Kids take a trip to past
NONIKA SINGH
HT Chandigarh Live
Tuesday, 13 February, 2007
Artistes staging a play “Ascent of Man” at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh
on Monday.
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| Artistes perform in a play, 'The Ascent of Man Part-I', at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Monday. |
How man came into being. What he achieved over the course of time. The
varied ages discoveries, inventions, glorious civilizations that define
man’s history. All this and much more was packed in the children’s
plays The Ascent of man. Staged at Tagore Theatre on Monday evening conceived,
scripted and directed by Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal, the Kidsworld
production (in the city at the invitation of Durga Das Foundation) was
a kaleidoscope of human past and coalesced entertainment with learning
lessons. Taking off from fantasy Jessica Potter al la Harry Potter possess
Histokryptostatic stone. And rubbing this she takes the audiences and
the aliens back into pages of history. Thus paving the way to witness
significant chapters of human past peppered with informative facts. So
birth of Christianity the first printing press, Galileo laws of motion
Harppan civilization Egyptian too, renaissance one after another the facts
just rolled off.
As one character in the play itself says "too much of information"
indeed the narrative had a bit too much of it. But then both Lushin and
Bubbles believe, "Even if kids take home five percent of the knowledge
even if few facts register in their minds our purpose would be serverd."
Yet another motto of theirs is "let children have fun." And
to that effects, special effects right from light and set design to costumes
to bit of puppetry to electronic visuals to dance and music were put to
judicious use.
The most refreshing part, the children actors (through the cast did comprise of adult actors too) here looked and acted like children young and innocent not pretentious ones trying to be consummate actors.
Jessica Malhotra as Jessica was lovely so was Siddhant Walia. With music by Babush Joe Santana and choreography by Norbu Tshering the little over one-hour musical show had all the ingredients that makes children's plays, including the all important moral jealousy, desire and greed take you nowhere.