The Prince of Tennis Musical (ミュージカル・テニスの王子様, Myūjikaru Tenisu no Ōji-sama), also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" (Stage Prince), is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
The first musical premièred in the Golden Week of 2003, and the unexpected popularity, especially among girls, and requests for merchandise of the show encouraged Marvelous Entertainment to follow through with the series. Each new show covers an arc of the manga storyline, though adaptations to the original story were made to fit the format. Female characters were removed, and irrelevant scenes or minor arcs were cut to move the plot forward.
At the start of the production, tickets did not sell out and the type of production was merely an experiment. Manga-based musicals were not frequently seen, if at all. But, within 5 years the musical became popular enough to demand for double casting of characters to handle the amount of performances and to allow for overseas performances in Korea and Taiwan. In addition multiple shows were live streamed into theatres all around the country to make up for the lack of enough seats in the actual venue. Eventually the musical production launched the careers of many of the "hottest" idols in Japan, like Kimeru, Kazuki Kato, and Yuu Shirota. Even Europe got a taste of the production, when three of the actors (namely Ryousuke Katou, Shintarou Akiyama and Yuuichirou Hirata) hit Paris to attend the 10th edition of the Japan Expo in 2009
In a dream I had a final vision
How come you just want to be my friend? How come?
Will you ever have to justify
The hidden meaning in your time again, hey
I'm gone, gone just like the past because I'm gone
And you won't be the last 'cause I'll be strong
Now can you hear my voice? Because I'm gone, hey
In an ordinary complication, I come to my realization, how come?
Well, you came to me with velvet skin
How come I did let you in? How come?
I'm gone, gone just like the past because I'm gone
And you won't be the last 'cause I'll be strong
Now can you hear my voice? Because I'm gone
Still it breaks me down inside as I walk through the fire
But I am a stronger man
Nothing will change me at all, you lie
In a dream I had a final vision
How come you just want to be my friend? How come?
I'm gone, gone just like the past because I'm gone
And you won't be the last 'cause I'll be strong
Now can you hear my voice? Tonight I'm gone
I'm gone, gone just like the past because I'm gone
And you won't be the last 'cause I'll be strong