THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prospero, the ousted duke of Milan, can conjure storms and summon spirits. The Shakespearean hero belongs to the higher order of magicians and it’s a world that begins and ends with magic. And, recreating the charms and illusions of the play on stage is Dramagic, Gopinath Muthukad’s latest production blending magic and drama.
“Dramagic - magic for education - is a visual treat that combines the elements of theatre, literature and magic. It’s first of its kind in India,” says Gopinath Muthukad. In the show Prospero uses his magic wand to create a spate of illusions, transporting the audience to a world of fantasy. Gopinath says they have followed the original template of theatre for the show, furnishing it with visuals and magical tricks.
“So there is drama, visuals on the screen and magic giving you a wholesome visual experience. It’s not something you have seen before, it’s a 9D show.” He says Dramagic was conceived as a visual treat where the audience will experience the magical play in its full extent. “It’s the combination of visuals and magic that transports you to the island where most of the action takes place,” he says.
The Tempest is said to be the last play of the Bard and Gopinath says that the main challenge was to recreate another era, a period in history without much glitches. “Then the ship splitting scene was another problem and in the show you will see two ships- one on the screen and one real. It’s a bunch of magicians who double up as actors on stage,” he says. Gopinath adds that Dramagic is a dream project, “I have been thinking about recreating Tempest for the last 10 years.”
Almost all major characters from the play except Caliban is part of the show. “Another idea is to employ magic for education, introducing Shakespeare and his characters through the show. After watching Dramagic the students will want to read the text as they will be familiar with its characters. The show is conceived in a way to make it a reading and learning inspiration,” he says. The first show held at Magic Planet was open to overwhelming feedback, he adds. “There were many dignitaries among the audience including education minister Prof C Ravindranath. They all were impressed and the minister said Magic Planet is more like a research centre,” he says.
A magical treat
In the show Prospero uses his magic wand to create a spate of illusions, transporting the audience to a world of fantasy. Gopinath says they have followed the original template of theatre for the show, furnishing it with visuals and magical tricks. “So there is drama, visuals on the screen and magic giving you a wholesome visual experience. It’s not something you have seen before, it’s a 9D show.” He says Dramagic was conceived as a visual treat where the audience will experience the magical play in its full extent. “It’s the combination of visuals and magic that transports you to the island where most of the action takes place,” he says