The First Theatre

Call out his name, everyone can feel hairs standing upright. Speak about him, everyone can list out all the contributions he's made. Why is he so great? Because this man is Tun Mahathir, a prominent leader of the country and also the world.

So when a theatre was made about his childhood, his career and his family, it is surely a hit and must-see. I found out about the musical a tad too late, but luckily we managed to get tickets.

Since it was my first theatre in Malaysia, I didn't really know what to expect or how much hope should I put. It was being staged at Istana Budaya, which tells something about the quality of the show (or so I thought).

Anyway, I didn't mean to compare this with those that I've seen in London, because one the level of experience differs and two arts is less appreciated in Asia than the west. Understandable. But, all I can say is, don't put too much hope on this theatre or you'll leave the auditorium disappointed and frustrated.

The story line was great and organised, of course, because you can't do much about the biography facts. Also, the cast was superb. Erra Fazira was stunning and Esma Daniel brought the character so well you can't even point out any difference between the character and Tun M himself.

However, in my honest opinion, the production generally was presented poorly that they made it looks like some cheap production by an underpaid director and crew. The props. The songs. The dances. Even the english description. All those was quite a disgrace to the people. 

Some of the flaws I could think of are : 

one they used too much screen that it felt like we were in a cinema watching a historical movie instead of an auditorium full with VIPs and VVIPs.

two there were serious dances for every songs that you would get confused if you have mistakenly purchased a dancing competition ticket. My own definition of musical theatre is one with the messages in the script being conveyed to the audience in a musical manner, instead of the normal plain act. But maybe that's just me =)

three For every scene, there will be english descriptions for the convenience of the non-malay speaking people. One of the few mistakes I discovered is this line, Mahathir explaining to Hasmah that he will being posted to Langkawi. Shame?

I'm really sorry but I criticize solely because I love the country and I believe Malaysia can do better than that. We're getting there, if only our steps aren't that small.

In less than twenty hours, I'll be in London.