The local Big Mouse Kids Drama Group presented on Sunday its performance “Paradise Resort” at the Macau Cultural Centre’s (CCM) Small Auditorium, featuring over 80 young performers who had attended the group’s training sessions.
The Post published an interview with the show’s director, Mabina Choi Leng Chi, last Wednesday.
I must admit that the performance had a slow start for me. Being a musician myself, I have encountered many young and student performers who often struggle on stage and fail to captivate the audience. As a listener, the aesthetic appreciation of music is relatively straightforward: it’s either good or bad.
Initially, I approached Sunday’s performance with the same perspective.
To be fair, young performers should not be expected to possess the same range of expressions, communication skills, or interpretation as adults. At first, it didn’t grab my attention, but then I noticed that many members of the audience, particularly their parents, genuinely loved and laughed at their performance.
As time went on, my perspective on appreciation started to change. I found it intriguing to witness how the children interpreted concepts like heaven, work, health, and death, despite having no personal experience of them and relying solely on their imagination. Sometimes, their naivety played out exceptionally well, especially when the story entered its more sombre moments. For instance, when the story hinted at the father’s passing and his longing to see his daughter once again, the young performers maintained a light-hearted, almost innocent, yet truthful approach. This created an interesting contrast to the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. It demonstrated that the show and the organisation aimed to go beyond providing a stage for the children and audience. This endeavour can be quite demanding, especially when working with young performers. Instead, it successfully conveyed meaningful aesthetics and storytelling from beginning to end.
The performers pose at the end of Sunday’s show in the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) Small Auditorium. – Photo: William Chan
