Peppa Pig’s Adventures continue on stage
Daisy, Peppa’s human classmate, is the Indian inclusion in the play
After a phenomenal run of 82 shows across 11 cities in India, Peppa Pig is ready for her next theatrical production—a camping trip with friends. The new show brings with it a new storyline, a new character—Daisy, a human addition to the story, and a new team that is bringing the story to life.
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Although Peppa Pig has done live shows before, this time the production is managed by Meherzad Patel and his team at SiLLy PoiNt Productions. The simple children’s show with 2D characters, portraying the everyday life of the pre-schooler Peppa, her family, friends and acquaintances, is a staple in households with children globally. “When the audience hears that signature tune at the beginning of the play and gets excited, you realise that this is the nightclub for two-year-olds,” says Patel, Founder, SiLLy PoiNt Productions and the man directing the play.
The actors behind the puppets
Patel, who started his production company at the age of 19 in 2008, explains his new interest in children’s entertainment, “When you have a kid, you get bullied into doing what s/he likes, and I’ve reached that stage. While I was watching it [Peppa Pig] on my television, my daughter—who’s all of five years old—was sitting next to me. Looking at her reaction, I knew this is something I should take on.” Patel’s prior work includes Like Dat Only, a play where the main characters are on a mission to make a difference to their surroundings, and end up getting arrested and Kalaam, a play about socio-political issues of injustice, power play, racial discrimination, corruption, terrorism, etc.
The production is no child’s play. “I tell my actors,” says Patel, “50 per cent of your audience is adults accompanying the children. We perform such that the adults also enjoy [the production].” The show is designed to have universal appeal. “As an adult, the first thing you are doing is trying to catch a mistake, but when you can’t find it, that’s when you’re impressed. For example, there’s this fantastic UV light segment that the audience really loves, and they’re enamoured by how things are floating around in the auditorium. As kids, they don’t know that it’s UV lights. And that’s the beauty—the parents know it’s not magic. But when the parents are also buying into your magic, that’s when you know you’ve achieved something.”
Meherzad Patel, Director and founder of SiLLy PoiNt Productions
When talking about his rehearsal process Patel tells us, “Everyone plays each other’s parts on rotation. It becomes exciting for them. Imagine doing 60 shows of the same part again and again, you get bored. So the actors get to play a new character every weekend.” The main characters include Peppa, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, Gerald Giraffe, Madame Gazelle, Pedro Pony, Daisy and more. All the actors are well-versed in each other’s parts, since they work on a rotation.
In previous adventures, life-sized mascots played the characters, but in Adventures 2.0, hand-puppets replace them. “As mascots, Peppa Pig and Daddy Pig were the same height!” laughs Patel. “Anyway, children are very scared of mascots; they think Peppa Pig is a tiny little girl [and] suddenly you put these large mascots in front of them. So we turned to life-size puppets, with puppet-handlers dressed in black, fully visible on stage, doing the dialogue and the movement.” Handling puppets is so physically intensive that the actors underwent physical training.
To adapt better to Indian audiences, Patel even included a new Indian character, Daisy, Peppa’s human classmate. “Daisy becomes the human connection between the audience and the Peppa Pig universe. You relate through her as to what is happening. You become Daisy as an audience member. She talks like you and I normally talk, whereas Peppa Pig sounds like Peppa Pig and Daddy Pig sounds like Daddy Pig in the TV show.” The show starts with Daisy’s first day at Peppa’s school and how she becomes friends with Peppa.
Patel has more dreams in children’s entertainment. “My dream project would be to do The Lion King in India. I’ll do it for free.” His ultimate dream is to plant the seed of theatre in young minds. “The long-term goal is
never which show you are doing next. The long-term goal is Can I make this a sustainable career option for people? The aim is to show them that acting is also an option. I want my daughter to know that her father is doing something that he enjoys.”
WHAT: Peppa Pig’s Adventures: A Theatrical Production
WHEN: December 7-8
WHERE: Sophia Bhabha Auditorium, Breach Candy
PRICE:Rs 950 onwards
To Book: bookmyshow.com
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