<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131132/637235599c7e80680e0c497fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="809"/><figcaption>All photos: Sudam CK</figcaption></figure>Bhaktaprasad Bhyaguto is an odd little frog. Born in Ichangu under the ever-watchful gaze of Swyambhu, he is unlike any other anuran. Losing his tail, and out of his tadpole teens, he wants to explore Nepal.Kanak Mani Dixit’s 1998 children’s book धुमधामको घुमघाम follows ‘Bhaktay’ as he floats down the Bagmati in a tin-can, rides an oxcart, wades through the Tarai jungles, travels to Pokhara in a truck, and even treks up to Dolpo, to return home in the shirt pocket of a Twin Otter pilot.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131132/6372355b9c7e80680e0c4980jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="3376">The Adventures of a Nepali Frog has been translated into over 20 languages, and 25 years after the book first came out, Bhaktay is also the first Nepali frog to star in his very own musical.The play was adapted by Aayush Niroula and directed by Akanchha Karki, who herself grew up reading the frog book in school. Her adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm last year at Kausi Theatre was a hit.धुमधामको घुमघाम on stage is a vibrant and colourful production, reflecting the exuberance and wanderlust of a curious frog, the people and animals he meets along the way, the dangers, excitement, changes and comforts of growing up on the go. Subhas Rai’s pencil etches in the original book metamorphose into the dynamic stage design.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131132/6372355f9c7e80680e0c4981jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="3376">The lyrics of the songs, the music and live rendition by Strings Impact  bring the characters and locations leaping out of the set. The humour and emotional content of the story finds perfect expression in the mellifluous soundtrack of folk and blues, remixes of old Nepali classics like Chanchaley chanchaley and Ma ta khadina kuwa ko pani, and even John Denver’s Country Roads.The dialogue alone may not always release or appeal to pathos, but with songs and dance, the body shakes itself loose, twists and turns, jumps and slides, and the energy travels like lightning from the stage to the audience, as the impressive actors roll and quip, turning their heads and limbs to animal instinct and nature’s music.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131132/637235639c7e80680e0c4982jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="3376">The play does not ask the audience to suspend its disbelief: the actors are very clearly in onesies and animal masks. But viewers immediately find a point to connect with the characters, and empathise when the inhabitants of Chitwan National Park lament the loss of their jungle, or when a marmot is bullied for being different and having dreams and interests bigger than itself.The lessons here, from geography to science to spiritualism, are manifold, but perhaps at the core the message is: ‘Be adventurous, travel and learn – be open and mindful, and appreciative of local culture.’Courage is infectious, and Bhaktey and his creator both hope their imaginary journey inspires others to face challenges and undertake great adventures. The musical follows the novel’s core thirst for life and learning, inviting the audience to also go out and discover their country.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131132/637235679c7e80680e0c4983jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="3376">Akash Nepali, star of the show, says, “A mark of a good play, a good performance is that the audience eagerly partakes of the journey and joins in it.” धुमधामको घुमघाम does just that.Produced by Rato Bangala Kitab, the original publisher of the novel, and Katha Ghera, the play was staged from 26-29 August 2022 at the Kamal Mani Theatre, and will continue at Kausi Theatre in Teku from Friday, 2 September.धुमधामको घुमघामBased on the children’s book by Kanak Mani DixitAdapted by Aayush NiroulaDirected by Akanchha Karki 2-19 September 2022Kausi Theatre, TekuEvery day at 5:30PM (except Tuesday)Additional 1:30PM show on SaturdayRead more: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11224#.Yw73zOxByjA">Bestseller in Braille</a>, Manesh Shrestha

Ashish Dhakal

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One small step for Frog, a giant leap for amphibians

<figure><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14949c7e80680e0a9984jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: Bijay Tamrakar/One World Theatre</figcaption></figure>Sara and Callie are taking a walk late at night through the West Village. They have just been out at a bar and the night is young. Against the colourful high-rise of bricks and windows projected onto plywood screens, they give into the whirlwind of emotions long overdue and they kiss.Enter an angry bystander (this is New York, after all) and what could have been the best night of their lives turns into an ugly nightmare. He attacks the two lovers violently, and Sara suffers injuries that sends her into coma.This is where American playwright Diana Son’s Stop Kiss begins (we don't exactly know when the attack has happened: is it before the start of the play or after the first scene?), and it is being staged 23 years later at Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali. Directed by <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=438#.YaSLftBByUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Loonibha Tuladhar</a> and presented by One World Theatre (OWT) with support from the US Embassy, the revival is an English-language adaptation.This is perhaps the first play staged in Nepal in recent times, and one of the first to focus on queer women. The premier on 25 November coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Kiss" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the play</a> will run till 4 December to overlap with  16 days of activism. <img width="2120" height="1192" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14979c7e80680e0a9985jpeg.jpg" alt="">Mitini Nepal estimates that 38% of lesbians and 62% of transgenders in Nepal continue to face violence in Nepal. Recently, countries like South Korea and Japan have used the Covid-19 pandemic as a ruse to discriminate against <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16160#.YaSMndBByUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the LGBTQ+ community</a>. The situation in Nepal is not any better. Discrimination aside, people who belong to the LGBTQ+ spectrum have few safe spaces to open up, and feel comfortable in their own skin.But, surely, for many young progressives today, the play might appear demure or too gentle. “There isn’t enough sex,” one might say. Or “Why are there no mobile phones, so much of the trouble could have been avoided with a mobile phone!” After all, in the two decades since the play was first produced, much has changed in the world.But a lot remains the same. Stop Kiss is not merely a lesbian play from the 1990s North America. It is also a reminder that despite vicious attacks and protests the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Night-and-%20Day,3145" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LGBTQ+</a> movement around the world today has reached a point where its members can consider getting married, holding hands and expressing themselves. <img width="2120" height="1192" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d149b9c7e80680e0a9986jpeg.jpg" alt="">And it is even more important in a country like Nepal where progress is incremental, and the reminder is encouragement to fight for one’s right to love without judgement and violence. Tuladhar and Kavita Srinivasan’s co-direction and the cast of Stop Kiss do not shy away from this scope and significance of their stage production.Tuladhar admits she was nervous at first, unsure whether she was right for the role. “But violence against women and the queer community in our society takes many forms, and often it is quiet and we don't even realise that we are being violent,” she says. “The play felt important and necessary because through it people can reflect and make their voices heard.”The show's co-director, Kavita Srinivasan echoes this. “Even now many women and queer people are not comfortable going out alone, especially at night,” she says. “But why should we have to fear to exist in our own society?” <figure><img width="2048" height="1368" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d149e9c7e80680e0a9987jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Ranjana Bhattarai and Samapika Gautam shine as Callie and Sara, their chemistry natural and profound. Bhattarai plays Callie’s New York ‘up in the air’ traffic news reporter like a dancer who listens to the music rather than only memorise the steps. Gautam is the perfect counterpart, as grounded and methodical as Sara, a third-grade teacher.The two women are riotous together – they dance, laugh and yell, their hands make wide gestures as they try to wordlessly communicate the stirrings in their hearts, perhaps felt by both for the first time. There is also tension between them, as they do not know the right thing to say or to do.But Bhattarai and Gautam convince us that in their apparent differences is touching resonance. Both intense and hilarious, they carry the entire emotional weight of the play in their performances, going from unsure awkwardness of new acquaintances to wild, gushing nervousness of first-time lovers. <img width="2120" height="1192" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14a19c7e80680e0a9988jpeg.jpg" alt="">The supporting cast is also impressive. Gaurav Bista is perfect as the agonisingly heterosexual George, Callie’s on-and-off boyfriend. <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2014/09/09/blood-and-mud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Loonibha Tuladhar</a> steals the scenes as Mrs Winsley who witnesses the attack on the protagonists. Anahita Sarabhai is excellent as the Nurse, and Sushrut Acharya as Detective Cole and Bruno Deceukelier as Peter make the most of the few scenes they have.But the real stars of the show are certainly the relentless crew-members, who have the toughest job at Shilpee every night: making sure everything looks seamless on stage and nothing falls over and breaks during the countless scene changes. The story is told out of order, so it unfolds in sets of ‘before’ and ‘after’ the attack.The set design is aptly minimalist and modern, and the soundtrack of hit 90’s tracks (think Cyndi Lauper’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Girls Just Wanna Have Fun</a>) adds to the whole ‘concrete jungle where dreams are made’ vibe of New York.While the shadow of the altercation looms large, crass and imposing, and the play has much in common with a Greek tragedy – the violence happens off-stage and there is a sense of foreboding throughout (we find out about the attack and the coma very early on). <img width="2120" height="1192" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14a59c7e80680e0a9989jpeg.jpg" alt="">But Stop Kiss is far from the stereotype of sad and fatal <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Finding-refuge-in-cyberspace,3146" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LGBTQ+</a> stories that either end in death or separation. Instead, it is open-hearted, warm and determined to impact audiences of all ages and background.“While the physical, external violence forms the backbone of the play, there is also a second kind at play here, borne of shame, judgement and discrimination,” adds Srinivasan: “Hopefully the play will create momentum for conversations to make our society truly inclusive, not just in plans and speech but also in action.”Stop Kiss is playing at Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali until 4 December 2021. Runtime is 2 hours and 10 minutes with no intermission.Tickets: Rs500 and Rs700 for front-row seats9861053015/stopkiss@owtnepal.orgShowtimes: 5:30PM, with an additional 1PM show on 4 December.

The price of a kiss

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One small step for Frog, a giant leap for amphibians

The price of a kiss