Simmering.

My friend Dayana is a budding theatre actress. Well, not so much budding as blooming, actually. But I digress. I have been to a couple of her plays, and was feeling quite guilty that I missed one of hers last week (10,000 Cigarettes). See, she’s a part of Short and Sweet Malaysia 2010, which is a 2-week theatre festival/ competition at the KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC).

Short and Sweet (S+S) features a series of 10-minute plays that will run over 2 weeks in 2 sets of 12 plays each. There will be different judges judging the plays nightly cumulatively, for Best Actor/ Actress, Script, Director, yada, yada, yada. She was acting in a play which ran in the first set, between 20 – 23 October. I was busy doing dunno what that week (prolly planning Eileen’s baby shower, but let’s save that for another entry, jika rajin), so I had to give it a miss. And of course I felt guilty for not supporting her.

Which was why, when she invited me to watch the final night of the second set of S+S, I said yes. Never mind that it was on Halloween night, and I anticipated that traffic was going to be horrible. Never mind that I was actually contemplating on peeking at the Halloween street party at Changkat (yes, I can still get excited at those things), and didn’t have anything costume-ish to wear (again, excited). The whole afternoon was spent making tiramisu for my mom’s BBQ With The Wanita Islam group (see? Even my mom had a social life!), while my sister rummaged my closet and pranced around the kitchen with her costume choices for me.

In the end, I just dressed up all-in-black, with some heavy eyeliner and a dash of cleavage to complete the look. Dayana wasn’t acting that night, so she offered to drive, as she also invited Charlene, another theatre friend along. Oh, btw, Charlene is a Ms Malaysia/Universe 2010 runner-up so, yeah, we got A LOT of glances and double takes that night. I was just basking in her glamour hehe.

After dinner at KLPAC’s quaint but secluded Japanese restaurant, we were good to go. Eh, what’s this entry about again? Oh yeah, actually, I wanted to give a review of the plays I watched that night. Here we go, almost in the correct order, as I can’t really remember the order that night. We were all given a slip of paper with the plays listed on it for us to choose one, for the People’s Choice Award. The judges that night were Hans Isaac, Low Ngai Yuen and this ex-Advertising Director-now-Painter-who-currently-resides-in Indonesia, I can’t remember his name. Btw, I sat next to his partner, and kononnya I planned to subtly influence their judging that night har har har. Oh, and also, on that night, they were going to announce the 6 plays that was chosen, along with 6 from the previous week to be showcased again on the next night which was the Final Gala Night. On the Gala Night, they will announce the festival’s winner. So apparently, everyone was nervous. I was, of course, excited.

So here goes:

1. The Lie

Synopsis:
This play is about a young man, and an elderly couple, who are just drifting around until they were confronted by a being (in the form of a dancing girl), who challenges their faith and belief. This dancing figure comes in different forms to tempt the young man and the couple to follow her as she makes them believe that their faith/ believe is the right one. One by one they ended up following her, to meet the Lord they have faith in.

My take:
I didn’t feel much for this, but it did make me ponder in the 10 minutes, just how much of what we believe is true and right. And there were scribbling on the dancer girls forehead, that distracted me, as I tried to make it out from the audience (I was sitting 3 rows from the front though). The acting: All of them tried hard, but none were memorable. Sorry.


2. Assam Pedas Mama

Synopsis:
This play centred around a Malay mother and her gay son, who was learning how to make assam pedas, a recipe handed down from his grandmother to his mom. The son was trying to convince his mom that since she has no other daughter, and since his dad just passed away, she should hand the recipe down to him. The mother was not entirely comfortable with the fact that he is gay (denies that his gay boyfriend was anything but), but it ended with her accepting that fact (she also has gay friends, she claimed but as her son mentioned, one guy working in a hair salon does not mean much), as long as her son is happy.

My take:
Oh my god, this has got to be the most painful play I’ve watched. Simply because, the play was in English, and the mother was speaking in a heavily Malay-accented/intonated English, but the actor playing her son, who must have been a Sabahan (not being judgmental here, it was commented by Charlene who is a Sabahan herself), could not carry the dialogue AT ALL. I couldn’t understand most of what he said, because the intonation was all wrong, plus his English isn’t very good, which made certain words he said came out just..wrong! Plus, at one point he kinda connected all the words in the sentence, which made it hard for me to understand, and I was already at the edge of my seat, trying to listen carefully. Kudos to him for trying though, but I seriously think the director could have casted someone else.

3. Crutches

Synopsis:
This is a typically Malaysian corporate scenario from an Australian expat’s point of view, who went along with his Chinese boss to meet a certain Datuk who have been awarding them jobs, which has helped put the Chinese boss’s son into Princeton. It took place in that Datuk’s office (with, of course, the requisite sexy, curvy but demure lady secretary). The Datuk was playing the role of a typical Datuk figure featured in Malay dramas, fooling around with the secretary, delaying the meeting, etc. The job was costing them more than what they agreed upon, and the Chinese boss was almost at his wit’s end, and nearly attempted suicide. Suddenly, there was a blackout in the office. The next thing we saw, each of the four character, came out under the spotlight and gave a statement about what happened. (Err, korang faham ke nie?)

My take:
The actor who played the Datuk was Radhi Khalid, but then again, nothing exceptional. Just like one of his other comical-ish role. Again, nothing memorable here. Oh, but the guy who played the Australian expat brought along his wife and children who were in the audience, but the youngest (a baby) cried every now and then. Perhaps, not the best idea?

4. Gunpoint

Synopsis:
A young man was sitting on a bench at 3 am, contemplating on killing himself with a gun, when a young girl coming back from a party (and a break-up) suddenly showed up and stopped him. They talked and she convinced him that life is worth living again. When they parted, he asked for a hug, and when she did hugged him, he groped her butt. She struggled and ran off, only to have him shoot her, a few steps away.

My take:
The ending is seriously disturbing. I thought that it was going to be a good, happy ending (who’s been watching too many Hindi movie, eh?), but when it ended that way, I got goose bumps. It seemed too real a scenario for me. But both the actors were good. I nearly chose this one for my People’s Choice Award nomination.

5. Unfinished

Synopsis:
This comedy was acted by a group of deaf and dumb actors & actresses, and took place in a funeral parlour. The narrative was written entirely on cardboards that were weaved in and out seamlessly with the story. It tells the story of this person’s unlikely death (the circumstance surrounding it was so funny!) and that yes, even after a person dies, there are still unfinished business to attend to, like work pending, or that daughter of yours, bawling her eyes out, asking why did you leave so soon.

My take:
This was a real fun and creative play, with the use of those cardboard signages, held by the actors who came on the stage. It required a lot more concentration though, especially if the narrative is long and the cardboard piece is small. But all in all, great performance!

6. If Your Cat And I Were Drowning

Synopsis:
A girl was waiting to audition for a part in Ironman 3, a role that she has waited for a very long time. Her boyfriend was all enthusiastic, and supportive, but she being a tad insecure, asks him “If your cat and I were drowning, who would you save?”. Her inner voice and desire was personified in a lady wearing a black hooded robe, who kept moving around her like a restless soul. She finally got the part, went back to her boyfriend, and they started discussing how their relationship would work out long-distance (this is, after all, Ironman 3), but with him still being supportive. She asks the cat drowning question again, and this time, her inner voice points a gun to her boyfriend’s head and said ”Let the cat drown”.

My take:
Ok, suddenly, there seemed to be one too many guns that night. Again, I was disturbed, but just slightly. I was more annoyed that I didn’t quite get the whole thing. Heh.

7. Tipping Point

Synopsis:
A couple broke up over a simple question “What is Man’s greatest invention?”, to which the guy answered triumphantly, “Contraceptive!!”. Their relationship has been strained as she was ready to settle down and have a baby, but he was not very sure of himself. There were back and forth monologues of the couple as they convince themselves what they think is right for the relationship, both voicing out insecurities and their desires. It ended in a telephone call where the guy surrendered his feelings for her, professes his love and how he can live with all her quirkiness, insecurities and demands. And finally, answered that question correctly, “Telephone”.

My take:
This was my choice for the night. I loved the monologues as they were soo real, like the same conversations we would have with ourselves. The guy was so endearing at the end, and the girl played her role so well, with her varying expressions. My only qualm: the plunging v-neck sundress the girl had on. Its like, look at me, look at me! And yes, the audience did keep on looking at her, even while the guy was talking (Charlene checked, haha!). Gila distracting ok, but very perky and just the right size (big). I was a tad bit worried for her when she bowed to the audience at the end of the night, but I needn’t, as I’m sure the rest of the audience were as disappointed as I was haha.

(Penatnya tulis, mentang-mentangla dah lama tak update)

8. Birds Fly Into Ceiling Fans And Die

Synopsis:
This was about an author who turned to alcohol and isolation in his room after an accident that left him crippled. His sister cum manager was trying to convince him to make an appearance for one last time to promote a book of his, which he didn’t even write. This last appearance would be a ticket to freedom for both of them, financially for her and ultimately from her, for him, which at last he agreed to. The title of this play came from his observation one day in his room, when one bird after another, flew in, hit the ceiling fan and fall dead on his bed.

My take:
Perhaps, I was tired by that time, but I didn’t get this as well. Didn’t know why, but I thought of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” when I read the title. But I liked the prop though. They actually strapped him to a bed and raised the bed so that he was exactly facing the audience. Pretty cool actually.

9. Impromptu

Synopsis:
The play started off in the dark. It was pitch black, and you could hear lovers talking, saying sweet words and lamenting departures. The next scene, you can see an elderly man with a young woman, who is his young wife, chatting at the breakfast table. They were discussing his son’s entrance into college to study music (violin actually). She didn’t seem to care much about her stepson, and reluctantly agreed to whatever suggestions he made about his son. The son went away, and then came back for a short break. It was later revealed that the scenes in the dark, were actually the love scenes of that young wife and her stepson.

My take:
Quite good, plus, another star factor here as the actor Na’a Murad played the elderly man. But I didn’t think that the young wife is hot enough, though. Another disturbing factor, the stepson, when he was first introduced to his stepmom at a young age, was told by her that she’s not his mother. That kinda sets the motion for the story, and they began a love affair as he gets older.

10. Triangle

Synopsis:
A simple conversation between 2 best friends, as one gets ready for his bersanding ceremony and the other, the best man. Little did the groom know that his best man has been harbouring a secret love for the bride. The best man nearly backed out of the wedding after the groom commented that his sampin was like roti canai (the best man was Indian) by the way, and after blurting out his true feelings. But the groom managed to talk him out of it, and convinced him that the best man was really the best person for this task.

My take:
One word: Rodek. So HOF COZ la play ini mendapat sambutan hangat dengan tepukan gemuruh. Oh, that’s Redza Minhat FYI. You know, the guy who learned how to ballroom danced with Maya Karin in “Pisau Cukur”? The dialogue was sooo Rodek, that I rolled my eyes a few times, but it was very fluid and of course, naturally done. The best man was not too bad himself, bantering equally with Rodek, but come on, Rodek? This Indian guy didn’t have a chance.

11. Energia

Synopsis:
A Malay man who often lapsed into Kelantanese when he’s nervous, got home after being away for a few days, and falls asleep on his couch. Upon waking up, he found that his supposedly beautiful, loving Malay wife, is now..a bearded Indian guy. He freaked, thought that “his wife” was a robber initially, lapsed into Kelantanese mutterings, until “his wife”, who was trying very hard to convince him that he is in fact his wife, explained that while the husband was away, she was abducted by aliens who conducted experiments on her. Which is why she now looks like that. He didn’t quite believe her until the very end when he was about to leave the apartment, bright lights from a spaceship above appeared. We leave them hugging each other, looking up all frightened, at the spaceship.

My take:
Quite original and very funny! Loved it. And I now, have the biggest crush (teehee) on this bearded Indian actor, Ollie. Rawr.

12. Single Worded Title

Synopsis:
A man walks in with a basket of laundry to his wife working on her laptop. He sees the audience, and asked if his wife saw us. His wife thought he was crazy, then someone from the audience spoke to him. He continued to have this conversation with the person in the audience, a girl (and a sarcastic and witty one at that) that his wife couldn’t see (she thought he was going crazy). He thought he was going crazy and couldn’t comprehend what has happenign. A friend walked in, also saw the audience but was cool about it. He ended up, screaming his frustrations.

My take:
Also very original, and apparently there’s a term for this, meta-something. Anyway, the girl in the audience was seated behind us, so throughout this whole play, the spotlight was on us. Syabas. But I loved listening to them, because that’s when I realized how good at projecting your voice a theatre actor must be, without actually screaming or yelling. The girl was pretty good, and apparently, she wrote the play.

The play I chose for the People’s Choice Award got into the finals, and so did Dayana’s play. But I couldn’t make it to the Gala Night (plus the tickets were expensive!). I checked the result yesterday and what do you know? The actress from my play choice (The Tipping Point) won Best Actor (Female) – you go girl, you and your perky breasts! - and Dayana’s play, 10,000 Cigarettes won Best Script! Now I really wished I made the time to see it.

Till Short + Sweet 2011 then!