9 Plays In A Night

 

If you have never attended any plays at the theatre, an anthropology like this KLPAC TURNS 10! should be your start to your theatrical adventure. 

With some theatre directors & actors in my circle of close friends, I am often privileged and invited to watch their productions and performances. Malaysian theatre scares me, though, as they are often considered a playground for productions that have very little budget that actors or crew are often not paid. 

So I enter with caution, as this also leads to the question of the quality of the performances (never mind the production as there is often little budget anyway).

For this event, there were 9 plays by different directors, each lasting about 10 minutes -- 2 in Bahasa Malaysia, 3 in English and 4 in Chinese. Some plays were performed by a solo actor and the most number of actors was 5. 

So, it was a great opportunity for us to compare the difference between each play, and as the 9 plays span a variety of styles and stories, therefore they are bite-sized pieces that are easier to swallow.

Death seems to be a popular topic -- it was the central theme  of plays #3 The Sea, #6 Messy Water, #7 Bebas, #9 Three Doors.

#6 Messy Water - directed by William Yap

What happens when a bunch of lovers die together? The plot already establishes the comedy arising. and had audience laughing from beginning to end. The character actors manage to deliver not only the humour of their awkward situtation, but also establish humour in their characters itself. It was also one of the few plays that took the time to ponder on making an impact with the script and to choreograph the actor's movement. 

#9 Three Doors - directed by Mark Beau de Silva

Again about death, this time of an elderly man, but the focus was on his wife instead, played by Faridah Merican. The audience sympathizes with her, a surprisingly adorable, witty character, who turns pensive, speaking in a tone of voice that plays tunes to our ears. The play moves smoothly with 2 other wonderful actors, Douglas Wong and Ho Lee Ching, who brilliantly slips into several roles each and also provides the comic relief as the lady deals with being alone while pining painfully for her 3 sons.

#1 Airmata Waris - directed by Zamzuriah Zahari

This started off the interesting night, as it showed real skill of the dying Wayang Kulit, fused into a modern play. The female actress that plays the puppet that came to live, for once, showed me why theatre can be so much more interesting for us than a sci-fi blockbuster movie. She showed trained performance skill in traditional dance, mixed with modern-day humour, which the modern-day audience digs. This is one play I would like to see continue.  

#5 Aku Nak Jadi Bintang - directed by Faridah Merican

This was quite a stand out. Even though a few of the other plays featured solo performers, which is always a challenge to captivate the audience, Ho Lee Ching on the other hand, was fluent in delivering her lines in Bahasa Malaysia, and drove the audience' imagination wild with her body language!