Three bickering siblings. Two boys and a girl. Three different sets of skills and talents. I can relate to that!
I brought my three little piglets to watch The Three Little Pigs by SRT’s The Little Company, and the story and it’s telling were just as engaging as I remembered. I had brought my eldest to watch it years ago. It was more than half of his lifetime ago, so he doesn’t remember much. But I remember loving the performance and thought it was wonderful to have the opportunity to bring all three kids to catch the production.
Since it was first performed in 2012, The Little Company’s The Three Little Pigs has been staged all over the world! In New York, London, Sydney, Chicago, cities in Finland, and cities in China. Wow.
Having watched it previously, I can tell you that it’s still the high quality production that it was before. And like most, if not all, of The Little Company’s shows, there’s lots to love about this production.
Besides having the most adorable names (Cha, Siu and Bao! – from now on how can you eat a cha siu bao and not think of these piggies?), the characters are given memorable personalities as well. Cha the brawny one, Siu the environmentally conscious one, and Bao the bookish one. Who can forget the amusing cameos by various ‘convenient tradespersons’! So funny, because yes, really, in reading the book, isn’t it just so convenient that someone ambles along with enough material for the pigs to build a house? Especially the house of bricks! And the wolf! Who didn’t love the misunderstood wolf? The cast dug into their roles and pulled off all their character’s quirks really well.
Bao, Siu, Mummy Pig, and Cha
The songs were great too – catchy tunes and catchy lyrics. We found ourselves humming the songs after the show and bopping as we walked. These songs will stick in your head for quite a while, I tell you. I also love, love, love how the wolf’s songs had a getai feel. It’s such a novel idea to use getai inspired music in a kid’s show. Ivan Chan gave a commendable performance as the wolf. If this is your first time watching the production, you’re definitely in for a treat. Having seen the first edition though, I do think I have a preference for Sebastian Tan’s version of the wolf, simply because he was so over-the-top flamboyant. It suited the getai-esque songs and the self-absorbed, self-pitying nature of the wolf.
The wolf who’s just a bit misunderstood
As with most of The Little Company’s children’s productions, there is a message they want the kids to learn from the story. For the Three Little Pigs, the kids went home with the knowledge that while everyone has different skills and talents, rather than let these differences divide us, we can pool our skills to accomplish shared dreams. In other words, we should work together because everyone has something to offer.
You can bet I’m going to milk this one. If one or the other says, “but s/he’s not good at [fill in the blank with some activity]”, I shall remind them of how they each bring a different perspective to things, and they each can help.
The other lesson I liked was that a “family sticks together”. Despite all the bickering, the piglets three loved and helped one another – and mum! I really hope that the kids learn to stick together through thick and thin. That at the end of the day, despite all the bickering, the kids will know that they can count on one another. That they can be themselves and still be loved for who they are. And that they can meaningfully contribute to the family using their own special gifts and talents.
Cleaning up their too-small home
Watch out wolf!
It’s still the September holidays, and with a public holiday on Monday, why not bring your kids to watch The Three Little Pigs? The show ends its run on 17 Sep, and there are still tickets available through the SISTIC website and hotline (63485555). It’s a show suitable for all the family!
Oink oink oink!
Disclaimer: We were given complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
Photo credit: All production pictures are from SRT.
Unlikely Lady of Leisure 