Shu Shiotsuki, a cast member of the stage play “TIME REPEAT,” announced on note.com that performances from today through October 19 have been canceled. The exact reason for the cancellation hasn’t been officially stated, but on the Hello! Project board on 5ch, speculation is spreading that it’s due to an infection on the co-star’s side. Shiotsuki commented, “This is the first time I’ve ever had something canceled this hard, so I’m at a loss for words,” while expressing determination for the performances once the show resumes. In the thread, commenters raised concerns about the production side — particularly the timing of announcing the cancellation on the day of the show itself, and the lack of a swing (understudy) system in place.
As announced, performances from today through 10/19 have been canceled.
To everyone who had tickets to see the show during this canceled period, I’m so sorry.
This is the first time I’ve ever had something canceled this hard, so I’m at a loss for words — but I want to do everything I can in the performances once we resume.
"Hitori Gottsu" (riffing on her odd word choice "gottsuri" — also the title of a famous Masatoshi Hamada solo comedy show)
3AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:00
Yeah, that's the kind of thing that makes everyone cringe and go quiet.
11AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:05
You can manage your health perfectly and still catch something sometimes — that's just how it goes.
14AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:06
A subtle way of saying "it's not me who caused this."
15AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:06
Wait, is the flu case not a Beyooooonds member but someone else?
48AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:32
Re: #15
She said "cast member," so it's confirmed to be from Beyooooonds —
the only cast are Beyooooonds and Shu-san anyway.
16AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:06
This is the pattern where she ends up catching it herself next week.
19AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:07
If it were a concert, you could still hold it even with one or two people infected, but a stage play is different —
if it's a minor role maybe they could manage, but…
21AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:08
It's called "Time Repeat," so next time a different person gets infected and they fall into the same loop.
22AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:08
Sorry that Shu-san had to go through something like this…
23AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:09
Beyooooonds fans are something else —
are they seriously mad at the co-star?
They're the ones who caused the trouble here.
24AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:09
Normal stage plays and musicals have swings (understudies) for exactly this reason.
And that holds even looking at the non-Hello! Project cast here.
26AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:09
Any member who doesn't post a blog today is going to be under suspicion.
29AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:10
Nobody gets sick because they want to.
30AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:10
Not "gattsuri," not "gossori" — she said "gottsuri" (an odd, slightly off word choice).
34AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:11
They'll just pin it on some hapless staffer as the source of infection and call it settled.
38AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:13
Isn't she the one who was in "JK Ninja Girls"?
39AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:17
Did something happen with Beyooooonds?
41AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:24
Re: #39
Nothing happened.
That's just Beyooooonds being Beyooooonds as usual.
42AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:27
She's the one person who can't be allowed to take the blame and get dragged down for this — fair point.
46AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:31
Let's stop playing detective and hunting for someone to blame.
66AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:42
Re: #46
If it's just an illness, who cares?
47AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:32
Not that it matters, but can they please do something about announcing cancellations just hours before showtime?
50AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:34
"It can't be helped" is just an excuse to dodge responsibility —
if an actor isn't performing 100%, they're stealing a paycheck.
51AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:35
What is this? That's a seriously nasty way to put it.
52AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:35
To prevent sudden cancellations like this,
a decent production double-casts roles to limit the damage.
54AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:36
They should've had the logistics team set up a backup plan —
those guys have plenty of free time anyway.
57AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:38
Re: #54
Check their schedule before you post that.
55AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:37
Even major productions sometimes go on hiatus when the lead suddenly falls ill, until an understudy can step in.
56AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:38
If anyone should cover it, it'd be a trainee lol —
then again, they're way too young for this.
58AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:38
Canceling right from opening day is a pretty rare case —
and announced same-day on top of it.
59AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:39
Opening-day shows can be rough around the edges, so I avoid those anyway.
61AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:40
A properly run stage production would have an understudy, you know.
62AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:40
Re: #57
Wait, you actually have a job? 😲
My bad!
65AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:42
This kind of attitude of neglecting those tied to the production is what earned bad blood with media insiders back in the golden era —
and later led to the ban.
68AnonymousOct 16, 2026 19:43
Re: #60
It's the kind of job people do because they love it, so money alone won't stop people from complaining.
Background and Key Points of This Story
In stage plays and musicals, it’s common practice to keep a swing (understudy) on hand in case a cast member falls ill, but Hello! Project-related productions are often built around the premise that the members themselves perform, which makes it hard to arrange understudies. When an infection or similar issue pulls someone out of the lineup, canceling the performance entirely can end up being the only option. Some in the thread speculate the infection originated from a co-star in “Beyooooonds,” but management hasn’t disclosed any details about who is infected, so this remains pure speculation. It’s also not unusual for stage productions to announce cancellations on the day of, or the day before, a show — once poor health is confirmed, there’s often no choice but to make that call at the last minute. It’s also worth noting that Shiotsuki’s comment wasn’t meant to explain the circumstances of the cancellation itself, but rather to convey her honest feelings about it.
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