BENGALURU: Theatre has seen variation aplenty over time, from light-hearted comedy to exuberant musicals. Each form comes with a distinct experience. Come July 19, and the city’s children will experience a performance with no language. Instead, through mime and puppetry, Hugo Suarez and his wife Ines Pasic will narrate their tale.
The production, Body Rhapsody, uses a composition of hands, knees, legs and elbows along with a galore of props. Suarez, who is originally from Peru, embarked on his career in 1976, and began as a mime artiste on the streets of Peru. A few years later, he moved to Italy where he met his wife. And along with her came a whole new concept – a combination of mime and puppetry. “We started our theatre group in 1986, and took the concept of miming and combined it with the body as a puppet,” recalls Suarez.
Their very first show Return To Darkness took place in Italy in 1989. This was followed by shows across Europe, Canada and the United States of America. “I was quite apprehensive initially because I was worried if people would understand it. Would they call it ridiculous? You can’t see the good bits initially, but with time it evolved and worked,” says Suarez.
While engaging with audience without a language can be a challenge, Suarez says, “We come from the world of mime, where we interact with actions and not words. Even the knee or hand is given a distinct personality.”
Performing in India for the very first time, Suarez is keen to connect with his new audience. An admirer of the country’s puppetry and its subtle manner of storytelling, Suarez says, “I enjoy watching shadow-play, which originated in India. I am looking forward to watch more local acts, especially in Bengaluru, which has rich theatre culture.”
Talking about the response from the audience, Suarez believes that children have always received it well. “We have had different responses from crowds in Brazil when compared to Germany, but children, they always see it as it is,” adds Suarez. With an intention to perform theatre with sensibility, Suarez imparts emotion to the audience as he believes it spreads the message in a better manner. “If the message is beautiful then that is enough, it does not matter if we don’t speak,” he says.
Body Rhapsody will be performed on July 19 at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar, as a part of the ongoing ‘AHA! International Theatre Festival For Children’.