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A mouse story that's a timely tale

Lady Mouse, right, will be betrothed to her manly mouse groom tonight at the National Theater's Experimental Theater. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHINY SHOES CHILDREN'S THEATER

It's plot may be dated, but Lady Mouse Got Married (老鼠娶親) is as entertaining a children's fable today as it was thousands of years ago. Now Shiny Shoes Children's Theater (鞋子兒童實驗劇團) is reprising its October production of the amusing story.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, the timing of Shiny Shoes' reprisal isn't surprising. Parents traditionally recount the classic tale for their children on the third night of the new year, tucking them into bed early so as not to disturb the nighttime fun.

As the story goes, Daddy Mouse is concerned about finding a suitor for his beautiful young daughter, Lady Mouse. His fear is that, if he doesn't find the strongest, manliest mouse in the land, his daughter might well become the prey of Fat Cat, the ferocious predator feared by all mice. Accompanied by the outspoken Matchmaker Wang, Daddy Mouse interviews four candidates before discovering that the son-in-law he's looking for has been right under his nose all along. So what if it's about arranged marriages and a life spent in fear, the moral lessons of the cute coming-of-age story still ring true.

Performance Note: The National Theater is located at 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, in Taipei(台北市中山南路21-1號)

Leave it to Shiny Shoes Children's Theater to turn an ages-old story into a timely tale. The troupe got their start 20 years ago at Growth Day Care Center with weekly performances that quickly became popular with parents throughout Taipei. By 1987 they had their own permanent theater in the nation's capital, before making their new home in Taichung. They have toured Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, traveled to Singapore and the US and produced two award-winning television programs.

The secret to their success lies in their formula for updating the classics. While all the troupe's actors honor the traditions of Chinese opera, they also incorporate modern acting techniques, make ample use of modern stagecraft and add melodic tunes to their productions in order to mesmerize their young audience.

Lady Mouse Got Married will be performed in Chinese, with an English-speaking narrator, tonight at 7:30 in the Experimental Theater of the National Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場) and tomorrow and Sunday at both 10:30am and 2:30pm. Tickets cost NT$350 and can be purchased at the door.

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