Survival of the fittest

Ever wondered how it would feel to be stranded on the roof of a shipwreck with a total stranger, who does not speak your language, and there is only water all around?

Robinson and Crusoe, a children’s play by Ranga Shankara Production and directed by Gracias Devraj, unveiled the fact that at times like these, only friendship prevails and not war. Based on human values and survival skills, the play revolves around two soldiers who end up on a deserted shipwreck only to realise that they don’t speak the same language. What follows is a lovely tale, of how they overcome their differences and start a strong bond of friendship.

The lead pair, beautifully portray the characters of Robinson and Crusoe, who they rechristen as, ‘You You’ and ‘Me Me’. The life-size prop of the wrecked roof of a ship and the movement of the two in and on the roof truly takes one into the deep blue ocean. There may not have been a prop on the stage that was left unused.

Making one believe that at a time of survival, anything and everything can come in handy, like the fork which ‘You You’ use as a weapon and as a comb to scratch
his itchy head. Or the brassiere that ‘Me Me’ uses to make a paddle out of. Every day is struggle for the duo.

However, gradually they come to see the beauty of the life around and
understand how similar they both are.

The play has got everything a child may want. Beginning with action (not to miss the slow motion fight sequence between the two) and the humour that has been weaved into the characters. The play also has a moral. That no matter what language we speak or what background we hail from, at the end of the day, we are the same fish in the sea.