‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live’ is hitting the stage in Philly next month and bringing the classic Japanese manga to life in a “2.5D Musical” experience.
The character of ‘Sailor Moon’ was created by Naoko Takeuchi as a manga in a Japanese comic magazine in 1991. The comic was then translated into 17 different languages in 46 countries worldwide, and adapted as an anime TV series and a live-action TV series (which has aired in over 40 countries.)
Now, the story and its characters have been adapted to the stage by Makoto Matsuda, founder of the Japan 2.5-Dimensional Musical Association. Matsuda is the driving force behind the “2.5-dimensional musical” genre, which involves stage productions based on manga, anime, and video games.
“It’s based on the idea of bringing the 2-dimensional world of manga and animation or even gaming in that way. The characters that are portrayed in 2D brought to life in a 3D living, human actor. It’s an in-between world of expressing 2D in the best way of 3D,” says Matsuda at a global press conference for ‘Pretty Guardian.’
‘Sailor Moon’ revolves around a teenager named Usagi Tsukino in 1990s Japan, who receives the gift of becoming the reincarnation of Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess, and must transform into Sailor Moon to protect the Earth.
Riko Tanaka will step into the main role for ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live.’ Tanaka had thoughts on why this central figure of the show is so popular.
“I talk with so many people all the time, but I think that it comes down to the fact that the main character Usagi is really charming, a little clumsy, and fun character that people want to kind of reach out and help,” says Tanaka. “And there’s this other Sailor Moon, which is the fighting, really powerful, strong, enigmatic character that is unbeatable. And that contrast between the two makes it really interesting and attractive. I feel like keeping that gap is something that makes it very interesting to people.”
With book, lyrics and direction by Kaori Miura, choreography by Satomi Toma, and music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI, this specific tour utilizes many “tricks” to make the experience unique. As its official site says, this production was the first-ever 2.5D musical to hit North American stages, ushering in “a new era of live theatre that merges the visual style of manga and anime with the immersive power of live performance.”
“I got involved with the Japan production of Sailor Moon, and I’ve been doing it for ten years. How it would translate bringing it overseas to an audience globally was something that I was thinking about,” says Toma. “As a choreographer, I come from a background where I love live theater, musicals, and the element of performing live in front of people. It does immensely help that the actresses, the performers, and the production team, all of them are very experienced by doing the best job and bringing the best world of the Pretty Guardian in the musical format domestically.”
The show began its U.S. national tour in Austin, Texas, and plans to play a total of 21 cities, then ending in New York City. The Philadelphia show will stop in town on Tuesday, April 22 (8 p.m.) at the Miller Theater, presented by Ensemble Arts Philly.
“‘I’m a little too young to have [experienced] it live, but there was an era where I would go and rent Sailor Moon at a rental video shop and watch it—that’s how much I love it,” adds Tanaka. “And now that I’m playing her and I feel so much love from throughout the entire world. Everybody loves Sailor Moon and I feel that playing this character myself.”
And what exactly makes it “Super Live”?
“You’ll know when you see it,” finshes Matsudo. “It has the regular song and music but also dance technology, visuals, projection—so much more than the normal, conventional musical. So we wanted to honor the situation by naming it and giving it a new category name. It’s almost kind of like a manifesto to call it a new thing. And that is our intention on calling it Super Live.”
To find out more information on ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live’ at the Miller Theater (250 S Broad St) and to score tickets (various prices), head online to ensembleartsphilly.org. And to find out more about the show itself, visit sailormoonsuperlive.com
