A Tale of Two Strong Women (Sunday People)

First published in New Sunday Times
2 November 2008

Two Tales of Strong Women
Max Koh

As I watched a group of seven-year-olds gather outside Pentas 2 in KLPac, I was bemused by a sign that read: “Contains adult content”.

Surely, the children were at the wrong play. However, it was no fault of theirs. The poster for Kisah Gadis looked cheerful enough — a minimalistic design with splashes of striking pink that was sure to capture the eye. And there weren’t any warning labels on it.

Their elders had probably thought it was a Scenario kind of play and the children were probably there to learn to appreciate theatre for the first time.

Oh, how they would be surprised. I could see it was going to be amusing.

As we entered the hall, we were greeted by a man asleep on what appeared to be a bus-stop. The set was minimalistic, with just white-painted wooden planks framing it, rendering focus to the actors’ performances.

As the lights dimmed, the man woke up from his slumber. Mangli was the first play of the double bill and told the story of two long lost friends who stumbled into each other at the bus stop.


Scene from Mangli with Ashraf as the transvestite Idayu and Faisal in the role of the deranged and delusional Aris.


The sleeping man was the deranged and delusional Aris Mat Tam, played by Tuan Faisal (aka Tapai). Carrying a wooden plank with him at all times, the dishevelled figure appeared to have made the bus stop his humble abode.

As he played and talked with the plank, transvestite Idayu Sa’ayah, played by Ashraf Zain, came in. The “gadis” had just been robbed of her handbag and she began to confide in Aris about her terrible ordeal. However, as they catch up on old times, the reason behind Aris’ fall from grace was slowly unravelled before the audiences.

There were comic moments which drew much laughter from the audience. Ashraf’s comic timing was acutely executed, and there were jabs at the National Registration Department and the public transport system. At one time, a disco ball was lowered as the two actors belted out a song, much to the audience’s delight.

However, the play soon became dark as conflict arose between the two leads. At this point, as Aris’ psychological facade is unravelled, I could see the seven-year-olds begin to shift uncomfortably in their seats.

Hurtful words were exchanged. Mangli was more than just comic interplay between two strong actors. It actually explored how one could fall from grace into derangement. And how a friend’s genuine concern was futile when not welcomed.

Mangli was the maiden effort of playwright Adiwijaya. Although the script lacked direction at some points, the actors were able to carry the play through with their strong performances.

The second play, Gadis Jalan Burmah, was a 45-minute monologue filled with wit, humour and anger and was carried entirely by the talented Sherry Abdullah.

Sherry played a 42-year-old unmarried woman named Kartini Shuib who, whilst baking her own birthday cake, began to contemplate whether or not to date an insurance salesman, as suggested by her mother.



The very talented Sherry in the monologue as Kartini.


However, memories of past lovers – a Chinese doctor, a doktor haiwan, an American expat and her high school crush began to return to haunt her.

Sherry played the character with aplomb. There was subliminal depths in her performance amidst the loud and big gestures. In fact, the play would not have been as effective without Sherry.

However that was not to discount the script, wonderfully written by Shahredza Minhat, which gave acute and startling insights into the thoughts of Kartini Shuib.

The character could not have been so amazingly fleshed out by Sherry if the script was not strong. The character was very believable and as Sherry reminisces about past relationships, it showed the journey of a woman being shaped by her experiences.

Finally, Kartini decides to call the salesman, showing that despite past hurts and disappointments, everyone needed to be loved after all.

While both plays were wonderfully executed, a minor complaint was the use of harsh language in the presence of kids. But then again, the play contained adult themes and these words were necessary to flesh out the characters. And there was a warning sign outside.

It was just unfortunate that the kids were there.

I’m not sure what the seven-year-olds took home with them from the play.

Their first exposure to theatre could either come as a wonderful experience or a rude awakening to their innocent ears.

Either way, I’m sure the adults left with something to think about. After all, life is never a bed of roses, as exemplified by the two plays.

Kisah Gadis was Megat Sharizal’s second attempt at directing. His directorial debut, Tat Nenas, won him a Best Director Award in Theatre Festival Malaysia in 2004.

After four years, he returned to the director’s chair to bring us these two relatively unknown plays because he felt they needed a bigger audience.

I could understand why he chose these two plays. Branching out from the usual comedy fluff, the plays had depth and posed themes and questions that were thought-provoking.

It challenged the stereotype perceptions of Malay women and made us ponder over how experiences had shaped the identities of women today.

For a play performed in Bahasa Malaysia and Manglish, Kisah Gadis was a welcome departure from the fluff and shallowness of mainstream Malay offerings.

Let’s just hope that this would be a start for more thought-provoking plays from Megat, Adiwijaya, Redza and their ilk. Kisah Gadis certainly bodes well for the future of theatre.