Why You Should Watch Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical

part of my Literature background is a love for the theatre, which was first planted by my Seri Puteri English teachers when i acted in various English dramas which included Wizard of Oz, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream. because of this too, i had the chance to attend some Shakespearean plays, and when i was doing my TESL, we acted in slapstick comedy dramas and also watched plays which included Lloyd Fernando's The Scorpion Orchid (starring Zahim Al Bakry and Hans Isaac) and Instant Cafe Theatre's production of Macbeth and Actor's Studio's The Tempest.

and so, it was no surprise that i went to watch PGL the musical last wednesday night. thanx to another colleague who purchased the tickets in October, i was able to enjoy the show with the other teachers. it's nice to see the celebrities up close - AC Mizal is good, although i wish he didnt have to rasp, Tiara is the best, Adlin is such a natural on stage that he can act so selamba and Stephen Rahman Hughes *sigh dreamily* yup....the macho and handsome Hang Tuah who made me wish i was up there on the stage with him.

it is a good move to stage a play on such historical figures, and i like the way they blend the cultural aspects into the dance and the javanese as well as malay accents in speeches - for example, in the scenes set in Majapahit, one can instantly recognise the Indian influence as well as the Malay folk dance when they feature the Melakan port scene. one can also recognise the Broadway influence in some of the dances, which makes this play a postmodern play - a marriage of the old and the new.

kudos to the actors and the dancers, for a job well done - i marvelled the way they can act without a hitch. it's no joke when you're performing a play live along with live singing.

a money well-spent.