A musical uses the unlikely mosquito to explain empathy and co-existence to children
Actors perform a song during the rehearsal. Pics/Anurag Ahire
It is a busy Christmas Eve down at Turtle Studios in Versova. Inside the roomy loft space, Saurabh Nayyar and his team from the Jubilee Theatre Company are running through the final choreography rehearsals for their musical. Amidst the flurry of movements, our eyes linger on the wings and black costumes worn by a few actors making the familiar yet annoying sound of mosquitos.
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A moment from the final dress rehearsal on stage
The performance marks Nayyar’s first musical aimed at children, and is titled Wosquito Mosquito. Nayyar has written a play for children before, but this is his first time directing one. A mosquito might not be the most appealing protagonist for a children’s musical, we tell him. “Exactly,” he chuckles, adding that the insect becomes the perfect metaphor for an individual painted in black by society and nature. “The negative association is quite deep in our psyche. The theme of play reflects the violence and hate present in society, and how we can choose to break the cycle. To convey these complex ideas, you have to simplify it to an image that children immediately recognize,” he points out.
And so, the story of Kittu, a new-born mosquito came into being. She strikes up a friendship with a human child — also named Kittu — and rebels against the culture of harming humans. This idea, Nayyar remarks, flips the script on a child’s perception of the mosquito. “Think about it. The quest is to find positivity somehow, and if one person chooses to be optimistic, will they survive? What challenges do they face? And will others accept them?” he muses. While it is an interesting twist on the Christmas spirit of sharing and kindness, we wonder if children will be able to grasp such lofty ideas. “They are smarter than you think,” the director assures us.
Nayyar (left) adjusts a cast member’s makeup
The rehearsals shed further light on the simplification of these concepts. The movements are physical, dramatic and comic. They are choreographed to catchy music by Sridhar Nagraj. “The music takes the story forward. We must remember it is the most effective tool of communication for children,” Nagraj notes. And so, there is a chameleon in a catchy green outfit performing a jazzy number, a maid doing the flamenco and a soothing lullaby on the stage. As we watch the actors jump around mimicking gibberish lines, there is a silliness that appeals to the inner child in us.
“Theatre is all about physicality. You can show more with expression and movement than with words. That is also the way children learn best,” says choreographer Niketa Saraf. For Nayyar, the musical has already made its mark. It has been picked up for a performance at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in January 2024. “The aim is to travel with the play. Despite having a small team, we hope to take it to schools across the state, perform and get the idea across to children. They are, after all, the key to the future,” Nayyar explains.
ON Today; 12 pm and 4 pm
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