''Never Say Goodbye'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with a book and lyrics by Shûichirô Koike and music by

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for ...

. It was written specifically for

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...

, the all-female

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese theatre company. Wildhorn was the first non-Japanese to write an original musical for the company. Set against the background of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, the plot centers on

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Katherine McGregor and renowned photographer Georges Malraux, a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

who fled his homeland for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The two first meet in Hollywood at a party announcing the film adaptation of Katherine's play ''Tempest in Spain'', based on the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

''. The two are reunited in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, where they unexpectedly find themselves falling in love as they become embroiled in a battle against

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. Directed by Koike, the production was staged in 2006 at the

Takarazuka Grand Theater The is a theater located in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan. It is the home theater of the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe established in 1913. The Grand Theater opened in 1924 and was rebuilt in 1993; the two iterations of the structur ...

Takarazuka, Hyōgo file:Takarazuka city-office.jpg, 270px, Takarazuka City Hall file:Takarazuka city center area Aerial photograph.1985.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takarazuka city center The kanji (UTF-8 code FA1016), which is part of Takarazuka's official name () ...

from March 24 through May 8, and at the

Tokyo Takarazuka Theater is another home for Takarazuka Revue, Takarazuka Creative Arts in Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. It served as the second round performing theater for the Revue's performing cycle. The original theater was built in 1934. It was taken over by the ...

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

from May 26 through July 2. The cast included

Mari Hanafusa (born February 28, 1973) is a Japanese actress and former member of the Takarazuka Revue. She held the position of Top Musumeyaku (lead female-role) in both the Snow and Cosmos troupes, holding the longest tenure in Takarazuka history at 12 years ...

as Katherine and Yōka Wao as Georges. ''Never Say Goodbye'' marked the final performance of both stars before their retirement from the troupe.''Never Say Goodbye'' at FrankWildhorn.com
A full-length cast recording, a folio of sheet music, and a video and DVD of the show have been released.

Song list

;Act I *Coconut Grove *The Girl I Look For *Fake City *Je Suis Un Déraciné (I Am One Uprooted) *Never Say Goodbye *Olimpiada Popular *People's Art *The Outbreak of The Civil War *Without Bullfight *That's What I Can't Do *No Pasaran! *Centuria Olimpiada *One Card *No Pasaran! (Reprise) *The Woman of My Life *Meant for Each Other *We Are "Camarada" *One Heart ;Act II *San Giordi Fiesta *Purge of the PSUC *Conflict of Love *The Woman of My Life (Reprise) *Centuria Olimpiada (Reprise) *Je Suis Un Déraciné (Reprise) *Propaganda *Charity *Tragedy in Barcelona *Battlefield *One Heart *The Truth of Love

References

External links

''Never Say Goodbye'' at Takarazuka Revue TakaWiki! Fan site
{{Frank Wildhorn 2006 musicals Takarazuka Revue Musicals by Frank Wildhorn