Show Review

The Gruffalo – Ruqaya Aamer, Sowsan Hassan and Kanwal Habeeb – Words Bookstore & Café

March 4 - 10, 2015
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Gulf Weekly The Gruffalo – Ruqaya Aamer, Sowsan Hassan and Kanwal Habeeb – Words Bookstore & Café

There was an air of quiet expectancy at the popular Palm Square venue on Budayia Highway.

The TV reporter and the cameraman were in place, the actors were doing some last-second rehearsing; my grandson was munching his way happily through a bag of popcorn. All was quiet, when suddenly the door was flung open and the rest of the young audience rushed in.

Places were quickly found on the floor cushions, last minute adjustments made and with the magic seemingly switched on; the audience was soon lost in the world of The Gruffalo.

Using only hat and shadow puppets with a small screen to throw the shadows onto, Ruqaya Aamer and Sowsan Hassan along with Kanwal Hameed as the narrator and shadow puppet master, created a delightful world of story for the children to enter and allow their imaginations to run free.

The Gruffalo is the very interesting little tale of a small creature overcoming his enemies with his power of thought and persuasion. The kicker is the twist in the conclusion; which if you do not yet know the story, I will not spoil the fun by telling you.

Like all good stories it carries an educational element. The acting was flawless, as we have come to expect from these talented young ladies. They bring the art of story-telling to a whole new level in Bahrain and deserve to be successful in reaching a far wider audience.

Sadly, it was all over too quickly and the thoroughly entertained audience stood up to go; still wrapped in a world where a little mouse could trounce everyone he came up against … a wonderful life lesson to carry home.

I shall be watching my inbox intently waiting for their next adventure into the world of acting and story-telling.

– Christine Hasan







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