Well-known to Mauritians, Mélanie Pérès has just dusted off the legend of Pieter Both. Adapted as a musical tale for children, it will be performed on stage at the Caudan Art Centre until July 15.
Hénry Rotile
Months of research. Piece by piece, the story finally took shape into a musical tale, as Mélanie Pérès, the author, explains: “The legend of Pieter Both is a story that is well known to Mauritians. To stay as true to the story as possible, we met with Mauritians from a variety of different backgrounds to put together this 45-minute musical tale.”
Aimed at children and adults who have kept their childlike spirit, the tale will be performed in Creole: “We wanted it to be in Creole so that it retains its authenticity. However, some passages are also in French,” points out Melanie.
Ashish Beesoondial is the director. The tale is accompanied by music composed by Jean-René Bastien and performed by the Ensemble instrumental des Mascareignes, under the direction of Daniel Bargier.
Sessions are as follows July 13 – 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. (for schools; fee: Rs 200 per child). July 14 – 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. (for schools). July 15 – 7:30pm: Price – VIP – Rs 850. First – Rs 600. Seconds – Rs 400.
The story :
Once upon a time, a milk merchant named Syantaka lived at the bottom of a valley. To fetch good milk, he had to travel long distances. One day he got lost in the forest and decided to seek shelter for the night. He fell asleep at the foot of a rock. It was then that he was awakened by a sweet melody coming from the depths of the lake…
