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 Theatre in Shanghai, China.)
On Jan. 16, the Sailor Moon Musical, Petite Étrangère, opened at the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) Theatre in Shanghai, China. While Sailor Moon musicals have boasted long years of popularity within Japan, this was the very first time the performance has traveled overseas. It is said that manga and anime moving onto the theatre stage is very common in China, but such a warm and welcoming reception as the one Petite Étrangère received locally was truly a grand start. Not only was the STA Theatre packed with an enormous audience, several local media groups were also gathered there, portraying a visibly high degree of interest toward the show.
It is said that the secret to the series’ popularity is its anime. In the past, the anime Sailor Moon had indeed been aired in China, and currently the new anime Sailor Moon Crystal is also being broadcast. The title is very well known and popular in China. Perhaps due, in part, to the fact that this was the first time the series came to China in the form of a musical, the audience consisted of people from a wide range of generations.
On the first day of the performance, the cast’s entrance on stage was met with roaring applause, and the atmosphere was filled with excitement. For this particular performance, efforts such as changing a portion of the lines into Chinese were painstakingly made. In the encore, the cast’s greetings to the audience in Chinese were met with loud cheering. At the end, the performance of a special Shanghai version of the opening theme song that is well known even in China, “Moonlight Densetsu,” was unveiled, and with smashing success the curtains drew to a close.
Sailor Moon is a title that enjoys immense popularity as both a manga and an anime. Naoko Takeuchi began serialization of the manga series in 1992, after which it was immediately animated, and even today remains an extremely popular series.
The first musical staged in 1993 won great popularity, pioneering the way for an entire series of stage performances based off the original manga and anime. Petite Etrangere was the first Sailor Moon musical in eight years for Japan, and, with the visible popularity of Japanese pop culture abroad, the very first performance overseas as well.
Bearing the high expectations of many, the overseas performance had become a project of enormous scale. The venue of choice, STA Theatre, is considered a crucial cultural hub of Shanghai even among the theatres of the leading national theatre academies of China. The performance was scheduled for five runs between January 16-18. Ticket prices were kept at roughly the same standards as Japan, ranging from 580 RMB (about 11,000 yen) for A-class seating, to 180 RMB (about 3,400 yen) for D-class seating. Also available were VIP tickets which included various perks and privileges for 880 RMB (about 17,000 yen).
The stage version of this manga, anime and game series that continues to enjoy great success within Japan plans to continue pushing its way onto foreign stages from here on out. The outcome of the Sailor Moon musical in Shanghai is attracting a great deal of attention indeed. Additionally, the DVD version of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Petite Étrangère musical will hit stores in Japan on Jan. 28.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Petite Étrangère Musical Official Site
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Petite Étrangère on Evil Line Records
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Petite Étrangère
© Naoko Takeuchi, PNP / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Petite Étrangère Musical Committee 2014
Source: animeanime
