Puppets for a moment

Puppetry, the world's oldest performing art, would once again transport audiences back to the ages of the Middle Earth -- where elves many rings of power to communicate with the elements -- during the staging of the epic ``Lord of the Rings''.

The 90-minute puppetry extravaganza, which unfolds at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on October 10 and 11, is presented by PI Theater. The show would make use of puppetry along with light, sound and smell as it moves from simple narration towards concepts of healing, love, evil and adventure.

Inspired by the Vedanta and Pagan philosophies and based on the epic works ``Lord of the Rings'' and ``Sillmarillon'' by J.R.R. Tolkien, the show will make use of the rod, Bunraku and Shadow techniques while bringing to life the interaction of creatures of yore with the sun, moon and the elements such as earth, fire, water and wind.

The story, based on images evoked from Tolkien's work, concentrates on the history of the rings of power and the magical character, Frodo Baggins of Shire and Sam Gamgee, and their journey to Mount Doom. A host of other characters lend charisma to the storyline.

What adds punch to the puppetry is the wholesome use of music right from Wagner's ``Die Walkur'', Tchavikovsky's ``Francheska da Rimmini'', Sally Oalfield's ``Songs of Quendi'' to a special performance of Beethoven's ``Moonlight Sonata''.

By eliciting direct audience response and through the use of puppetry, the theatre group has been able to address even issues pertaining to sexuality with great ease and finesse. In this way, PI Theater has addressed the issue of a boy's fantasies in ``Dr. Coppelius' (1996), which was an experimental adaptation of Leo Delbis' ballet ``Coppelia''. The following year, it came up with the first gay/lesbian puppet show in India ``Bowlfuls of Pearls'', a stylised adaptation of ``Swan Lake''. The other productions ``Liquid Rainbows'', which was about the freedom of expression and censorship, ``Operetta of Animal Tails'' and ``Mila and the Clock'', have been equally thought-provoking.

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

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