WITH the state of affairs in Malaysia today, one wonders what it would take for extremists to get riled up over what they might deem “inappropriate” and “sensitive” content. What kind of situation or context might pose a threat to those who fear encroachment upon their faith, and who only know how to react through […]
Nick Choo
How rude!
By Nick Choo(Pic by LinusB4 / sxc.hu) RECENTLY, during a visit to the cinema, I encountered the infamous subset of Malaysians who seem to enjoy ruining the viewing experiences of others by being inconsiderate. You know the kind: those who let their mobile phone ring during the movie, or check their SMSes and distract you with the […]
A Malaysian Scrooge
By Nick ChooTrailer for A Christmas Carol by Disney Pictures I’VE always enjoyed A Christmas Carol, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy but cantankerous old man who looks upon Christmas with disdain and is only challenged to change when visited by ghosts. This classic Dickensian tale so resonates with human nature that it has been translated […]
Wayang ways
By Nick ChooWayang Rakyat at The Curve, 2007 (© Khoo Eng Yow) THE Malay word for “theatre” is “wayang”. But say the word “wayang” and the first thing many of us would associate it with is “kulit”. Small-scale, community-focused, traditional; of yellow lights and opaque screens; tinny voices, dalang and gamelan. Funny how the multifaceted nature of […]
Embracing different cultures
By Nick ChooJOANNA Bessey first stepped into the Malaysian limelight when she joined the hit comedy series Kopitiam, which ran for seven seasons from 1997. She has since become one of Malaysia’s most recognised entertainment personalities, having been in more than 200 television episodes as well as TV movies, feature films, commercials and plays. Recently, she hosted […]
Musicals for mental health
By Nick ChooTHIS edition of Merely Playing belatedly commemorates World Mental Health Day, which falls annually on 10 Oct. According to an article in theSun, an estimated 450 million people around the world suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It added that in Malaysia, some 400,227 patients sought psychiatric help in government […]
Cultivating a theatre of Malaysian stories
By Nick ChooPLAYWRIGHT and performer Leow Puay Tin has been involved in the theatre scene for more than 20 years. Working alongside the late, renowned Malaysian director Krishen Jit, she devised Tikam-Tikam: And Her Grandmother Said in 1983, and later wrote acclaimed plays, Three Children (1984), Ang Tau Mui (1993) and Family (1995). A common thread running […]
Historical threesomes
By Nick ChooPatrick Teoh as US President Franklin D Roosevelt during the script reading of The Yalta ConferenceLAST Tuesday, on 19 Oct 2009, I attended a script reading of The Yalta Conference at the Instant Café House of Arts and Ideas (Chai). It was Japanese playwright Hirata Oriza‘s fictitious account of the wartime meeting held in February […]
A story about life’s purpose
Compiled by Nick Choo
CHORAL group The Canticle Singers presents a fresh restaging of Two From Galilee, a musical written by Robert Sterling and Karla Worley, in Kuala Lumpur from today, 23 Oct to 1 Nov 2009. Two From Galilee is the fictitious account of the Biblical characters Mary and Joseph, a young couple in love who are forced […]
“100% Malaysian”
By Nick ChooCOLIN Kirton is a multitalented artist who, among others things, acts, directs, sings, plays the piano and provides training in theatre. He studied at Rosebud School of the Arts in Alberta, Canada from 1996 to 1998. Since returning to Malaysia, he has worked with the likes of the Instant Café Theatre Company, Enfiniti Productions, Dama […]
