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Chinese heroine fails to impress
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November 24, 2009
By Kgomotso Moncho
Mulan JR
Director: Denver Vraagom
Cast: Carmen Pretorius, Frans Schoeman, Dantus-La'mont Lundall, Boniswa Holland, Sindi Sampson, Ziyanda Yako, Hector Leigh, Dominion Adams, Asleigh Harvey, Nicol Sheraton and Lebo Toko
Venue: Joburg Promusica
UNTIL: December 12
Rating: ***
The allure of a show like Mulan JR lies in its Eastern theme: Chinese culture, the costumes, the music and how majestically everything comes together. Presentation is everything, however Promusica's approach to Mulan was a combination of hits and misses.
Based on the 1998 Disney film, Mulan, this children's show is the tale of a Chinese legend, Hua Mulan, a clumsy woman who disguises herself as a man in order to take her ailing father's place in the Imperial Army against the invading Hun forces. Despite her breaking the rules to do the honourable thing, her ancestors send her the dragon, Mushu, to help her along her way.
It is Pretorius's Mulan and Toko's Mushu that offer much of the charm.
The show gets the comedy right. And because this is a story of a heroine, much of the gags cleverly came from the men in the cast.
The set is simple and does its best to capture that Eastern theme.
But the costumes or rather the way they were handled failed to impress. Some were creased and looked as if they could do with an iron, while others were clumsily draped on the actors. That put a dent on the visual impression.
Overall, much of the magic that made Mulan such a Disney hit was in short supply in this stage adaptation.
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