Pitting Wits with Kids Is No Child's Play

Back row: Bubbles Sabharwal (Standing, second from (left) with Lushin Dubey (right) and the cast of The Wizwits, which talks of witches magic and wizards

THE 'BIGGEST strength of The Wizwits, a musical based on champion storyteller Roald Dahl's The Witches is its cast - 80 percent of the actors are first timers. "Responding to a questionnaire asking the kind of stories children liked, most of them wanted those with witches, magic and wizards. It's got to do with the Harry Potter fever sweeping the city. So, we decided to stage a play with all these elements," says, Bubbles Sabharwal, who along with Lushin Dubey of Kids World, will stage the musical between September 27-October 1 at Hotel Ashok's outdoor theatre.

The age profile of the 30 children who are part of The Wtzwits ranges from six to 22. Vani, the youngest, is just six. "Theatre not just helps hone acting skills but also builds confidence. We want to take it beyond the confines of Kamani and give them a better option than watching movies at PVR which has prohibitive prices," says Sabharwal.

The Wizwits has music by Joe Babush Santana, with choreography by French modern dancer Gilles Chuyens. The play is about a boy named Ron and his grandmother who warns him about witches and tells him how to recognise one. Ron happens to overhear the witches discussing a plot to turn all the children in England into mice. "But he is able to turn it around proving the point that child is truly the father of man," says Sabharwal who has priced the tickets of the two shows (10.30 a.m. and 7.00 p.m.) at an affordable Rs. 100.

The kids have put up the play after just three weeks of rehearsal. For Dubey and Sabharwal, making these budding stars get over stage fright wasn't easy. "when they see their peers carrying out an activity, they too want to excel in it," says Sabharwal.