What is ”Shoulderpads”———
In 2025, Shoulderpads made its sensational debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe — selling out every performance from opening night to closing day!
The production received ★★★★★ from British Theatre Guide, ★★★★ from The Scotsman, widespread critical acclaim, recognition from the ASIAN ART AWARDS, and the prestigious Mervyn’s Spirit of the Fringe Award, selected from across all Fringe productions.
Shoulderpads was founded by Chobi Natsuki & Maruichiro Maruo, a professional theatre company with over 25 years of activity in Japan.
We create imaginative musical theatre filled with the magic of performance — productions that achieve “the maximum imagination with the minimum costume.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many theatre productions in Japan were cancelled, and we faced devastating losses. Yet, our passion to share the boundless power and freedom of live theatre only grew stronger.
That’s when we made an invention:
“Let’s make theatre with shoulder pads!”
What began as a playful idea became an original form of musical theatre — unique to us, not a Japanese standard. Our shows are funny, strange, and deeply moving.
In our signature work Galaxy Train, inspired by Kenji Miyazawa’s Night on the Galactic Railroad, audiences begin by laughing at the wiggling bodies of the performers, but soon forget the absurdity and become completely absorbed in the story.
As the show unfolds, viewers start imagining invisible costumes and props themselves — completing the world of the play through their own imagination.
That, to us, is the purest magic of theatre.
Performances are delivered in a hybrid English–Japanese language style, but can also be presented entirely in Japanese with multilingual subtitles.
Shoulderpads invites audiences to rediscover the original joy and wonder of theatre — where imagination bridges what is unseen, and both performers and spectators create the story together.
We hope to share this experience with audiences around the world, spreading the love of theatre as a vital, joyful part of life.
We also offer shorter versions suitable for live events or street showcases.
(And importantly, yes — our company also performs “clothed” productions!)
Our repertoire includes rock musicals inspired by Japanese anime and professional wrestling, as well as original musical adaptations of British children’s literature featuring world-renowned dancers — all blending physical theatre, live music, and emotional storytelling in diverse scales and styles.
Please visit the website below to learn about other works and activities by the members of Shoulderpads.
