CHENNAI : In Men in Black, we see Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as providers of immigration services and regulators of all things alien on Earth. Imagine the story shifting from New York City to namma Chennai. With the Christmas season upon us, the cheer of the festival is also added into the story. City-based The Little Theatre, which has been doing the Christmas Pantomime for the past 26 years, is coming up with their 27th edition with this Men in Black remix, MIB – A Space Comet-y.
Krishnakumar Balasubramanian (KK), artistic director of The Little Theatre, shares, “This is my ninth Christmas Pantomime as the director in 15 years of my association with The Little Theatre. This year’s pantomime is MIB. Expect special effects, aliens, popular songs that’ll keep you grooving and stunts that’ll keep you at the edge of your seat. And plenty of laughter. We have a cast of 35 adult actors performing alongside 40 children.”
In the tradition
Pantomimes in the city, every year for Christmas, have been a tradition since 1991. “Until 1994, Issy Sanderson, wife of the then director of the British Council, was writing and producing the Pantomimes. I acted in all those four, and when they got transferred out of Chennai, I was thinking of doing something every year with Little Theatre and then I took over,” says Aysha Rau, founder, The Little Theatre, explaining the birth of their pantomime productions. Aysha scripted the plays for 17 productions.
“Pantomime is a UK tradition where the show is a mix of music, comedy, drama, stunts and so on. It is so entertaining and like the Disney movies or shows that are for every age group. The audience is also a part of the pantomime. An important aspect is that we are breaking the fourth wall,” explains Dr Rohini Rau, trustee, The Little Theatre. There are certain rules for the Pantomime, traditionally. “There will be a ‘dame’ character where a man dresses up as a woman.
There will be a ‘principal boy’ and ‘principal girl’, which are both played by women, as during olden times love wasn’t allowed to be shown between opposite sexes,” she says. Aysha adds, “During the Victorian age, women were not allowed to show their legs. So, when they played the ‘principal boy’, they could show their legs. They had the ‘dame’ played by a man because he could get away with murder and all. There would also be a narrator who would weave the whole story together. The story would always be good versus the bad.”
City comes together
From The Little Mermaid to Jack and the Beanstalk, the theatre has selected various stories and adapted them locally, elevating it to another level both visually and story-wise, over the years. Talking about the challenges of putting up the show, KK says, “As a theatre company that has consistently been producing shows for the whole family and young audiences, it is upon us to constantly innovate, evolve and stay with the times. Every year is a different theme, and so the challenge of redefining the script, visuals, and special effects requires innovation.” Almost 80-90 people are working together to bring out the pantomime. Rohini says, “Auditions happen in the first week of August and people from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, come for it. There are actors who have moved to the city to be a part of the show.
It is definitely an entertainment for everyone plus the best way to introduce kids to theatre.” As the city witnessed one of the worst natural disasters and is still reeling from it, the crew members also have an additional struggle to come up with the play despite the hardships. Rohini says, “ We are dedicating the show to the victims of the floods. A lot of our crew members had their houses flooded and faced troubles during this stressful situation but we are coming up with the show. Even during 2015 floods, we came up with the Pantomime. I think it is also a way for the city to come together. We, as a city, always bounce back. Resilience should be celebrated.”
The 27th Christmas Pantomime MIB - A Space Comet-y
Date: Dec 14 to 17
Venue: Anna Centenary Library Auditorium, Kotturpuram, Chennai
Ticket link: https:// thelittletheatre. explara.com/