MONTHLY NEWS "Let's Protect the Earth!" |
Singing and dancing their ways into people's hearts, 43 kids put on a musical called "I Love the Earth" (sponsored by Kids Earth Fund) in Nagoya on May 3 and 4. They brought to life the story of kids who stand up to protect the earth while adults are destroying it through pollution and war.
The one-and-a-half-hour musical is based on a collection of poetry written by children from 70 different countries about their hopes and dreams for the earth. The idea for the musical came from musician Yoshinori Iwase, who says: "I wanted to tell what the children, who are helpless victims of war, think about the world." The children in the musical ranged from 5 to 18 years old and were chosen mainly from the Tokai area of Japan in auditions held in September. For the next several months they worked hard to perfect their performance under the direction of Noppo-san, a former star of children's TV programs who was popular for his mime performances. Noppo-san (his name means "Mr. Tall) wanted the kids in the musical "to send out their message by freely expressing themselves."
The show was a hit, drawing a total of about 1,600 people in three performances. The kids hope they can take their show on the road in Japan someday and maybe even perform overseas. They are already taking the message of the musical to heart, though, by reaching out to other kids around the world.
Through practicing for the musical the kids became more involved with issues such as the global environment and war. Some of them were moved by the pain of the children in New York after September 11 and sent artwork to cheer them up. The musical is a way for kids in Japan to show they care and to send a friendly message to kids all over the world: "Children of the world, let's play, (This is one of the poems on which the musical was based. It is called "To the Children's Parliament.") Photos: (Top, second, third) Scenes from the musical "I Love the Earth"; (bottom) Rehearsing for the musical. (Kids Earth Fund) |
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