Takuya Hiramitsu Discusses New SAILOR MOON Stage Musical, PETITE ETRANGER

Takuya Hiramitsu, the director at the helm of the brand new stage musical based on the super-successful long-running Japanese anime series SAILOR MOON set to premiere later this year in Tokyo, talks about his involvement in the property as well as what we can expect from the new musical as part of a new interview.

Commenting on her first exposure to the franchise, Hiramitsu remembers, "I didn't go to see Anza Ooyama's performance as Sailor Moon until almost the end of the series, but the first musical I saw (Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen) really caught my attention. I became even more involved during the next performance. I remember looking at the audience, and seeing that the creator's vision had become a full-fledged musical show for everyone to enjoy. Akiko Kosaka's music was wonderful, especially during a live performance. I remember feeling the "fighting spirit" of the audience at all the shows."

As for the positive message of the series and the audience it reaches, of all ages, Hiramitsu says, "At its core, this was a story by women about relationships between men and women. The main theme, "La Soldier" had some pretty adult lyrics. At first the audience was made up mostly of mothers and their children. But eventually the children would lose interest, and then we'd notice more and more that the women were coming alone. I think the mothers got a little addicted, saying that 'I've got to see how this ends, so the kids are with their dad today.'"

Additionally, Hiramitsu comments on penning the lyrics for the new stage venture, relating, "In terms of lyrics, last year the assistant director Yoshiko Iseki wrote them with me, but this year a British woman named Lynne Hobday, so it should be a bit different this time. There's also a lot more English in the lyrics this time."

As for the all-female cast, Hiramitsu shares, "I just don't want to be the only man in rehearsals, plus, I definitely don't want to be suspended from wires if the creator shows up. Anyway, the girls will go back into training this July, and although all of the characters are played by females there are some male coaches. It is amusing to see the men flying through the air, or making girlie poses during the choreography scenes. The girls are really beautiful and graceful during their fight dance scenes. There might be some disadvantage to having an all-female cast, but I haven't found it yet and the performances so far have been spectacular."

While details are still scarce, the new musical will undoubtedly capitalize on the warm reception and boffo box office afforded to the recent SAILOR MOON musical, LA RECONQUISTA, which premiered last year.

The new SAILOR MOON musical will be titled PETITE ETRANGER for short, with the full title being PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON PETITE ETRANGER.

Of note, the new SAILOR MOON musical will move to Osaka following a debut in Tokyo this September.

According to recent reports, the new musical will be set in Crystal Tokyo and spotlight the popular Black Moon Clan, also featuring the return of popular character Tuxedo Mask as well as the addition of Sailor Pluto and Chibiusa.

SAILOR MOON creator Naoko Takeuchi recently addressed the various multimedia adaptations of her work as part of a longer interview late last year, as well.

Visit the official SAILOR MOON site for the original post confirming the new musical here and here.

Also, the official site for SAILOR MOON: PETITE ETRANGER is now up, available here.

Check out BroadwayWorld's coverage of Takeuchi commenting on SAILOR MOON and more, available here.