Arts in Malaysia 2019/20: ILHAM Gallery and Singapore Art Museum Present The Body Politic and The Body (Preview)

KUALA LUMPUR – ILHAM Gallery and Singapore Art Museum (SAM) present ILHAM x SAM Project: The Body Politic and the Body from 8th December 2019 to 12th April 2020 at ILHAM Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. The first collaboration between ILHAM Gallery and SAM, it explores the many facets of contemporary art and its genealogies in Malaysia. The Body Politic and the Body is conceived as a … Continue reading Arts in Malaysia 2019/20: ILHAM Gallery and Singapore Art Museum Present The Body Politic and The Body (Preview)

In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Gold Rain & Hailstones by The Instant Cafe Theatre Company (Review)

A timely reminder of the genius and timelessness of Jit Murad in this reflection on the Malaysian identity. KUALA LUMPUR – It’s been 13 years since Jit Murad’s Gold Rain & Hailstones was last produced in his own home country of Malaysia. So it’s about high time then that a revival is in order by the Instant Cafe Theatre Company this March. Gold Rain & Hailstones follows the outspoken and … Continue reading In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Gold Rain & Hailstones by The Instant Cafe Theatre Company (Review)

In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Ola Bola the Musical (2019 Version) by Enfiniti Productions (Review)

The sold out Malaysian musical continues to swell with nationalistic pride as it returned for a rematch for an even stronger performance this year.  KUALA LUMPUR – After enjoying a sold out run in 2018, Ola Bola the Musical, the ‘best Malaysian musical’ (according to Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself) returned to the Isatana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur this February to wow even more … Continue reading In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Ola Bola the Musical (2019 Version) by Enfiniti Productions (Review)

In Kuala Lumpur 2019: An Interview with the Creative Team of Gold Rain & Hailstones (The Instant Cafe Theatre Company)

KUALA LUMPUR – Jit Murad is one of Malaysia’s most prominent playwrights, having penned some of the country’s sharpest and most scintillating plays effectively highlighting and presenting the Malaysian identity onstage. Last staged in Malaysia in 2006, it seemed only right that as part of their comeback and 30th anniversary, the Instant Cafe Theatre Company’s 30th anniversary would then stage Jit’s very first professional play: Gold Rain … Continue reading In Kuala Lumpur 2019: An Interview with the Creative Team of Gold Rain & Hailstones (The Instant Cafe Theatre Company)

Preview: MUD The Musical by Enfiniti Productions (Kuala Lumpur)

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – This December, Enfiniti Productions is bringing back the award-winning, family-friendly MUD The Musical for an all new production! Set in 1857, MUD the Musical tells the story of the founding of modern Kuala Lumpur, before the tin mining boom of 1880 attracted an influx of pioneers from across the Asian region to the muddy confluence of the two rivers – Sungai Lumpur (now known as … Continue reading Preview: MUD The Musical by Enfiniti Productions (Kuala Lumpur)

Review: Teater Normcore by Ridhwan Saidi (Kuala Lumpur)

Dark humour is rife in these riveting playlets that highlight social issues. KUALA LUMPUR – The term normcore stems from an anti-fashion movement that revolves around purposefully choosing to wear plain, unremarkable clothing. But in the two plays that make up writer Ridhwan Saidi’s Teater Normcore Double Bill, these initially normal looking settings quickly give way to settings far darker than they initially let on. … Continue reading Review: Teater Normcore by Ridhwan Saidi (Kuala Lumpur)

Review: Ola Bola the Musical by Enfiniti Productions (Kuala Lumpur)

A nationalistic musical with high production value that celebrates Malaysia in all its glorious diversity. KUALA LUMPUR – There are two things that Malaysians will always get fired up about: food, and sport. Taking the latter subject and putting it into the arts, it’s completely possible that Malaysians too can feel a sense of nationalistic pride upon seeing it brought to life onstage. Based off … Continue reading Review: Ola Bola the Musical by Enfiniti Productions (Kuala Lumpur)

Review: The Bee by Theatresauce (Kuala Lumpur)

Absurd, dark social satire leaves a lethal sting with Theatresauce’s final show of their 2017/18 season. KUALA LUMPUR – In a world as dark and uncertain as our own, lines of morality are often blurred in the name of media sensationalism. A vigilante borders on villainy when he takes the law into his own hands, and one is forced to wonder – are crimes committed … Continue reading Review: The Bee by Theatresauce (Kuala Lumpur)

Preview: The Bee by Theatresauce (Kuala Lumpur)

KUALA LUMPUR: Theatresauce is one of the fastest rising urban collectives in Malaysia. Fresh from a highly acclaimed, sold out run of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis last year, the company returns to the klpac once again to perform a macabre, psychological thriller as the final show of their 2017/18 season. Inspired by surrealist Japanese writer Yatsutaka Tsusui’s short story Mushiriai (roughly translating to ‘plucking at … Continue reading Preview: The Bee by Theatresauce (Kuala Lumpur)

OlaBola The Musical: An Interview with Ghafir Akbar and Altimet

KUALA LUMPUR – This February, Malaysia’s esteemed Istana Budaya ends its renovation and opens with a blast with OlaBola The Musical. Based off the hit 2016 film of the same name, get ready for a moving stage show that revisits the glories of Malaysia’s national football team Harimau Malaya as they geared up to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics. With catchy rap songs, the best … Continue reading OlaBola The Musical: An Interview with Ghafir Akbar and Altimet