I grew up listening to fairy tales and when it came to my kids, I naturally did the same. I know some parents don’t think fairy tales are relevant in our modern day context but I beg to differ. I think instead that there is something timeless and enduring in these old tales that fire the imagination and which guides us in our earliest understanding of right and wrong. These stories cross cultural barriers and, as we saw this weekend at the performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (金发姑娘和三只熊), they cross language barriers too.
The children were very excited when I told then that we would be going to watch Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the theatre, until I told them that the show was going to be in Mandarin. “Huh? But I don’t want Chinese!” said Noey in dismay. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that they were going to be able to understand much. While they have watched Mandarin productions, these have been the Esplanade’s Playtime productions with very simple dialogue since they are aimed are kids between 2 to 4 years of age. Goldilocks and the Three Bears however is a full-fledged play performed entirely in Mandarin. Was it going to just go over their heads?
I was glad that despite their initial reservations, both the children (and I!) enjoyed the play very much. From the moment the cute and cuddly bears appeared on stage, we were all absorbed. The main story line was familiar, with the three bears and Goldilocks the trespassing little girl, and the porridge, chairs and beds which were too hot, too cold, too high, too wide, too hard, too soft and just right. On top of this was layered a message of environmental conservation which I thought was a nice touch and which sat very well with my little conservationist.
How about the Mandarin? I would say that the level of Mandarin was beyond my totally-English-speaking kids but Noey was able to follow quite a bit and Mei too, with a little translation help from me. This was in part due to the interactive portions of the play, like where the children were asked to repeat the ingredients for making oat porridge — 牛奶，水，盐，麦片, and later when they joined Goldilocks in yelling 树倒地摇人快跑!
I thought they enjoyed the play when I was seeing them chuckling happily during the performance, but I knew they really truly did when they kept repeating lines and scenes from the show at home. Among Noey’s favourite moments is the part where Papa Bear bent over the sleeping Goldilocks and said “Eh, 是一只熊!” Then pulling out Goldilocks’ teddy bear, he said “它死了!” It still makes him laugh every time he repeats it!
So the play was fun, entertaining, and my kids got to learn some Mandarin at the same time. Talk about a win-win situation, huh! Highly recommended by all in this household! Don’t miss it!
Goldilocks And The Three Bears 金发姑娘和三只熊
Season: 11 to 29 Mar 2015
Venue: DBS Arts Centre — Home of SRT
Performance Times: 10am (Mon to Fri), 11am and 2pm (Sat and Sun)
Ticket Prices: $25, $22 (Weekdays), $35, 32 (Weekends). Buy a Season Pass to THREE shows and save 20%!
Duration: About 50 mins
Booking: At Sistic counters, at sistic.com.sg or by calling 6348-5555
*We were provided tickets to the show for the purposes of this review. All opinions remain, as always, entirely my own.
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