It does take two, you know

First published in New Sunday Times
22 February 2008

It does take two, you know


Kimmy Kiew

Kimmy Kiew explores the relationship between two married individuals about to get it on for a night, writes MAX KOH

KIMMY Kiew knows a thing or two about directing a play in various languages. The Ipoh-bred young thespian has directed Chekov’s The Bear in Mandarin, Okiku — A Tragedy Retold in English, and recently Race — Four Original Plays in English and Malay.

So, are you surprised that Kiew is presenting The Bench in Cantonese?

The Bench, a two-character play adapted from the original Alexander Gelman text in Russian, explores the relationship between two married individuals about to have a one-night stand.

The man lusts to fulfil his desire while the woman yearns for true love. Will the rendezvous lead to an exciting affair or expose their own loneliness?

“In the end, the two individuals are forced to dig out the sad things about their lives and marriages. We will see how the characters change throughout the play and also explore the idea of sex equality in contemporary society,” says Kiew.


Tan Heng Leng

She says she first read the play in a book she bought in Beijing some years ago, and stayed intrigued by the premise of the story (a Chinese translation by Kwok Jia Shen).

The Bench is part of Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre’s (KLPac) 2somes, a series of two-character plays directed by three directors exemplifying the best in contemporary two-handers onstage today.

The intimate nature of these plays allows the audience to experience the intense personal conflict between the two protagonists.

Other than The Bench, 2somes also offers The Secret Life Of Ophelia directed by Christopher Ling and A Life In The Theatre directed by Abdul Qahar Aqilah.

Why Cantonese? “Growing up in Ipoh, I’m most comfortable in Chinese. I picked up Cantonese from watching all the television dramas.

“There is a down-to-earth and slightly harsh quality to the Cantonese language which I feel is suitable for this play.”

The two protagonists in The Bench are well-known lighting designer Tan Heng Leng and thespian Ling Tang. Although Tan last appeared on stage in 2001, Kiew feels he is a perfect match for the role.

“We were classmates in college and so we have a history of working together. At first, I was afraid that he might be a bit guarded about his feelings, but he proved me wrong,” says Kiew who graduated from the Malaysian Institute of Art.

Ling Tang, a graduate of China’s prestigious Central Academy of Drama (which also trained Zhang Zi-Yi), was last seen in Loh Kok Man’s Animal Farm.

Kiew feels the language is not barrier to enjoying The Bench. “It’s not important if people don’t understand Cantonese. As long as there is good acting, I believe any audience can follow a story.”

But don’t fret — there’ll be English subtitles.

KLPac’s 2somes kicks off Feb 26 and ends March 8. Showtimes are 2pm, 5.30pm, 8.30pm. Tickets are RM15 and RM25, with discounts. Call 03-40479000 or visit www.klpac.org.

PGL enthrall yet again

First published in New Sunday Times
22 February 2008

PGL enthralls yet again



Returning for a third season, Puteri Gunung Ledang: The Musical continues to draw the crowd. It also marks the swan song of Tiara Jacquelina in the titular role, writes MAX KOH

DATIN Seri Tiara Jacquelina as Gusti Putri in Putri Gunung Ledang: The Musical — for the fourth time, the first being in the film directed by Saw Teong Hin, and the rest on stage — is still a wonder to behold. The diminutive diva must be proud to have seen the franchise grow from strength to strength throughout the years.

The first two seasons drew more than 50,000 people, garnered rave reviews and bagged numerous BOH Cameronian Awards. Putri Gunung Ledang revitalised the local musical theatre scene in Malaysia. Not bad for a venture which began as a humble ambition to put up a world-class musical theatre.

However, this season is bittersweet for Jacquelina. Having been the producer of the film and then its theatrical reincarnations, she is saying goodbye to the titular role she’s held for about six years.

So, today, watching her swan song as Putri was an enthralling experience. The ease with which she slipped into the character and her commanding presence kept me glued to my cushioned seat.

She infused the character with a quiet beauty and graceful mastery, transformed the character from a naive, love-struck princess at the beginning to an angry, jilted lover in the end.

Her soulful vocals were as amazing as her dancing was graceful.

But Jacquelina is but one integer in the sum that adds up to a wonderful play.

Onstage is a very capable cast — the hunky Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Hang Tuah, A.C. Mizal as Majapahit king Gusti Adipati, and Adlin Aman Ramlie as Sultan Mahmud.

Having neither watched the film nor the previous two seasons, I was completely blown away.

Set in the 15th Century, the musical starts with a scene in the kingdom of Majapahit, where King Gusti Adipati is up against a possible coup from Demak. Meanwhile, his sister Gusti Putri prays for a man who would win her heart.

Along comes an entourage led by Admiral Hang Tuah and the pair falls in love.

When Majapahit is threatened by a coup, Adipati turns to Sultan Mahmud of Malacca for help. Sultan Mahmud agrees, in exchange for Gusti Putri’s hand in marriage.

But Gusti Putri and Hang Tuah have vowed themselves to each other. When Hang Tuah is sent to Demak for peace talks, Putri escapes to Gunung Ledang to wait for her lover.

Hang Tuah is then sent to Gunung Ledang to claim the princess’ hand in marriage for the Sultan. The princess in her rage sends out seven impossible conditions for Sultan Mahmud, including a bowl of his son’s blood. It all culminates in a tragic climax.

Under the direction of Datuk Zahim Albakri, the many characters were fleshed out wonderfully.

Rahman-Hughes more than impressed with his hunky good looks and amazing vocals. He really got into character. A.C. Mizal seemed to enjoy playing his character, Adipati.

Adlin shone when he burst unexpectedly into a cabaret-dancing Sultan that floored the audience. And Ida Mariana shone despite her brief stage time as Bayan, Gusti Putri’s nanny. She gave a gutsy performance.

Adding magic to the production was the wonderful set by Raja Maliq which made good use of stupas to transport us back to the 15th Century Majapahit. It was really breathtaking to see how they managed to change the scenes by just pushing the stupas around the stage.

Dick Lee’s wonderful musical score under the direction of Roslan Aziz truly brings the musical to life. By combining Eastern influences in its Broadway-style music (big choruses and melodious anthems), they have come up with a soundtrack that brings out the spirit of the show.

This season has also seen the inclusion of optical illusions which made the musical more mystical. Coupled with fireworks, it was an eye-opening experience to see characters appearing and disappearing into thin air onstage. I thought it was a cool inclusion in a musical play.

I do have minor gripes such as some technical glitches throughout the show, and a tiny wardrobe malfunction but these didn’t detract me from ngenjoying a terrific show.

Last day to catch Puteri Gunung Ledang: The Musical, brought by Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd, at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03- 40265558.

Divorce takes to the stage

First published in New Sunday Times
1st February 2008

Divorce takes to the stage
MAX KOH


Iruvar II is a sequel, something Fenomena Pentas Seni has never done before in its 20 years of operation, says Bala

Once taboo in the Indian community, playwright S.T. Bala is tackling the subject of divorce for the stage, writes MAX KOH 

SOCIAL issues have always been close to Tamil playwright S.T. Bala’s heart.

Together with his production company Fenomena Seni Pentas (FSP), he has examined issues that have affected the Indian community in Malaysia and boldly translated them for the stage. 

“I just write on what I see is happening in society today. We (his team and him) do research, talk to people and we present our take on the issue itself,” explains Bala. 

For a career that spans 20 years, Bala has not ceased to make people think through numerous plays including Suthantirrem, Nisha, Karma and also last year’s biopic Sambanthan. 

However, 2002’s Iruvar (which means duo in Tamil) was particularly poignant for Bala as the play was not only well received in Malaysia but also reached a whole new audience in India. 

“The response in Chennai was amazing. We were really happy that the play made a bridge with the theatre-goers there,” says Bala whose company also produces dramas for television. 

“After five years, we are going to do a sequel — something we have not done before.”

While Iruvar explores the idea of women joining the working force and its repercussions on family life, money, and relationships, Iruvar II explores the issue of divorce which is becoming prevalent in the Indian community. 

“What happened to the days of our fathers and forefathers when marriage was considered to be sacred? 

“Sure, there are bound to be disagreements in the family but why is divorce becoming a more viable option these days?” Bala, who’s been married for 14 years now, muses. 

“Divorce used to be pantang (taboo) but it is now common with even clubs for divorcees being established these days.

“Iruvar II seeks to explore the question of what, why, and who causes the divorce in the family.”

The idea first struck Bala when he realised that some of his friends are divorced or are going through a divorce. 

This question led him to speak to people — from professors to the layperson — on their idea of the subject. 

Their responses surprised Bala: “Usually, people would just encourage me and say that it is a good subject for my play. 

“But what was most surprising that people started to give me actual examples of a close friends or family members who are divorced or in the act of divorcing.”

As the title suggests, the audience will only see two people onstage at any one time. 

“Expectations are high given the success of the first play, so we are careful about making Iruvar something like the first one,” says Bala who wrote both plays.

Apart from being the first sequel, Iruvar II also marks the 20th play produced by FSP which also marks its 20th anniversary this year. 

Describing his plays as “social cynical drama” (not unlike Comedy Court but more serious), Bala is already looking forward to the next play after Iruvar. 

“We have been commissioned by Pure Life Society, to produce a bio-pic on the life of their founder Swami Satyananda. It is really an honour for us to produce a play on such a prominent figure whose contribution to society is innumerable.”

Last year, Bala successfully staged a bio-pic of the political figure Sambanthan, based on Tun Sambanthan who played a prominent role in gaining Malaya’s independence from Britain. 

While his plays are mostly in Tamil, he feels the language is no deterrent as the plays come with subtitles.

While the subject of divorce itself transcends race, language or culture, “the Tamil used in our plays are like any conversation you would have with Indians in Malaysia. It’s peppered with English and Malay words,” says Bala, who is now trying to get English subtitles for Iruvar II.

On marriage, Bala believes that “tolerance, understanding of each other’s needs and spending precious moments together are keys to a happy and successful marriage.

“More couples are getting divorced after only a few years of marriage. I hope that this play will shed light on the trend and hopefully help people see their marriages through.”