Jerusalem

Rancangan Hari Jadi Terhebat Adli will be staged

from March 10 to 14 at Pentas 2, KLPac, Sentul

Park, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, KL. It is

performed in Bahasa Melayu with English subtitles.

Due to the contents of the play, it is recommended

for mature audiences. Tickets for the March 10

preview cost RM10; other days they are priced at

RM35 (adults), RM28 (senior citizens) and RM23

(the disabled and students). Call the KLPac box

offi ce at (03) 4047 9000 or Th e Actors Studio @

Lot 10 at (03) 2142 2009 / 2143 2009 for tickets.

The oft-heard criticism about the Malaysian theatre scene is that it is largely defi ned by English-

language productions — in particular those staged by the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) and Th e Actors Studio (TAS). Recognising this, in 2007 Datuk Faridah Merican, executive producer at KLPac and TAS, created Th e Actors Studio Teater Rakyat project to encourage more vernacular productions at the two venues.

Ashraf Zain, KLPac’s production manager, has been a major proponent of Teater Rakyat. His passion is fi nding original contemporary Malay scripts and staging them, which was what he did in Teater Rakyat’s second production, Kisah Gadis, a double bill directed by Megat Sharizal in 2008. Th is week, Teater Rakyat is presenting a new Malay play, Rancangan Hari Jadi Terhebat Adli, with Megat in the director’s chair once again.

Ashraf explains what Teater Rakyat is all about. “It was started to provide alternatives to English theatre in KLPac and TAS,” he says. “Th e last two years

we have focused on traditional works (there was a mak yong production, Titis Sakti, and a Cantonese opera), as well as contemporary and original works.” He adds that the focus for now is on Malay language productions — with the exception of the two Cantonese operas staged under this banner — but with the intention to branch out to Chinese and Indian language plays as well in the future.

Judging by the turnout for past Teater Rakyat productions, which for the most part were sold-out performances, there is interest among theatregoers in productions that are distinctly Malaysian in language and/or execution. Th ere is a defi nite appreciation, whether it’s in contemporary or traditional form.

But Ashraf admits that it’s challenging to fi nd good Malay scripts that are fresh and relevant. “Th ere are a lot of original Malay plays, but they are very much infl uenced by plays from the 1970s and 1980s, like those written by Usman Awang. But for Teater Rakyat we want something that’s more fresh and

CulturalIndex the arts at a glance by Elaine Lau

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contemporary to appeal to a wider audience.“But we are still new. We are still trying to

fi nd original scripts and people willing to write them. With more Teater Rakyat productions, people will come to know about us and we hope they will be encouraged to send us their material.”

So far, the scripts that have come Ashraf’s way have been written by people in his immediate theatre circle such as Adiwijaya, who wrote Rancangan Hari Jadi Terhebat Adli. Adiwijaya wrote one of the plays presented in Kisah Gadis as well, Mangli, and the winning play, Allah!, in 2009’s Short+Sweet Festival. Ashraf shares how the premise of the new play came about.

“On the local theatre scene, there is a bunch of diff erent groups, and it’s funny to see how bitchy and back-stabbing people can get between groups and within the groups themselves,” he says. “So we told Adi he should write a play about people who back- stab others just to get to the top. Th at’s how Rancangan came about… basically, how people can be in a group but not trust each other.”

Th e comedy-thriller tells the story of Adli, an aspiring playwright. After his best friend Musa decides to marry his secret crush of many years, Adli and his closest friends head for his 25th birthday party retreat in a faraway kampung. Adli attempts to win the love of Deliah, and impress his friends at the same time. Ambition turns into a blind and ruthless obsession as Adli tries desperately to get what he wants, but to no avail. Old rivalries are unearthed, and deception runs wild among this dysfunctional group of friends. Th ere is also a birthday surprise for Adli that his friends have prepared for him.

Th is marks the third time Megat is directing a play written by Adiwijaya, and the two share a bond that is refl ected in the excellence of the work onstage.

Megat says, “Sometimes when you work with certain people you are so comfortable with, you really produce good stuff … I’ve knownAdiwijaya for a few years, and I can talk to him. Sometimes writers have an attachment to their script. It’s hard to tell them to make changes. But he can work with me.”

Megat is working with a cast that comes largely from an English theatre background. “Th e thing about this play, when you say separation between English and Malay theatre, this is one step to bridge that gap… Th e theatre scene here is always defi ned by Malay or English theatre — why is there no Malaysian theatre? We hope to achieve that in the future.”

Local fl avourTeater Rakyat zooms in on Malaysian stories and traditional art forms

Past Teater

Rakyat

productions,

A Night of

Cantonese

Opera, Kisah

Gadis and

Titis Sakti

Ashraf:

For Teater

Rakyat,

we want

something

that’s more

fresh and

contemporary

Megat is

directing the

newTeater

Rakyat

production,

Rancangan

Hari Jadi

Terhebat Adli

HARIS HASSAN/THE EDGE

One UK reviewer boldly declared that “you’ll be kicking yourself for years to come if you don’t see it” of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, which is now playing in London’s Apollo Th eatre. Th e original play, which bagged Best Play in the Evening Standard Th eatre Awards 2009, is a comic contemporary vision of rural life in the UK. In part a lament about the erosion of

country life and in part a rebuff of the antiseptic modern world, it features a landmark central performance from Mark Rylance as hell-raiser Johnny Byron and a superb ensemble cast, including Mackenzie Crook who is brilliant as Johnny’s sidekick, Ginger. On St George’s Day, the morning of the local county fair, Johnny is a wanted man. Council offi cials want to serve

him an eviction notice, his son wants to go to the fair, and a motley crew of mates wants his ample supply of drugs and alcohol.

Jerusalem runs until April 24 at the Apollo Th eatre, 39-45 Shaftesbury Avenue, London. Tickets are priced from £20 to £49.50. Call (+44) 844 412 4658 or log on to www.londontheatre.co.uk for more information.

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If you have a cultural event you’d like to list,

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BLUECHIPperformance

THEATREJambalaya

March 11 to 14 (8.30pm; 3pm)Th e Annexe GalleryCentral Market Annexe, Jalan Hang Kasturi, KLRM20 by donation(03) 2070 1137Th e Electric Minds Project is back with the second instalment of its Open Director Showcase series. Jambalaya features eight tantalising original short stories that are unexpected, fi ery and sometimes downright odd. Th ese are stories of family, compassion and how crazy life can get. Follow a group of dysfunctional siblings as they mourn the death of one of their own in their uniquely diff erent approach to family life, or discover the two fools who live out in a junkyard. Find out who’s the daddy and hear the fi nal words of a dying man, then take a look at what really happens after. Take a trip of contemplation through a hopeful past. See the terrors that the unwary come up against in interviews and whether an apology can really fi x anything at all.

MUSICJazz Latino

March 12 & 13 (10.30pm)Alexis Ampang Bistro and BarGround Floor, Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang, KLFree admission(03) 4260 2288Talented pianist Eric Li and his Jazz Latino band is set to perform their high-energy blend of salsa, Latin jazz, funk and bebop. Th ey will play mainstream jazz and Latin jazz classics, some originals, as well as tunes from Chucho Valdes and Irakere, Michel Camilo, Paquito D’Rivera and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. Th e band is made up of accomplished musicians and vocalists — Marco (guitar and vocals), Eddie Wen (trumpet), Fly (bass) and John Th omas (drums).

Margie Segers and

Michael Veerapen Trio

March 9 & 10 (9.30pm)No Black Tie17 Jalan Mesui, off Jalan Nagasari, KLRM30(03) 2142 3737Margie Sergers is widely acknowledged as the singer who started the jazz trend in Indonesia back in the 1970s and is now more

than a household name in her home country. She has been compared to Eva Cassidy and Dinah Washington, and her originality and interpretation of familiar pop songs are truly incomparable. Her performance here will be backed by the Michael Veerapen Trio.

Showstoppers

March 12 to 14 (8.30pm; 3pm)DFP, Level 2, Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers, KLCCRM25 to RM95 (Fri and Sat); RM20 to RM85 (Sun)(03) 2051 7007; dfp_boxoffi ce@petronas.com.myActor, dancer and singer Stephen Rahman Hughes is best known to Malaysian audiences as the star of Puteri Gunung Ledang, Th e Musical and Emmerdale. Accompanied by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, he will perform some of the greatest numbers from the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber and other Broadway hits.

FILMHamlet

March 14 (3pm)Indicine, KLPac,Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, KLFree admission(03) 4047 9000Independent fi lmmaker Michael Almereyda took Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy and turned it on its head. Reset in 20th century New York, the Denmark Corp operates out of the Elsinore Hotel. Images are presented on video screens, surveillance cameras, and all manner of high-tech digital paraphernalia. Th e high point is the bloodiest ever ending. Stars Ethan Hawk and Live Schreiber.

Visual arts Japanese Design Today 100

Until April 11 National Art GalleryNo 2, Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun Razak, KLFree admission10am to 6pm (daily)(03) 4025 4990One hundred of the fi nest examples of Japanese design, created between the 1990s and the present, are on display in this travelling exhibition. Th e focus is on products used in everyday life, with an additional 13 objects of modern design, such as the Honda Super Cub and Nikon F, included as well from the early post-war years (mainly from the 1950s) to show the origin of today’s design. Th e designs give a vivid picture of the hopes and dreams of the people who use the products as well as the designers and corporations who created them.

Flights of Fancy

Until March 31Art Lives Gallery37-2, Jalan 23/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL11am to 7pm (Mon-Sat)Free admission(03) 6203 5223Young, up-and-coming artists Azizan Tlkis, Eric Keoh, Mohd Fairuz Paisan and Hoo Kiew Hang showcase their most recent works in this exhibition. Th e works are imaginative and distinctive, each highlighting the artists’ unique artistic vision.

15th Rimbun Dahan Residency

Exhibition

Until March 14Rimbun DahanKm 27 Jalan Kuang, Kuang, Selangor10am to 6pm (Sat & Sun); weekdays by appointmentFree admission(03) 6038 3690Participants of the Rimbun Dahan Residency Programme Monika Behrens (Australia), Rochelle Harley (Australia) and Samsudin Wahab (Malaysia) present artworks created during their stay at the art-space.

CUT2010: Parallel Universe

Until March 27Valentine Willie Fine Art1st Floor, 17 Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, KLNoon to 8pm (Mon-Fri); noon to 6pm (Sat)(03) 2284 2348Th e authenticity of photography as a conveyor of truth has been distorted and empowered throughout its evolution. Th e medium enables artists to create ambitious technical illusions as well as compose staged tableau and capture uncanny moments from the everyday. Th e artists in this exhibition (they hail from Malaysia, Th ailand, the Philippines, Indonesia

and Singapore) present imaginary worlds within worlds, combining elements of nobility and farce, and pathos and critique. Th eir works explore the evolution of cultural and gender identity, sub cultures, religion, landscape and the urban environment.

Th e Tiger Show

Until March 17Wei-Ling GalleryNo 8 Jalan Scott, Brickfi elds, KLNoon to 7pm (Mon-Fri); 10am to 5pm (Sat)Free admission(03) 2260 1106/07Th is thematic exhibition is in line with the Chinese Year of the Tiger. It focuses on the tiger and what it symbolises, and the 12 participating artists present their own interpretations and creative impulses derived directly and indirectly from the handsome beast. Th e artists showcasing their works are: Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ahmad Shukri Mohamed Anurendra Jegadeva, Chin Kong Yee, Ivan Lam, Jalaini Abu Hassan, Juhari Said, Justin Lim, Marvin Chan, Phuan Th ai Meng, Yusof Ghani and Jeganathan Ramachandram.

Expressing the Mundane Until March 28Galeri PetronasLevel 3, Suria KLCC, Petronas Twin Towers10am to 8pm (Tues-Sun)Free admission

Op17 MARCH 82010

GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE

March 8 to 20 (10am, 11am, 8pm)PJ Live Arts2A-3, Block K, Jaya One, Section 13, No 72A, Jalan Universiti, PJRM44, RM55, RM66 (03) 7960 0439UK-based children’s theatre company Blunderbus brings to life the story of Gerald the Giraff e, who learns how to dance to a diff erent beat at the annual Jungle Dance, despite his bandy knees, ungainly neck and the ridicule of others. Th e endearing story is adapted from the best-selling children’s book of the same name by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker Rees, with colours and characters that jump out on stage as much as in the beautifully illustrated book. Th e story of self-discovery and acceptance is told with an energetic cast, magnifi cently handcrafted puppets, and lots of singing, dancing and merrymaking. Suitable for children ages 4 to 8.

Editor’s Picks

SINGAPOREGiselle

March 12 to 14 (8pm; 3pm)Victoria Th eatreEmpress Place, SingaporeS$48 to S$88www.sistic.com.sgTh e Singapore Dance Th eatre is staging the hauntingly beautiful ballet, Giselle, a tale of innocence, betrayal and true love. Th e emotionally challenging story moves between the human and supernatural worlds. It begins with the nobleman, Albrecht, falling in love with the beautiful peasant girl Giselle, despite being betrothed to the Duke’s daughter. When Giselle discovers his deceit, she becomes distraught and dies of a broken heart, turning into a Wilis. But as Albrecht repents and visits her moonlit grave, she forgives and protects him from the deathly touch of the rest of the Wilis. Th e passionate tale is told through beautiful choreography and a touching score.

BANGKOKSolid

Until March 31Th avibuSuite 308, Silom Galleria F3, 919/1 Silom Rd, Soi 19 11am to 7pm (Tue to Sat); noon to 6pm (Sun)(+66) 2 266 5454

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Th e debut exhibition in the year-long project 3D @ Th avibu, promoting three-dimensional art, Solid features a series of specially produced Murano glass sculptures alongside polished aluminium forms by internationally recognised artist Pinaree Sanpitak. Having previously utilised fragile materials such as wax, fl owers, charcoal, and perishable foods in her art, Pinaree recently collaborated with master glass-blowers from Venice in Italy to produce unique breast-cloud sculptures that are both solid yet ephemeral in their transparent lustrous presence.

JAKARTAChopin Bicentennial Concert

March 10 (8pm)Gedung Kesenian JakartaJalan Gedung Kesenian 1, Jakarta50,000 rupiah and 75,000 rupiah(+62) 21 380 8283In celebration of the 200th birthday of Frederic Chopin, the Embassy of Poland in Indonesia, Centre Culturel Francais de Jakarta, and Gedung Kesenian Jakarta present a classic music recital of Chopin’s pieces by three pianists: Polish Adam Makowicz, a jazz legend, master of improvisation and virtuoso pianist; award-winning French pianist Dana Ciocarlie; and Indonesians Ary Sutedja and Asep Hidayat.

(03) 2051 7770Installation works from the Petronas Art Collection by four Malaysian artists — Zulkifl i Yusoff , Shia Yih Yiing, Ahmad Shukri Mohd and Bibi Chew — are on display at the Bustle Gallery of Galeri Petronas. Th e site-specifi c art installation projects were created on separate occasions with diff erent contextual elements. Th ese three-dimensional works challenge the perception of space.

Zulkifl i Yusoff : A Historical Survey 1996 to 2009

Until March 20 Art Salon @ SENISENI Gallery, Lot 55350, Changkat Duta Kiara, off Jalan Duta Kiara, Mont’ Kiara, KL8.45am to 6pm (daily)Free admission(03) 6203 1919Th is exhibition is a mini-retrospective of Zulkifl i Yusoff and showcases 50 paintings and sculptures. Zulkifl i has a reputation as being one of the most outspoken artists on social consciousness. His works convey his strong opinions on everything from arrogant academicians and corruption to greed for power and malice. His earlier works were brash and abstract, a stark contrast to his more recent works, which are more tightly composed and image-oriented rather than gestural.

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