Manato Asaka (Mainichi)

       The Hakataza theater in the city of Fukuoka has announced that actor Manato Asaka will take over the lead role in its production of the musical "My Fair Lady" in January following the death of stage and voice actor Sayaka Kanda.

       Asaka will play the role of Eliza Doolittle in the musical at the theater in Fukuoka between Jan. 19 and Jan. 28. The character Henry Higgins, originally due to be played jointly by the actors Yasufumi Terawaki and Tetsuya Bessho, will be performed solely by Bessho.

       Kanda, known for voicing the lead character Anna in the Japanese version of the animated film "Frozen," had been playing Eliza in a run of the musical in Sapporo. She was found collapsed outside a hotel in the city following an apparent fall on Dec. 18. Hokkaido Prefectural Police confirmed that she died from traumatic shock.

       (Mainichi)

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