The glittery, galactic battles of Usagi and her friends will be performed live in the United States as a 2.5-D stage production!
Sailor Moon is one of Japan’s most successful cultural exports, with audiences both in Japan and across the world feeling a kinship with teen girl galaxy guardian Usagi Tsukino and the fun cast of characters that orbits around her. Since Naoko Takeuchi’s manga debuted in 1991, Sailor Moon and her team of Sailor Scouts have been portrayed in animation, live action TV series and even theme park attractions. One of the most popular ongoing methods of telling Usagi’s story is the time-honored tradition of the stage musical, which sees huge success whenever it plays in Japan.
This year the show was performed in Paris as part of a cultural event called Japonismes 2018. While Sailor Moon has been performed on stage as a musical since 1993, this current version dates back to the 2000s – and it wasn’t performed outside of Japan until 2015 in China, and then again in 2017 in Houston, Texas.
2019 will see it brought to the United States once again, and for the first time it will be performed in New York and Washington D.C.
The show draws inspiration both from the original manga and the first two seasons of the anime, and will be performed once on March 24 at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. from 7:00 p.m. The show will then proceed to New York, where it will have three showings at the PlayStation Theater. The first will be on March 29 from 8:00 p.m., while the other two showings will be on March 30 from 1:00 p.m. and then 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are expected to cost between US$30-$75, with the latter being “premium” tickets that come with luxury seating and potential bonuses like high-five opportunities with the stars. The musical spans three acts and will be performed with its customary all-female cast, even for male roles like Tuxedo Mask.
While the show will be performed entirely in Japanese, it will be accompanied by live English subtitles for the benefit of the audience. It’s a rare opportunity to enjoy a wildly popular stage show outside of its home country and understand it, even as a non-Japanese speaker, so make sure to book your tickets (Washington, New York) well in advance!
Source: New York Keizai Shimbun, Sailor Moon 25th Anniversary Project Official Site
Images: YouTube/sailormoon-official