First published in New Straits Times, Sunday People
11 May 2008
For the Love of Randai
IT is for the love for art that husband-wife team Ahmad Tamimi Siregar and Zulhaila returns to the stage for Randai Kasih Menanti, a musical theatre based on the Minangkabau traditional art form, MAX KOH writes.
Zulhaila and Ahmad Tamimi Siregar
FOURTEEN years ago, Ahmad Tamimi Siregar and his wife, Zulhaila Siregar, staged a musical called Randai Kasih Menanti for a royal audience.
The King then (Sultan Azlan Shah) was so pleased with the performance that Ahmad Tamimi was offered a fellowship to the Rockerfeller Foundation in the US.
When Istana Budaya approached the couple to re-stage the musical, Zulhaila thought that it would be a challenge for them.
“We are not doing it for the money but the passion,” says Zulhaila who runs production company SkrinGold with her husband.
Randai Kasih Menanti is a post-modern approach to a Minangkabau classic. It reveals the dark secret of an island, and a mother’s hope for her son’s return.
Zulhaila, the production’s dance director and executive producer, is very tight-lipped about the storyline: “For that, you would have to come and watch the show for yourself.”
For Randai Kasih Menanti this time around, Zulhaila says: “We are happy to find dancers from Istana Budaya and Aswara to help us put the production together. They are really a talented bunch.”
The classic was written by renowned Malay writers Bustami Kamal, Sabri Mohd Zin, and Khalid Salleh. The script for the play was written by Sabri a.k.a. Samoza.
At the interview at Istana Budaya, Zulhaila shows the book on which the musical is based on.
It looked like it had survived wind, fire, earthquake and countless coffee spills. “Sorry, I’ve had this book for more than 14 years,” she says with a laugh.
But what is a randai? “A randai is a popular Minangkabau art form where a group of dancers form a circle called the gelombang. The gelombang features martial arts movements such as the silat and also a very unique thigh-slapping percussion movement called tapuak.
“As the circle moves, individuals come to the centre and perform. The gelombang and bakaba (storytelling) depicts time lapses in a story.”
This popular folk theatre combines elements of song, dance, music, martial arts and acting and integrates three of the oldest and popular Minangkabau art tradition — silat, bakaba and saluang jo dendang (song and flute).
For Randai Kasih Menanti, the actors will perform out of the circle, unlike in the conventional randai.
“I hope that people will come and be enlightened about this traditional Minangkabau art form.
We will also be using some new technology to enhance the performance,” she adds.
“While the art form may be new to some people, it is a fact that randai is known even in the US,” says Zulhaila.
Randai Kasih Menanti features veteran actor Datuk Yusni Hamid and newcomers Safura, Zulkafli Zain, Sabrina Hassan, Shariful Azmi, Megat Sharizal and Ray Redzuan.
It is directed by Ahmad Tamimi.
* Randai Kasih Menanti is on at Panggung Sari Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, KL until May 18 at 8.30pm, with 3pm matinees on May 11 & 18. Tickets range from RM30 to RM150. Call 03-40265558.
Zulhaila and Ahmad Tamimi Siregar
FOURTEEN years ago, Ahmad Tamimi Siregar and his wife, Zulhaila Siregar, staged a musical called Randai Kasih Menanti for a royal audience.
The King then (Sultan Azlan Shah) was so pleased with the performance that Ahmad Tamimi was offered a fellowship to the Rockerfeller Foundation in the US.
When Istana Budaya approached the couple to re-stage the musical, Zulhaila thought that it would be a challenge for them.
“We are not doing it for the money but the passion,” says Zulhaila who runs production company SkrinGold with her husband.
Randai Kasih Menanti is a post-modern approach to a Minangkabau classic. It reveals the dark secret of an island, and a mother’s hope for her son’s return.
Zulhaila, the production’s dance director and executive producer, is very tight-lipped about the storyline: “For that, you would have to come and watch the show for yourself.”
For Randai Kasih Menanti this time around, Zulhaila says: “We are happy to find dancers from Istana Budaya and Aswara to help us put the production together. They are really a talented bunch.”
The classic was written by renowned Malay writers Bustami Kamal, Sabri Mohd Zin, and Khalid Salleh. The script for the play was written by Sabri a.k.a. Samoza.
At the interview at Istana Budaya, Zulhaila shows the book on which the musical is based on.
It looked like it had survived wind, fire, earthquake and countless coffee spills. “Sorry, I’ve had this book for more than 14 years,” she says with a laugh.
But what is a randai? “A randai is a popular Minangkabau art form where a group of dancers form a circle called the gelombang. The gelombang features martial arts movements such as the silat and also a very unique thigh-slapping percussion movement called tapuak.
“As the circle moves, individuals come to the centre and perform. The gelombang and bakaba (storytelling) depicts time lapses in a story.”
This popular folk theatre combines elements of song, dance, music, martial arts and acting and integrates three of the oldest and popular Minangkabau art tradition — silat, bakaba and saluang jo dendang (song and flute).
For Randai Kasih Menanti, the actors will perform out of the circle, unlike in the conventional randai.
“I hope that people will come and be enlightened about this traditional Minangkabau art form.
We will also be using some new technology to enhance the performance,” she adds.
“While the art form may be new to some people, it is a fact that randai is known even in the US,” says Zulhaila.
Randai Kasih Menanti features veteran actor Datuk Yusni Hamid and newcomers Safura, Zulkafli Zain, Sabrina Hassan, Shariful Azmi, Megat Sharizal and Ray Redzuan.
It is directed by Ahmad Tamimi.
* Randai Kasih Menanti is on at Panggung Sari Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, KL until May 18 at 8.30pm, with 3pm matinees on May 11 & 18. Tickets range from RM30 to RM150. Call 03-40265558.
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