By Elisabeth Easther - 4 Mar 2011
I took my five year old son Theo to the acclaimed Thang Long Troupe's Vietnamese Water Puppets last night (March 3rd) and he's now a confirmed culture vulture.
While the 7 o'clock start coincided with what is usually his
bedtime, he stood up well to the rigours of his late night. And it
was worth staying up for too, because the Water Puppets are an
absolute delight, and the accompanying music amazing. Each ethereal
chapter was the perfect length for the younger audience member,
allowing the show to run at just under an hour in the festive air
of Aotea Square.
Playful dragons romped like puppies, horn locking water buffalo
did battle in the glowing green water, silvery fish leapt and frogs
jumped, teasing the inept fisherman who strove to catch the frogs
and fish for their dinners. "Frog for dinner? Really?" Theo was
still asking about that this morning.
I remember loving going to the theatre with my parents when I was
a child. Such outings were magical, from overture to curtain call
and I'm pretty sure, with such a mystical, transfixing experience
last night, Theo is going to have a similar relationship with the
performing arts too.
The last thing Theo said before he heavily hit the hay last night,
"I want to be an audience when I'm big."
And the first thing he said when he woke up, "How about those
water puppets mum? They were awesome, eh?"
Too right they were.