See dragons, vikings and demon hunters on stage in The Little Theatre’s ‘How to Sway Your Dragon’

Once December arrives and the familiar chill in the air (or sometimes torrential rain) spreads across the city, it finally starts to look like Christmas. And for almost three decades, The Little Theatre’s annual Christmas pantomime has been part of that magic, kicking off the season with songs, dances, dames and a troupe of bright-eyed children ready to act their hearts out on stage.

With only a week left in pantomime preparations, The Little Theatre’s artistic director Krishnakumar Balasubramaniam (KK) is busy with rehearsals and rushing to check how the sets are going. KK says, “I first auditioned for pantomime as an actor in 2007, and have been directing it since 2011. When kids grow up and adults come to audition for the cast, you realize how time flies. It’s been an amazing journey getting to know people for so long, and how special and easy it is to work with them, too.”

This year, The Little Theater staged how to tame your dragonA pantomime set in Burp, the magical village of Lord Odin, who is responsible for creating all the joy found in the world. What happens when the mysterious Ice King and his band of musical monsters threaten the production of joy? An unlikely hero emerges in Teacup when he sets out with a trio of Odin’s warriors. Directed by KK, the pantomime is, as always, a group effort, with multiple cast and crew members working to shape the script and work on various aspects of it.

The cast and crew have been rehearsing for the Christmas pantomime since August Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“We were discussing working on something exciting and new, although we have a habit of pulling out old fairy tales. I remember seeing how to Train Your Dragon It was so sweet to fall further in love with my daughter. Earlier this year we also saw kpop demon hunter And they were so inspired by the amazing songs and how it all came together,” says KK, about what inspired him for this year’s show.

Apart from the adult artistes, over 50 children will take the stage including Kaivalya Krishnan, Deepti Orintelu, Mark Thomas and Naveen Krubhakar. Produced by Ayesha Rau, the pantomime is choreographed by Kavya of Black Swan Studio and Vikas Rao of Signature Studio, with music director Lavita Lobo.

KK says, “Every year there is a good balance of actors, mimicry artists, singers and dancers. This year, we have an extraordinary number of singers who are at an incredible level of skill, including Mark Thomas and Nadeesha Thomas.”

The cast and crew have been rehearsing together since August and Rohini Rao, CEO of The Little Theatre, says that year after year, the mechanics of their productions feel like a well-oiled machine.

She says, “It is always the most challenging to convince someone to come and see the pantomime for the first time, I ask them to trust us and come and experience the show with their children. Many families plan December around the pantomime, and it is a pleasure that we have such a large number of repeat visitors. We also price the tickets the same way.”

how to tame your dragon Will be staged at the Museum Theatre, Egmore from 12 to 18 December. Log onto https://thelittletheatre.explara.com/events for details.