TEHRAN-Children Mythology World Institute in Tehran is hosting the collaborative show “Adventure of Asterix and Obelix in Iran” for children performed by Laboratory of Audiences of Narenji Theater in English and French.

Written by Sajjad Aqababai, Maryam Mirzai, and Negar Asgharzadeh, and directed by Aqababai, the performance is a loose adaptation of the children's book series “Elmer” written by the British author David McKee. 

In the book, Elmer is an elephant with yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black, and white squares arranged as a patchwork. He has a cheerful and optimistic personality, and he loves practical jokes.

However, the story of this adaptation revolves around famous comic book characters Asterix and Obelix who, after finding a colorful elephant in Africa, come to Iran. As the elephant is upset about his color, other elephants decide to turn into a new color each.

The show aims to introduce young audiences to the rich diversity of global languages and personalities. Drawing inspiration from beloved figures such as Asterix and Obelix from France, the production emphasizes peace, tolerance, and the celebration of differences.

In this collaborative show, children audience also get involved in the performance by the actors and help the characters in the story.

The cast includes Maryam Mirzai, Negin Asgharzadeh, Sajedeh Aqadadi, Atieh Saeidi, and Sharareh Noori.

“Elmer” was first published in 1968, and re-issued with re-drawn illustrations in a slightly shortened version in 1989. It was inspired by the mascot of the Bordeaux Zoo (which closed in 1974) in France. Forty-one book titles have been created since 1989, and the series has sold more than eight million copies in 50 languages around the world.

“Asterix and Obelix” is a bande dessinée comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors (including the titular hero Asterix and his friend Obelix) who adventure around the world and fight the odds of the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars.

The show will go on until June 20. 

SS/SAB