Peppa Pig is back in Bengaluru on 7, 8 June

Bengaluru, Jun 6 (PTI) "It's unfortunate that in India live shows don't run for extended periods of time like Broadway shows do. So, by the time people hear about them, they are already gone," said Meherzad Patel, director of 'Peppa Pig's Adventure', which will be showcased at Prestige Centre for Performing Arts in Bengaluru on 7 and 8 June.

This is the second time for Peppa Pig in Bengaluru. Last year too, Patel's stage adaptation of the British preschool animated television series created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, was shown here, apart from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

"In Broadway, if you want to go for 'Lion King', or any show for that matter, you have enough shows to watch it even after a year. That is not possible in India. So, we thought let's at least try bringing it back for a second or a third season," Patel told PTI.

This year, apart from Bengaluru, 'Peppa Pig's Adventure' will also be staged in Chandigarh, Indore, Kolkata and Goa, he said.

"In fact, we just had a back-to-back sold-out show in Kolkata," added Patel.

In many ways, 'Peppa Pig's Adventure' is a nod to his daughter's love for the cartoon character, said Patel.

"My daughter was five years old when we started discussing this project. She was just coming out of her Peppa Pig phase, but because I was involved in it, she got excited all over again, and kept me company as I put together her favourite character for stage," said Patel.

One of the biggest challenges was bringing 2D characters to life through puppets, said Patel.

"We had to consciously manipulate the angles in a way that the audience, who is used to looking at the flat face of their beloved Peppa, wouldn't have to see unflattering ones," said Patel.

Patel said he also had to train the artists physically and mentally so that they would have the stamina and mental strength to sustain three shows a day, two days in a row.

"That's six shows in a span of two days. That is a lot of hard work. We needed to make sure everyone is comfortable and not overworked," added the playwright-cum-director.

This is not easy in India where we do not have the culture of understudies, pointed out Patel.

"As a director, this is also very important, because you are never left without a backup. There is a set of people who are ready and waiting to step on stage, who know the part equally well, and perform it equally well," said Patel.

When the project started, they opted initially for the more popular mascot format--in which, the performer wears the mascot. But later, said Patel, they realised puppets would work better for them.

"Now, we have these performers in all black on stage manipulating the puppets," said Patel.

According to him, the biggest disadvantage in this format is that a child may be focused only on Peppa Pig's puppet or Suzy sheep's puppet, but not necessarily the adult.

"So, how do we cater to the parents? By being super professional, by giving them a spectacle in terms of the production value-- say, the lighting effects and the music. That's the first thing I tell performers. Don't just make the puppet perform. Put life into it," said Patel.

Peppa Pig, said Patel, is super famous today because of the fact that there's zero controversy around her.

"You know, as children, we were always told, 'oh, 'Tom and Jerry' has a lot of violence'. We always knew we cannot do what they are doing because there is a very defined line between cartoon and reality. Peppa Pig is not like that. There is so much to learn from Peppa Pig, I feel, even as an adult," said Patel.

The interactive live stage show is produced and promoted by BookMyShow. PTI JR KH