A theatre's adventure on a 'Magic Bus'

A scene from "The Magic School Bus." Photos from the show organizer

Can you think of anything more boring to young children than the adult topic of global warming? Well, get ready to ride into a world where imagination becomes reality — one in which hundreds of children are passionately involved with that very topic!

For several years now, the Nanshan Little Orange Castle Children’s Theatre Company has been presenting multimedia plays and musicals in Chinese, featuring well-known stories such as "Cinderella," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Mulan" among others. These productions are designed not only to captivate and entertain, but also to educate.

A scene from "The Magic School Bus." 

On Nov. 17, they presented a frequent visitor to their stage: "The Magic School Bus." Originating in the U.S., this series of books adapted into a TV series features a very eccentric teacher, Ms. Frizzle, who takes her class on an even stranger school bus that can travel at light speed and change size, allowing it to explore both the microscopic world of atoms and the vast reaches of the universe. This specific episode focused on the class’ exploration of the causes and effects of global warming, as well as what is being done and still needs to be done to reverse it.

As a kid I grew up watching "Howdy Doody," "The Popeye Club," "The Mickey Mouse Club," and "Ding Dong School" (I’m really dating myself back to the 1950s!). As a teen, I delighted in "Sesame Street," and as an adult, have enjoyed shows such as "Animaniacs" and yes, "The Magic School Bus." So, for me, attending this live musical performance felt like a homecoming of sorts.

A scene from "The Magic School Bus."

The essence of the plot is quite simple yet profound: it highlights some of the negative things happening to our planet, explains their causes, and showcases what is being done to remedy the issues.

The original story is based on a book that later became an episode in "The Magic School Bus" TV series. More recently, U.S. composer Scott Elmegreen transformed the story into a one-hour musical consisting of at least 10 songs (maybe more, as several seemed to immediately follow one another), which I and hundreds of other (a bit younger) kids got to enjoy. Although the melodies were not particularly memorable, the music nonetheless magically enhanced the otherwise potentially dry subject matter, making it enjoyable for all ages.

There was a song about a lizard suffering from the excess heat, one about weather, one about snow, and several about impacts on tropical islands, coral reefs, food sources, the CO2 cycle, CO2 sources, the impact on water and plants, and finally about solutions including solar power and other alternate green energy sources.

The “grand finale” featured everyone working together and even included a bit of rap, with performers walking out into the audience to receive “high fives” from the other kids (and me!). Though originally in English, the performance was conducted in Chinese, and I fully understood the story line thanks to the excellence of the acting and the multimedia effects, despite not comprehending every word spoken.

As previously hinted, the acting, while tailored to appeal to children, was superb enough to compensate for any moments when the performers may not have excelled in their singing. The key was that they performed from the heart, enjoying their interactions with the audience (the children were quite passionate in “assisting” the performers in conveying their messages), and clearly understood the significance of the information being presented while entertaining.

One scene involved reviewing the "Alphabet Song" with the kids as part of the lesson about the letters used in H2O and CO2; I’m not sure if this was part of Elmegreen’s original musical, because they used the Chinese version of the song instead of the Western one, but that may have been necessary to maintain familiarity for the kids.

The most spectacular aspects of the performance included the costumes, lighting, and a translucent scrim that made the performers appear embedded in the action, especially during scenes such as collapsing glaciers and fierce storms.

I talked with some audience members after the show: some kids said they enjoyed it, and even answered some of my quiz questions (e.g., “What is the formula for carbon dioxide?) correctly. One parent said he just dropped his kids off but did not attend, which is a shame, as the message is as much for adults as it is for children.

Some have suggested that there is little market for such shows. However, to accommodate the growing interest in theatrical productions, AC Orange usually presents each show three times on show days: morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. "The Three Little Pigs" was also staged Dec. 1 and will be shown Dec. 22.

If "The Magic School Bus" performance is any indication, I suspect "The Three Little Pigs" and all their other performances will offer unique story angles intertwined with energizing and inspiring music. This theatre takes professionalism to a new level, and their shows are well worth attending.

I’ll see you at the “Three Pigs” show Dec. 22. 

Venue: Nanshan Culture and Sports Center, 2106 Nanshan Avenue, Nanshan District (南山区南山大道2106号南山文体中心)

Metro: Line 1 or 12 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B