Prominent stage director Keita Asari dies at 85
Jiji -- Jul 19
Prominent Japanese stage director Keita Asari died of malignant lymphoma in a Tokyo hospital on Friday. He was 85.

Asari, a Tokyo native, was one of the founding members of the renowned Shiki Theater Company, launched in 1953, when he was a student at Keio University.

The theatrical group initially performed works mainly by French writers Jean Anouilh and Jean Giraudoux and then those of Japanese writers Shintaro Ishihara and Shuji Terayama, before focusing on Western classic works such as Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

In the 1970s, Shiki Theater staged a series of translated versions of popular Broadway musicals, including "Applause," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "West Side Story."

Its versions of "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" were long-running hits in Japan. The group has also produced original musicals including "Musical Ri Koran."

「劇団四季」創立メンバーの1人で、演出家の浅利慶太さんが悪性リンパ腫のため、13日に都内の病院で亡くなっていたことが分かりました。85歳でした。 浅利さんは、慶應義塾大学文学部仏文学科在学中の1953年に、故日下武史さんら10人で劇団四季を創立しました。
News sources: Jiji, ANNnewsCH