical is continuing to trend under “show cancelled” (公演中止) on the Japanese language side of X, with many livid commenters criticizing Toho’s announcement. It remains to be seen if this will damage the reputation of future musicals staged by Toho.
Verity Townsend
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