Front Row

Get On Your Feet, The Musical is a fundraiser concert in aid of  Persatuan Sindrom Down Malaysia (PSDM) to provide Individuals with Down Syndrome (IsDS) more training and employment opportunities for them to be more prepared for the real world. The show boasts a stellar line up of creatives at the helm, including Sabrina Hassan who wrote the original script and is directing, and also a cast o...

Black magic, murder and political intrigue - Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, dramatising the battle between the good and evil in the human heart, and the danger of seeking power for power’s sake. The KL Shakespeare Players (KLSP) are staging their unique version of the Bard’s Scottish play under their Shakespeare Demystified series, and we catch up with the play's director, Lim...

It's International Women’s Day next week, and in celebration of that, 3R Media are set to present ReFest 2023: Engage and Empower. This is a two-day women-led festival, curated to actively platform women’s groups and initiatives that work on social issues or are in support of marginalised communities. We find out what's in store from Lina Tan, the co-founder and director of 3R Media. Image Credit:...

Gemersik is visual artist Anisa Abdullah's solo art exhibition, which celebrates her love for art, fashion, and life. The word “gemersik” is said to be an elegant extraction of a beautiful classic Malay word which loosely translates to "rustle" and represents Anisa and her artworks through the symbolic sound of folding, cutting, and paper tearing in her artmaking. Known for her art collages, Anisa...

Commissioned by the British Council back in 2011, SuperEverything * was a live cinema performance project that explored identity, ritual and place in relation to Malaysia’s past, present and future. Created by UK audiovisual artists The Light Surgeons in collaboration with a diverse bunch of Malaysian artists, the performance is described as a fusion of music, field recordings, filmmaking and real...

Indian Carnatic vocalist Sangita Kalanidhi Vidhwan Shri Neyveli Santanagopalan is known for his traditional and purist style of rendering ragas, musical compositions and swaras. A teacher and composer as well, he is here in Malaysia collaborating with several organisations for Swagatam, a Malaysian Indian Traditional Orchestra with 100 participants from Malaysia, all under his guidance. He joins u...

Described as a lecture which turns into a workshop which turns into a performance, Touch Me Hold Me Let Me Go will be led by Lee Su-Feh , a performance maker, educator and writer who has spent the last 40 years exploring the human body as a site of intersecting habits and histories. This gathering invites the audience to listen, experience and participate with their bodies and voices, with Su-Feh...

In A Notional History , a performer, a journalist, and an activist pore through school textbooks, inherited memories, and video interviews of exiled revolutionaries – uncovering erasures, exclusions and questions around the Malayan Emergency. Part of a series of works known as the Emergency Projects which examines that era in our history, the performers investigate and speculate on the possible hi...

From the award-winning creators of Sepet The Musical, Liver & Lung ’s brand new production Melur The Musical retells the harrowing story of the Pontianak, and is set during the Malayan emergency in Colonial Malaya. The musical chronicles the lives of two women, Melur and Cempaka, bound by love and friendship but separated by conflicting values, and by having married men who are practically pol...

Pengembaraan Satu Malam (The Night Journey) is an immersive art performance that invites the audience to take part in the role of the unassuming traveller, and embark on a symbolic voyage that follows the various stages of the Hero's Journey—enabling them to explore the archetypal patterns and themes of an odyssey in an audio-visual format. We find out about this transcendental multi-discipline pe...

In a first-ever collaboration, the KL Shakespeare Players and Bentley Music Academy are teaming up to perform Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , taking the Bard's famous love story from page to stage, but now, accompanied by live orchestral music! We find out what's in store from Lim Soon Heng, the Executive Director of the KL Shakespeare Players, and Kevin Field, the Director of Academic and Artist...

KLPAC's popular Golden Oldies series returns, just in time for an early Valentine’s Day celebration for all. Yesterday Once More 4 promises classics by crooners and soul singers ranging from The Platters to Aretha Franklin, and the concert has something for everyone and will be performed cabaret-style. We find out what's in store from Joel Wong, a singer in the upcoming performance. See omnystudio...

Valentines Day is fast approaching and if you're looking for ways to celebrate with your loved ones, the Philharmonic Winds of Malaysia have got you covered. The non-profit group is set to present L.O.V.E. - Valentine’s with Philwinds , promising three concerts of love songs, ranging from Disney hits and pop songs, to jazz standards and classic band repertoires. We find out what's in store from Er...

Psychosynthesis is a new dance production described as a powerful, dynamic, fast-paced theatrical show, which showcases the struggles faced by individuals and communities at large, during the pandemic. Presented by the Kenny Shim Dance Collective (KSDC) and Asia Ballet Theatre (ABT), the production features a fully local cast of established and emerging  talents, and we find out what's in sto...

The ‘ Bakul: Everyday Baskets from Sabah ’ exhibition features a collection of traditional Sabah baskets from Sabahan author and collector, Jennifer P Linggi. Everyday baskets such as Tadang, Reng, Takiding, Wakid, Barait, Saiyon which are used for domestic activity, farming, hunting, gathering and ritualistic practices are among the many bakul on show at this exhibition, which is presented by The...

" Her Story " and " His Story " are a collection of twenty insightful monologues, described as being colourful, surreal, humorous, and deeply introspective, and which will be staged in two instalments, over January and February this year. We find out more about the productions from playwright, director and columnist Fa Abdul, who started it all as an online playwriting project during the height of...

Encounter: Anime - Echoes from the ACG World is a brand new music show which marks AOrchestra 's debut concert, and features an ensemble of 100 musicians, 10 soloists and three conductors, who are set to bring the audience on an aural journey across vast fictional realities. With a repertoire comprising soundtracks from a dozen popular anime works such as Genshin Impact, Demon Slayer and Violet Ev...

One the world's best loved musicals - The Sound of Music - is set to be staged in Kuala Lumpur, featuring a cast of local and international performers. We speak to Chantal Prudhomme, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Tremendous Entertainment, about what's in store for this brand new international production, coming to us from Broadway. Image Credit: The Sound Of Music KL See omnystudio.com/list...

The Dancebox series is an ongoing project that has been run in partnership by MyDance Alliance and The Actors Studio since 2001. This informal performance platform presents short works of Malaysian dance in a variety of genres, and by both established and emerging choreographers. This December 2022 edition of Dancebox promises eight short dance works that range from the humorous to the dramatic, p...

A photography exhibition by the Orang Asli of Belum-Temenggor, Hep Ka-Wot Enggang Le-Wei (Forests, Hornbills & Honey) features photographs by six indigenous Jahai and Temiar people of Belum-Temenggor Forests in upper Perak state. The exhibition is part of the “ Safeguarding the Central Forest Spine: Trees for the Future ” Project, and also involves the Malaysian Nature Society’s Hornbill Conse...

If Only is described as an experimental theatre play, by emerging director Murasaki Haru – and marks his first full-length devised production. We find out what's in store from Haru himself, and also Wendy Wong, a cast member of the play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Choo (composer and musical director) and Kirthana Kuhendran (performer) Description: A contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, Follow the Light is Nick Choo 's cultural, musical and historical interpretation of this timeless tale - accuracy debatable - told primarily through song, and filled with lots of warmth and laughs. We find out more about this musical theatre performance from co...

Dubbed as a family-friendly concert for those aged 1 to 100, KLPAC’s long-awaited Christmas Extravaganza concert promises festive cheer as we reflect on 2022, while looking ahead to 2023. This massive concert will bring together more than 150 performers from the klpac Orchestra,  klpac Symphonic Band, and klpac String Orchestra and also the Young Choral Academy Chorus, all under the direction...

Syarifah Nadhirah 's ‘Measure of Seeds’ is  a mini showcase featuring a five-part etching  series, a sewn installation, and a collection of curiosities. It's described as an ecological pursuit to understand the ephemerality and transformation of our fragile landscape, attempting to recollect the geographical history of plantations in Malaya, whilst exploring the idea of plant migration a...

With the theme “Remember, Reignite, Reconnect,” the Temple of Fine Arts’ annual arts extravaganza - The Shantanand Festival of Arts - returns, packed with three days of arts and cultural activities. We find out more about what's in store at the sixth edition of the festival from Temple of Fine Arts stalwarts, Dhanya Thurairajah and Kumar Karthigesu. Image Credit: Facebook/Shantanand Festival of Ar...