Admiral Princess
The clock struck 8.10 pm which in real time meant it was 8.05 pm. I wasn't ready to panic yet but I was a tad worried. It wasn't far at all but the only road that would take me there required me to be driven 500m farther to the roundabout and back again on the other side. I wasn't even sure about the traffic. What if...? I hated to think it. The ticket cost RM100. No way was I going to miss it just because I was late. I was counting seconds and after 5 minutes I saw a cab and hailed it. What a relief!But was it really? Not quite. The cabbie told me that there was no way he was taking anyone onto Jln Tun Razak because traffic was solid. I began to panic. I buzzed Eez, "I cannot get a cab". She worried too, I sensed it in her voice. I had an idea, I called my sister and then my brother and we literally flew to Istana Budaya. My brother who came back to KL for a jiffy, was my saviour. Who'd ever thought that possible? He, who was supposedly in Penang. I would have been shattered to bits. He sped and we did the counter-current while I prayed that no one would hit us head-on.
He dropped me off next door. I trod the grass across the divider and checked my mobile, Eez called and texted. Told her that I was at the carpark. Shocked. I was too. How could have I gotten there so quickly? Told her the secret... That I am actually Superman. And then another tale, that I hitchhiked a biker. Well no one's going to believe that either. So I told her the truth
... that my brother borrowed a friend's bike and rode me there. I have this sudden high regard for bikers and their bikes. Surely I'm not alone. Imagine the millions of people saved, like me, thanks to the advent of the bike.
So was the show worth the 100 ringgit after all?? Here's my verdict;
The set:
Loved it. Exquisite. The 'istana' Melaka setting was the best. Giant elaborately carved wooden doors. Wonder how much it cost? Didn't look makeshift.
Costume:
Nothing special. Met expectation.
Dance:
A little haphazard, not very polished. I don't like dances which are not in sync particularly so if there are 20-30 ppl on stage. Doesn't matter if that was supposed to be artsy-fatsy. It was just messy.
Score:
Generally good but I don't know .. I was looking forward to a more classical/traditional tone. It was rather contemporary. And in my opinion didn't go down too well with the setting.
Singing:
Tiara's vocal is not suitable for a musical. Stephen was a pro.
Acting:
Tiara was a let-down. Honestly. Inconsistent. The moment she opened her mouth to speak to her lead opposite, her Bahasa Indonesia crumbled and she sounded fake. But when she spoke to her AdiPati, Bayan and the Sultan, she was fine. She could have worked on her dance moves a bit more too. The rest were good. And I have to say, despite going there with a clear intention to ridicule the half-Brit, I walked out impressed with his diction and pronounciation. Excellent considering he only had 2 months to train.
One thing la kan, if there's nothing you want to adopt from Orang Putih, you should remember that they are one hell of a highly effective race and they should be exemplified when it comes to determination and willpower. The above was a proven example.
Direction:
Zahim & Adlin. Amazing la jugak especially evident in a couple of scenes; one created a 2D painting-like perspective (perhaps because I was smack in the middle..lucky me!) and in another, a group of the ensemble suddenly appeared from nowhere and stole the show. The lighting was very good too.
Overall, out of 5, I'd give it 3.5 stars at most. Eez concluded that we have yet to see the best Malay play/musical. I agree unequivocally.
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