# Kenji Urai

Kenji Urai (浦井 健治, Urai Kenji, born 6 August 1981) is a Japanese actor and singer known for his versatile performances in theater and television. In particular he is known for his roles in major theater productions such as Elisabeth, Death Note: The Musical and Crest of the Royal Family.

## Career

Urai debuted as an actor in 2000 in Kamen Rider Kuuga television series. In 2001 he played Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon Musicals and started his career in theater. In 2004 he portrayed Rudolf in Elisabeth and reprised the role multiple times until 2010. He is also known for portraying Matsukoma in Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store television drama and Light Yagami in Death Note: The Musical.
In 2006, his performance in Flowers for Algernon and My Fair Lady earned Kikuta Kazuo Theatrical Award and in 2009, he received Kinokuniya Theatrical Award for his performance as Henry VI in Henry VI series at New National Theatre, Tokyo. In 2015, he received Yomiuri Theatrical Award for his performance in Flowers for Algernon and Constellations. He also earned The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists in Drama department in 2017 for his range of performances in previous year.
On 1 June 2008, he transferred to Candid from Office Palette.
In 2013, he formed StarS, a musical unit with Yoshio Inoue and Ikusaburo Yamazaki and is active as a singer as well. He released his third solo album Various on 15 March 2023.

## Performance credits
### Theater

| Title | Role | Duration | Venue |
| Sailor Moon Musicals | Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask | Jun 2001 - Sep 2002 | Sunshine Theatre, etc. |
| Would You Like Your Bento Heated Up? | | Jun 2002 | Theatre V Akasaka |
| Marriage Scam Co., Ltd. | | Feb 2003 | Tennozu Art Sphere |
| OKUNI | Ichizo | Jul - Aug 2003 | Le Theatre Ginza, etc. |
| Elisabeth | Rudolf | Mar - Dec 2004 Sep 2005 May 2006 Aug 2008 - Feb 2009 Oct 2010 | Imperial Theatre, etc. |
| Shakespeare's R&J | | Feb - Mar 2005 | Parco Theatre, etc. |
| Cinderella Story | Prince Charles | May - Jun 2005 | Le Theatre Ginza, etc. |
| My Fair Lady | Freddy Eynsford-Hill | Nov 2005 Apr - Jul 2007 | Imperial Theatre Chunichi Theatre, etc. |
| Flowers for Algernon | Charlie Gordon | Feb - Mar 2006 Sep - Oct 2014 Apr - May 2023 | Hakuhinkan Theatre, etc. The Galaxy Theatre, etc. Nippon Seinenkan Hall, etc. |
| Dance of the Vampires | Alfred | Jul - Aug 2006 Jul - Aug 2009 Nov 2011 - Jan 2012 | Imperial Theatre, etc. |
| Burn This | Larry | Nov 2006 | Aoyama Round Theatre |
| Titanic the Musical | Jim Farrel | Jan - Feb 2007 | Tokyo International Forum Hall C |
| Wait Until Dark | Roat | Sep 2007 | Theatre 1010 |
| Kiss of the Spider Woman | Valentin | Nov 2007 Jan - Feb 2010 | Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, etc. |
| WILDe・BEAUTY | Oscar Wilde | Mar 2008 | Hakuhinkan Theatre, etc. |
| Rudolf | Pupeteer | May 2008 Jul 2012 | Imperial Theatre |
| Carousel | Billy | Mar - Apr 2009 | The Galaxy Theatre |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | Christian | May 2009 | Nissay Theatre |
| Henry VI, Part 1 Henry VI, Part 2 Henry VI, Part 3 | King Henry VI | Oct - Nov 2009 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Gekidan☆Shinkansen Goemon Rock 2: Rose and Samurai | Charles of Boscogne | Mar - May 2010 | Akasaka ACT Theatre, etc. |
| Takarazuka Boys | Kinzo Uehara | Aug - Sep 2010 | Theatre Creation, etc. |
| gargoyle | | 3 Dec 2010 | Parco Theatre |
| Édith Piaf | Yves Montand/Théo Sarapo | Jan - Feb 2011 | The Galaxy Theatre |
| Bedge Pardon | Grimsby | Jun - Jul 2011 | Setagaya Public Theater |
| Roméo et Juliette | Benvolio | Sep - Oct 2011 | Akasaka ACT Theatre, etc. |
| CHESS in Concert | The Arbiter | Jan - Feb 2012 | Aoyama Theatre |
| Cymbeline | Guiderius | Apr - Jun 2012 | Saitama Arts Theater, etc. |
| Songs for a New World | | Aug 2012 | Theater Creation, etc. |
| Richard III | Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond | Oct 2012 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Gekidan☆Shinkansen Goemon Rock 3: Zipang Punk | Charles of Boscogne | Dec 2012 - Feb 2013 | Tokyu Theatre Orb, etc. |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Darnay | Jul - Aug 2013 May - Jul 2025 | Imperial Theatre Meiji-za, etc. |
| NODA・MAP MIWA | | Oct - Dec 2013 | Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, etc. |
| Sherlock Holmes: Secret of the Anderson Family | Adam Anderson/Eric Anderson | Jan - Feb 2014 | Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, etc. |
| The Big Fellah | Michael | May - Jun 2014 | Setagaya Public Theater |
| title of show | Jeff | Aug 2014 | Theatre Creation |
| Constellations | Roland | Dec 2014 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Bombay Dreams | Akaash | Feb 2015 | Tokyo International Forum Hall C, etc. |
| Death Note: The Musical | Light Yagami | Apr 2015 Jun - Sep 2017 | Nissay Theatre, etc. New National Theatre, Tokyo, etc. |
| Troilus and Cressida | Troilus | Jul - Aug 2015 | Setagaya Public Theater |
| Arcadia | Valentine Coverly | Apr - May 2016 | Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon, etc. |
| 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | Giovanni | Jun 2016 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Crest of the Royal Family | Memphis | Aug 2016 Apr - May 2017 Aug - Sep 2021 | Imperial Theatre, etc. |
| Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 2 | Prince Hal | Nov - Dec 2016 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Big Fish | William Bloom | Feb 2017 Nov - Dec 2019 | Nissay Theatre Theatre Creation, etc. |
| Peer Gynt | Peer Gynt | Dec 2017 | Setagaya Public Theater |
| Bullets Over Broadway | David Shayne | Feb - Apr 2018 | Nissay Theatre, etc. |
| Henry V | King Henry V | May - Jun 2018 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Ghost | Sam Wheat | Aug - Sep 2018 Mar - Apr 2021 | Theatre Creation, etc. |
| Gekidan☆Shinkansen Metal Macbeth | Random Star/Macbeth Urai | Nov - Dec 2018 | IHI Stage Around Tokyo |
| The Man Who Laughs - Eternal Love | Gwynplaine | Apr - May 2019 Feb - Mar 2022 | Nissay Theatre, etc. Imperial Theatre, etc. |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig | Sep 2019 | Ex Theater Roppongi, etc. |
| Shakespeare in Year 12 of the Tenpo Era | Kijirushi no Ouji | Feb - Mar 2020 | Nissay Theatre, etc. |
| Shakespeare in Year 12 of the Tenpo Era | Sado no Miyoji | Dec 2024 - Jan 2025 | Nissay Theatre, etc. |
| Maybe Happy Ending | Oliver | Aug 2020 | Theatre Creation |
| Richard II | Henry Bolingbroke | Oct 2020 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Two Men | Touma Sutou | Dec 2020 - Jan 2021 | Theatre Creation, etc. |
| Time to Love, Time to Die | | Nov - Dec 2021 | Theatre Tram, etc. |
| Guys and Dolls | Nathan Detroit | Jun - Jul 2022 | Imperial Theatre, etc. |
| Color | I / People Who Matter | Sep - Oct 2022 | New National Theatre, Tokyo, etc. |
| Gekidan☆Shinkansen Rose and Samurai 2: Return of the Pirate Queen | Charles of Boscogne | Sep - Dec 2022 | Video appearance |
| La Légende du roi Arthur | King Arthur | Jan - Mar 2023 | New National Theatre, Tokyo, etc. |
| Pseudo Family | Wataru Kinoshita | Jul - Aug 2023 | Theatre Creation |
| Measure for Measure All's Well That Ends Well | Claudio Bertram | Oct - Nov 2023 | New National Theatre, Tokyo |
| Come from Away | Kevin Tuerff/Garth | Mar - May 2024 | Nissay Theatre, etc. |
| Le Miracle de Montparnasse | Amedeo Modigliani | Jun 2024 | Yomiuri Otemachi Hall |
| Fan Letter | Kim Hae-jin | Sep - Oct 2024 | Theatre Creation, etc. |
| Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc | Douma | Apr 2025 | Video appearance |
| A Man | Akira Kido | Aug 2025 | Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall, etc. |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
| 2000 | Kamen Rider Kuuga | N Daguva Zeba | TV Asahi | |
| 2014 | Blue Flame | Kentaro Yano | TV Tokyo | |
| 2015 | MOZU: Ohsugi Detective Bureau | Tsuneyoshi Sato | WOWOW | |
| 2016 | Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store | Matsukoma | Hulu, ytv | |
| 2016 | Love That Makes You Cry | Shohei Kanbe | Fuji TV | |
| 2016 | Wine, Dine and Woo Me Season 2 | Hideyuki Seta | MBS | Episode 7 |
| 2016 | Unlock for Infinity | Matoda | TV Tokyo | Episode 4, 5 |
| 2016 | The Brave Yoshihiko and The Seven Driven People | Police officer | TV Tokyo | Guest |
| 2017 | Tsuribaka Nisshi Season 2 | Yuichiro Fujioka | TV Tokyo | |
| 2017 | Idol × Warrior Miracle Tunes! | Okada | TV Tokyo | Episode 14 |
| 2019 | My Middle-Aged Guardian Angel | Shinto Kowatari | TV Asahi | Episode 6 |

### Voice acting

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Kamen Rider Kuuga Special Chapter | N Daguva Zeba | |
| 2014 | Sherlock Holmes (puppetry) | Arthur Morstan | |
| 2020 | Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing | N Daguva Zeba | Arcade Game |
| 2021 | Today's Uraken | Uraken | |

### Radio

* Urai Kenji's Dressing Room - Nippon Broadcasting System (AM 1242 kHz／FM 93.0 MHz) since 8 April 2018

## Discography
### Solo albums

| | Title | Release Date | Label |
| 1 | Wonderland | 3 Aug 2016 | Avex Trax |
| 2 | Piece | 24 Mar 2021 | Pony Canyon |
| 3 | Various | 15 Mar 2023 | Pony Canyon |

### Cast recordings

* Elisabeth - Highlight Live Recordings (Seiyo Uchino ver.) (2004) as Rudolf
* Cinderella Story - Live Recording (2005) as Prince Charles
* Flowers for Algernon - Premiere CD (2006) as Charlie Gordon
* Dance of the Vampires - Highlight Live Recordings (2006) as Alfred
* WILDe・BEAUTY (2009) as Oscar Wilde
* Roméo et Juliette - Highlight Live Recordings (Yuu Shirota ver.) (2011) as Benvolio
* Roméo et Juliette - Highlight Live Recordings (Ikusaburo Yamazaki ver.) (2011) as Benvolio
* Flowers for Algernon (2014) as Charlie Gordon
* Death Note: The Musical - Highlight Live Recordings (Kenji Urai ver.) (2015) as Light Yagami
* The Man Who Laughs - Eternal Love - Highlight Live Recordings (2019) as Gwynplaine

### Videos

VHS
* Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - The Birth! The Princess of Darkness Black Lady
* Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - The Birth! The Princess of Darkness Black Lady (Revised Edition) - The Enigma of Planet Nemesis
* Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon 10th Anniversary Festival - Sanctuary of Love
* Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - Mugen Academy - Mistress Labyrinth
* Would You Like Your Bento Heated Up?
DVD
* WILDe・BEAUTY
* Takarazuka Boys
* Rose and Samurai
* Cymbeline
* Goemon Rock 3: Zipang Punk
* Sherlock Holmes: Secret of the Anderson Family
* Crest of the Royal Family Ra version
* Crest of the Royal Family Hapi version
* Shakespeare in 12th Year of Tenpou Era
* Kenji Urai 20th Anniversary Concert ~Piece~ at Tokyo International Forum 2021.4.20