Is the moon always round?
Is everything round, the moon?
Are leaves always green?
Is anything green, a leaf?
This, to me, is the central theme of this enchanting play, Round the Moon, Blue the Sky.
Combining a unique blend of physical theatre, puppetry, black light magic and audience interaction, Round the Moon, Blue the Sky is an energetic and non-verbal production about Smallest Dragon who is curious about the world and the wonders of shapes and colours.
It was quite a timely play for me to watch with Javier, given that we have discovered how 3-year-olds are captivated by absolutes and fixated by having things done a certain way. Always. Like how he likes his shoes to be placed neatly, always, on the rack. If they were an inch crooked, he would start to kick up a fuss.
Since we caught the play, I’ve been asking him (in a teasing way), whether this has to be done in a certain way, always? (I think the idea of flexibility and openness is starting to sink into his mind…)
Through the three main characters, Smallest Dragon, Leaf, and Twiglet (above pic), the play also exhorts the importance of exploring the world and discovering new things. Pretty much the theme of every child’s life.
Smallest Dragon is the advocate leading the way and teaching Leaf and Twiglet to ask questions, and find the answers.
What I like about the play is that it uses very little words (and is thus suitable for the very little ones) to communicate these big messages. Although there were some parts that I felt the wordlessness (or use of non-English sounds) could have been a tad shorter. (Vera at one point asked me what language they were speaking, and I thought perhaps she had also picked up the accent of the Japanese actress.)
It’s also different from the other plays in that this one featured a multicultural cast.
It was also highly interactive. The young children were kept engaged throughout the show as they “helped” to point out where Smallest Dragon was when her friends was “searching” for her. There was also a segment where two kids were picked from the audience to go on stage and help create objects (cat, house, etc) from shapes.
There were also two scenes within that made use of black light, making pretty scenes such as the fishy one above. Together with the sound effects, this scene was a tad scary though, but thankfully the production team managed to tune the volume down for the next black light scene. (I asked Vera afterwards if she was scared, she actually said at first she was a little startled, but after that she felt fine, and she even said this scene was her favourite part!)
Look, see, explore, and discover - four words that were repeated throughout the play. I hope I remember these words too as I continue to nurture 3 inquisitive young minds in my home.
Round the Moon, Blue the Sky’s last show is at 2pm, 27 July. But be sure to catch I Theatre’s next production Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus from 18 September!
Thank you, I Theatre, for the invitation to Round the Moon!
Speak Your Mind