1. The New Indian Express - 28.04.2012
2. The Metro Plus - Hindu - 24.04.2012
Action replay
A group of dare-all gymnasts entertain children at VGP Universal Kingdom
Undersized checked pants held up by suspenders. An eyesore of a suitcase. A vacuous look that can give Mr. Bean a run for his money. Jacob hardly inspires courage and action, but teaming up with ‘Action Rangers', a group of dare-all entertainment gymnasts, is the overarching ambition of his life. As a gooey-eyed fanboy, he watches them put themselves through a punishment of body-bending stunts at VGP Universal Kingdom on East Coast Road.
The entertainment — covered by the regular entry ticket to the amusement park — unfolds on an elaborate stage that evokes visions of Power Rangers – Super Legends and Star Wars. Art director R. Janakiram explains that the common design idioms of most fantasy-filled action films have gone into the installation.
Rocco — one of the four daredevils — walks up and down a vertical pole and does other balancing acts on it. Before leaving, he vigorously pumps his chest. A wide-eyed Jacob imitates him and suffers a muscle catch. A running sequence of clumsy acts by Jacob adds a luscious layer of comedy to the action treat aimed at children.
The only woman in the team, Alisa does some gymnastics on a variant of a swing suspended from the roof to the catchy music of ‘Paris (Ooh La La)'. Nick storms in next to perform two forms of roller-bola. In the first, he juggles three knives while precariously perched on a board that is rapidly moved by a roller. In the second, he deals with two rollers.
It's soon time to see a different facet of Jacob: he morphs from a clumsy clown into an efficient performer — he effortlessly juggles a pack of balls while moving his feet to a lilting song. Robustly-built Yan joins hands with Rocco for a feat — literally! Called ‘Hand to Hand', the performance entails allowing the weight of a human body to rest on the strength of a hand. Yan balances Rocco with his hands, as the latter keeps stretching the limits of geometry by switching to new postures. In one variant, Rocco balances his own body — stretched horizontally like Superman in flight — by resting a palm on Yan's head.
Next comes a cube made up of metal frames that Alisa swings in a rhythmic fashion. As she pirouettes around the stage, the cube appears to be an extension of her body. Alisa and the cube are followed by Nick and an aluminium ring. He gets into the ring and rolls around in different patterns by just shifting the weight of his body.
The playing of the rambunctious ‘Party Rock' and a colourful initiation ritual signal the end of the show. Dressed in an eye-blinding red suit, Jacob is enrolled as an action ranger. An action story with a fairy-tale end, clearly!
Action Rangers – American Action Show is on till June 3. For details, call 24356900.
