14 February 2009 is a date to remember. It is the first time I went to watch a theatre - Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical at Istana Budaya.
I have always wanted to watch Puteri Gunung Ledang the movie but I never had the chance to, so the theatre is sort of a compensation for missing the movie. However, the musical turned out to be more than compensation, it was an eye opener! Never would I have imagined going to watch a theatre. During the first lesson, Dr Edwin asked if anyone has been to a theatre before, less than five people has been to the theater. This shows our ignorance and lack of interest towards theatre. I was not even aware of Istana Budaya or KLPAC.
Student priced tickets are bought and the day to watch came. I was in awe as I walked into Panggung Seri. The Panggung Seri has royal boxes on each side and is patterned after the windows of a Malay House. The entrance to the theatre immitates a palace's main hall, or the Balairong Seri which is said to be modelled after one in Malacca. I goggled Istana Budaya and found out that Istana Budaya is among the top ten most sophisticated theatres in the world, at par with Royal Albert Hall, London. Aren't we proud of that achievement? (However the cost of the building is RM210 million. WOW. )
The musical was fantastic! The cast acted perfectly, they portrayed the character successfully. They must have practiced hard for the performances as they have to sing, dance and act at the same time and all the timing for speeches and songs seemed all to perfect!Their actions were fast and eye catching, keeping audiences glued to the performance the whole 3 hours. The subtitles were a great help because the play was staged in poetic Malay and Javanese accented Malay.
The musical was worth watching. It has nurtured the interest of theatre in me and I can't wait to watch more shows in the future. If it is not for this course EDU 3217, I do not know when will I step into a theatre.
Yea! Grateful to be doing TESL, exploring and learning new things!
This is what i meant by enjoying and admiring each and every moment of truth about a play. Do not judge bit by bit as it will ruins your real judgment of the play. That is why people come out with communication skills where listening is very crucial. Am I right?
ReplyDeleteI am so happy that you enjoyed the show.