Send in the clowns

Big shoes, a white-painted face and large round red nose -- such is the stuff that clowns are made of. And when International Children's Day falls on Sunday, an international festival at the Poly Theater in Beijing promises to treat youngsters to the entertainers and their humor.

More than 20 professional clowns from France, Sweden, Poland, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine and Lithuania will perform for children and adults in a program featuring fantastic costumes and a magic show.

Children from St. Petersburg Children Ballet will also present the romantic Sleeping Beauty during this weekend at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater. For 20 years, the St. Petersburg Children Ballet has cultivated new blood and inherited the beauty of ballet from the Russian ballet. Youngsters in the Children Ballet are all from well-known Russian ballet schools.

The China National Children's Art Theater and Dougeza Theater of Japan will give a joint performance of the children's drama, Fire Engine and Little Jeep, in Beijing at the China Children's Art Theater.

The children's play is inspired by the popular Japanese TV show Kasou Taishou. It made its debut in Beijing in May and Japan in June, 2007.

In the first part of the show, three performers will use fruits and other everyday items to depict animals, while in the second part, a story of a fire engine will be performed by using Kasou Taishou-style tricks.

For tickets, call China Ticket Online: 6417-7845.

(China Daily 05/31/2008 page6)