Gulliver’s Travels (2008)
Gulliver’s Travels: From Brogue to Rap
by Olivier Kaiser
What would a year at the SIS be without the annual Play? As incomplete as a Lord without his wig, as unsatisfying as a great meal without a vintage wine, as disappointing as a country’s president without a hint of statesmanship. Luckily for the SIS community, Paddy Salmon and his team of co-directors worked their magic again this year and put together yet another memorable rendition of a classic piece of English-language literature.
This year, Jonathan Swift’s famous allegory of British civilization in his day and time was chosen as the source of inspiration as well as the not entirely unwilling victim of the thespians’ efforts. An excellent choice, of course, as it was so aptly reminiscent of the multi-cultural nature of the Sections Internationales and of the varied origins of their denizens: the witty caricatures allowed the talented young actors, accompanied by
excellent music and lyrics, to run the gamut from Irish brogue and taste for brandy, to English complex of superiority and stiff upper lip, via American rap and slang, all to the delight of the audience. The moral of the story is rather obvious, but nonetheless worth pondering especially for our teenagers: you may be a giant in Lilliput, but never forget that the next morning you may be but a puny creature in Brobdingnag. Or, in other words, don’t be too proud of your mores and customs and too dismissive of others’: be tolerant of your neighbours’ quirks for there is no absolute truth in this world. Ain’t that the truth?...
The text was so cleverly adapted that at times one did not know whether the well-delivered lines had been written by Paddy Swift or Jonathan Salmon (well, OK, the Clinton joke did give it away at one point!). The whole cast is to be complimented (with special distinctions for Gulliver and his wife, among many others, not forgetting the musicians and backstage crew). Particularly, and somewhat deviously, enjoyable were the astute ways in which actors improvised to cover a few blanks during the Wednesday show, a skill no longer necessary on Friday!
Proud parents greeted the performance with enthusiastic and well-deserved applause, unsure whether they were more impressed by the heretofore hidden (or, perhaps, misdirected?...) talent of their offspring or by the incredible knack of the directors for bringing such a motley crew to the same resounding success year after year!
Dernière modification le 04-08-09 par
