Galaxy Express 999 50th Anniversary Stage Play Announced for 2027

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Leiji Matsumoto’s manga “Galaxy Express 999,” a new stage production titled “Yojohan no Daiuchu” (The Great Universe of a Four-and-a-Half Mat Room) has been announced for 2027. The production is a collaborative project with Kinokuniya, marking both the manga’s anniversary and Kinokuniya’s 100th anniversary.

The play will run from March 31 to April 11, 2027, at Kinokuniya Hall in Tokyo. The story is an original theatrical work that blends the reality of Matsumoto’s own life—specifically his journey from Kokura to Tokyo in the 1950s to pursue a career as a manga artist—with the fantasy world of his character Tetsuro Hoshino on the Galaxy Express 999.

Fuku Suzuki will play the dual role of Matsumoto Sei and Tetsuro Hoshino, while Koharu Sugawara will portray Maetel. The cast also includes Yuki Sasamori, Hiroki Sanna, Jin Aoki, Rika Mayama, Nagisa Aoyama, Tsubasa Sakiyama, and Sakina Ayakaze. The script is written by Riko Onoma, with direction by Sanae Suzuki.