Welcome to a world in which people fly, flowers sing and octopuses dance. Welcome to a world with no words but lots of colors, magic and multi-media. Welcome to the Black Light Theater, a unique art form from Prague, in the Czech Republic.

On May 1-2, Prague's National Black Light Theater will turn Shanghai Center Theater into a "big black box," where the characters from "Alice In Wonderland" and the people of Lilliput and Brobdingnag from "Gulliver's Travels" will join each other to relate their fascinating and memorable fables.

But this is not a performance for children.

It is designed for all ages - older members of the audience will feel as if they have become children again when they see this spectacle and wonder how it is created.

Black light theater is a theatrical performance style that uses performers and puppeteers dressed in black but carrying fluorescent characters and wearing costumes that are brought to life with UV lighting.

With this style animals can come to life, characters can perform impossible feats and magic becomes commonplace but constantly remarkable.

Prague's National Black Light Theater is one of the most established companies dedicated to this art form. Apart from the lighting, it also blends music, dance, mime and acrobatics throughout its performances.

Black Light Theater - Alice and Gulliver

Date: May 1-2, 7:30pm

Venue: Shanghai Center Theater, 1376 Nanjing Rd W.

Tickets: 80-580 yuan

Tel: 6217-2426

Other legs of the theatre's china tour include:

Ningbo, Zhengjiang, May 3

Zhengzhou, Henan, May 13-14

Wuhan, Hubei, May 16-17

Dongguan, Guangdong, May 21-22

Shenzhen, Guangdong, May 23-24

Hangzhou, Zhengjiang, May 28-June 1

(Shanghai Daily April 30, 2009)