On the 21st of September, Gyaan Adab saw the attendance of over 100 children over 2 shows performed by the Gillo Theatre Repertory. The Gillo team performed the stage adaptation of Anusha Ravishankar’s Captain Coconut and the Case of the Missing Bananas, a children’s book.
The plot follows the adventures of Captain Coconut, an ace detective whose mind could solve any mystery, no matter how big or small. He attempts to solve the case of the missing bananas, wherein bananas are found missing from a woman’s household fruit basket. But these were no ordinary bananas: they were directly imported from France!
With shows in English and in Marathi, the participating audiences were comprised of children from the Robinhood Army of Pune, the Nagarwala School, the Anjuman-E-Islam School and Orphanage, Gyaan Ruchi and our very own Young Players.
Live music became the background score for the play, and the actors would occasionally burst into song, repeating the tagline jingle of Captain Coconut. The play was punctuated by the artful performance of the main leads, Mr. Ghanshyam Tiwari and Mr. Tusharr Dhobi, who enraptured the children in their tale with their hilarious antics and natural stage presence.
After the performance, a special session was conducted between the Young Players and the stage team, where they gave them invaluable advice and some tips and tricks of the trade. All our minor attendees were given Oreo treats on their way out, which they thoroughly enjoyed (by the looks of bliss on their faces!)The Pagdandi Bookstore and Cafe exhibited some of their children’s reading selection, and had curious little ones peering onto the table on the tips of their toes.
All in all, the plays were a roaring success; with enthusiastic attendees, a talented stage crew and the endeavors of everyone who worked together to make this program happen.
