Great Storytelling and Stylization

This show is phenomenal on all levels. The plot is interesting and compelling. It is a revenge-driven story filled with passion, emotion, and a few twists. Three actors portray multiple characters, and they do a masterful job of making every one of them distinct and memorable. What I enjoy most about Manga, however, is how its production team borrows stylistic elements of manga comics and anime series such as flashy, over-the-top fight sequences and explores ways to transpose these elements into a staged setting while staying true to the source material. Certainly, the entire show creatively borrows from these sources in many aspects (as is obviously evidenced by its title), but I always enjoy dramatic pieces that not only tell an engaging story but also experiment with intersting ways to use a live theatre space to tell that story. The production team blends together a whole array of creative tools- choreography, lighting, sound, set pieces, props, puppets and multimedia- to enliven both an already excellent narrative as well as the theatre itself.