Reader, I was dismayed by the ending of LIVE MANGA when I stopped by to review the show by the award-winning duo GABEZ (Masa and Hitoshi) on their last date in Edinburgh. Not only was the absolutely stunning show finished, but Masa had tears in his eyes. It had, he explained, been a difficult Fringe, and we were the largest audience they’d had in.
What?! Though I – how had Edinburgh audiences overlooked a morning show from performers who were part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening ceremony? Why hadn’t they seen it in the programme and decided it was unmissable?
Before I settle into the myriad ways in with LIVE MANGA was clearly one of the best physical theatre/comedy shows available this Fringe, a word to the performers listening:
Tell people about your show! Get out into the streets and show them what they’re missing out on. Get involved in showcases, the more cross-genre the better, and find your people.
Ok, back to LIVE MANGA.
GABEZ are, in a word, excellent.
Their blend of mime, dance, and super-dextrous physical comedy is just perfectly pitched. The level of ecstatic engagement from the children in the room was off the charts. Not because Masa and Hitoshi are charming and silly, but because they are charming, silly, and incredibly talented.
“GABEZ are, in a word, excellent.”
If you’ve ever wondered what Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny would be like as a live act, LIVE MANGA is probably the closest you will ever get.
The opening dance routine works a bit like opening credits before the dynamic duo dive in an hour of playful, and continually escalating rivalry.
Audiences on different sides will be recruited into clapping completions (not just volume, but rhythm too!), rubber ducks will be played with until Hitoshi ‘swallows’ the squeaker and things get really crazy. Eventually the show erupts in one huge chase; it’s glorious.
“He’s behind you!” or “Go that way!” screamed the assembled kids depending whose side they took.
I particularly loved their classic elevator mime which they elevated to a new level of thrilling excellence.
Beyond this, the pair periodically come into direct, bullet time conflict. It’s impressive and ridiculously funny. This pair are Chaplin fans and it shows.
But if you want a measure for just how incredible LIVE MANGA is, when they went looking for kid volunteers for a marching competition, almost every hand in the room shot up.
That’s right, LIVE MANGA is the show everyone loves and which kids want to be in. As everyone knows, other than me, kids are the harshest critics available. It’s safe to say GABEZ get two tiny thumbs up.
When the play was done, and Hitoshi sank to the floor with Masa to smile as the lights went down, they deserved the incredible roar that went up from the room and which refused to die back.
Assuming everything GABEZ make is as good as this, I can only hope they’ll come back next year (and spread the news when they do!)
Show details
Venue: Venue 17: Assembly George Square Studios, George Square, EH8 9LH (Google Maps)
Date(s): Fri 01 Aug to Sun 10 Aug (10 shows)
Time(s): 10:25am (60 mins)
Age recommendation: 0+
Price: From £12.5 (concessions available)
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