The Kathmandu Post organised Ruslan Amazing Adventure, Nepal’s first international musical broadway show, at the Russian Culture Center, in the Capital, on Sunday. The musical, spearheaded by Sushila Arts Academy (SAA) Dance Company, saw a total of 25 exclusive shows.

The event started off with a welcome speech by Mahesh Swar, AGM of Kantipur Media Group along with Akhilesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief of The Kathmandu Post and Yulia Koirala, Director of SAA. In his welcome note to the audience, Upadhyay said, “News doesn’thave to always be political or serious, sometimes you need to pause and appreciate the lighter and finer things in life.”  

The musical chronicles the story of Ruslan, an orphan boy who leaves the mundane in search of discovering the world unknown. Along the way, he meets beautiful creatures and characters who usher him into a world of magic, fantasy and illusion; all portrayed through dancing, acting, and songs.

The show began with Ruslan, the protagonist, declaring, “Who needs words to describe all your feelings?” and the show stayed true to its theme, taking the audience on an amazing journey of elaborate sets, wonderful music and perfectly synced choreography. The elaborate costumes added to the experience, the top hats and the hoop dresses transporting the audience to another world. The sets were really well designed and wonderfully elaborate; changing from beautiful sunsets to a glimmering star drenched dusks in an instant. This was perhaps the first time in Nepal that such a show has been done, and done so well.

The featured actors Alize Biannic, Maradee de Guzman, Namrata Shrestha, Subol Thapa, Utpal Jha, Sumnima Sampang, Shreeti Pradhan, Amrit Dahal, Lucky Darlami, Arpana Lama and Glory Thapa left no stone unturned to put up a veritable spectacle to enthrall the audience.

The event was followed by a reception hosted by The Kathmandu Post.