It’s been a good year, for me, for Malaysian theatre. I liked the originality of concept, interactive nature, intimate settings and experimental nature of the shows I had seen in 2017.
- Crimson Curtain, by Lam Ghooi Ket: An original monologue by Lam Ghooi Ket, needed the artistry of a dancer, Sandhya Manoj, to bring this tale of a courtesan alive. The setting was in a room in GeethaSankaranLam Studio in Brickfields, and imaginative took flight in such a tight space!
- Terbalik, by Five Arts Centre: For throwing light on what can drive a theatrical show, if
the director has to follow someone else’s lead. It was a time for fireflies to set alight the mind’s eye. - Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, at Klpac in English and Bahasa Malaysia: Set in the Black Box, it was a rivetting watch as Omar Din, Razif Hashim and Stephanie Van Driesen took on cheating on your spouse. What is left unsaid as important as what is spoken. Wooo, isn’t just!
- Losertown by Tung Jit Yang: Experiemental theatre at its best! Wild and exciting!
- Should there be a No 5? Well, there is Kee Thuan Chye’s Swordfish + Concubine: A dig at political scenarios through age-old Malay tales. Hot stuff!
