兒童‧(音樂)‧劇

初到倫敦時，特拉法加廣場(Trafalgar Square) 是其中一個令我印象最深的地方。原因是國家美術館對出，左邊為英皇佐治四世騎於馬上，威風凜凜的雕像。右面的雕塑卻是一個小孩在木馬上玩耍 (Powerless Structures Fig. 101)。心想這國家除了富幽默感外，對兒童還真有心，斷估不會出現大頭奶粉吧！

 有幸受教於一位曾經在一兒童及青少年劇團任職Dramaturge (才疏學淺，香港的劇團應該沒此職位，請指正！)的老師，因此開始了解此地的受資助兒童及青少年劇團運作。大致上就是和其他受資助藝團無異，同樣擁有自己的劇院、排練室和咖啡店，每年製作一定數量演出，並有工作坊和開放活動給公眾參與。而最令我驚訝的，是每一個製作的目標觀眾是以4至7歲、3個月至兩歲等方式來分類。背後除了意味著劇團有很多個不同年齡組別演出外，還有創作人對兒童的細心和關懷。

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然後，不能不提的還有West End合家歡音樂劇。英國兒童文學百花齊放，除了因《哈利波特》而為人熟悉的作家J.K.羅琳外，還有多個作品曾被改編的Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory應最為港人熟識)。皇家莎士比亞劇團製作的Matilda the Musical在其主場試演後，現時在West End公演已達一年多，最近更登陸百老匯。但我想說的是，劇中小女孩Matilda用歌聲唱出 “Sometimes you have to be a little bit NAUGTHY”，就不一定討好所有家長。特別是講求子女絕對服從家長的外國遊客來說，此劇還有一點煽動孩子反叛的意味。孩子可以在這種鼓勵質疑權威的氛圍下長大，你說是何等福氣？

"Naughty" from Matilda the Musical

'Cause if you're little, you can do a lot, you

Mustn't let a little thing like 'little' stop you.

If you sit around and let them get on top, you

Won't change a thing.

Just because you find that life's not fair, it

Doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it.

If you always take it on the chin and wear it,

You might as well be saying you think that it's OK.

And that's not right.

And if it's not right, you have to put it right.

But nobody else is gonna put it right for me.

Nobody but me is gonna change my story.

Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.

"Revolting Children" from Matilda the Musical

[Chorus:]
We are revolting children...
Living in revolting times...
We sing revolting songs
Using revolting rhymes.
We'll be revolting children,
'Til our revolting's done,
And we'll have the Trunchbull vaulting.
We're revolting!

Matilda the Musical Broadway Trailer

Matilda the Musical West End Trailer