Front Row

Traitor, or hero? Set in a post-apocalyptic Malaysia where constant war and strife abound, the upcoming production Jebat follows the life and tragic death of Hang Jebat. While there are many stories on Hang Tuah, this is likely the first English language stage production in recent history focusing on Hang Jebat. Described as The Actors Studio ’s biggest production for 2023, the show boasts almost...

Sisyphus No. 9 draws inspiration from two tales: the eternal struggle of Sisyphus, condemned to endlessly push a boulder uphill, and Beethoven's triumphant composition and conducting of his 9th Symphony, despite near-total deafness in Vienna, Austria. The play is said to explore the absurdity/meaning of life through repetitions and visceral movements, accompanied by live ambient music. We find out...

It's been 20 years since the Dataran Merdeka floods wiped out The Actors Studio’s Plaza Putra underground complex. The Life Sdn Bhd series was born a year after those devastating floods in 2003, with the purpose of sharing true experiences and tales of living the Malaysian life, openly and without judgement. Now in 2023, the series is going back full circle to the theme “What It Means To Be Malays...

80 Minutes, 10 Musicians, 14 Songs. Irama Tanah Air (ITA) will take you on a whirlwind world tour through music, journeying from Asia to Scandinavia, South America to the Middle East, and more. Titled Around the World in 80 Minutes , the performance promises us 14 local and global pieces - some classics, some brand new -  by six different musical arrangers. We speak to Bernard Goh, the Founde...

The latest edition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s lesser-heard 1725 “ St. John Passion ” (ed. by Prof. Dr. Manuel Bärwald, 2021) will be performed for the first time in Malaysia by the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, led by conductor Prof. Dr. David Chin. This special version includes some of the most unique and dramatic arias which Bach has ever composed. Bach uses multidimensional and...

Seruan Setu – The Secret Gardens of the Sea promises an enchanting musical journey that spotlights Malaysia's endangered seagrass ecosystems, through the magic of the performing arts. Seagrasses are vital to both marine life and coastal communities, yet their rapid decline is often overlooked. In this concert by Rhythm in Bronze , the group will present original gamelan compositions interwoven wit...

Amma Chellam is an upcoming original theatre play by Anomalist Production that spotlights the difficult yet underrepresented experience of growing up “different” in a Malaysian Indian family. Written and performed in English and Tamil, Amma Chellam draws on real-life events and experiences to navigate tough conversations surrounding love, cultural conflicts, and parental expectations. We speak to...

The show " Dondang Dongeng ” started out with a simple question: do people, especially kids, still know of our local folklores? A team of creatives then got together to weave less remembered stories into a dreamscape, presented in the form of songs with a modern twist, and produced by Playspace in collaboration with RMP Productions. We speak to Irena Taib (Composer / Music Director / Arranger) and...

Red Soil of Kabul is a play written and directed by Saleh Sepas, which tells a multi-layered story of Kabul after the fall of the government in Afghanistan. Based on real events and experiences, it is a unique theatrical experience that tackles the topics of human rights, child protection, education, migration and refugee issues. We speak to Saleh Sepas (writer & director), Pariya Ahmadi (perf...

"so happy i could die" is described as an immersive and participative theatrical event, that invites audiences to reflect on the meaning of fulfilment and the consequences of the choices they make. Part of Theatresauce's seventh-year anniversary showcase, we find out more about the play which asks - can happiness, fulfilment, and acceptance go hand-in-hand with an impending expiry date? Joining us...

Malam Takdir is a new opera in Bahasa Melayu by Johan Othman, that is inspired by the Mahabharata. The story revolves around an imagined conversation between a king who was born blind, and his advisor, on the eve of a predestined war that would see all his 100 sons killed in battle. What unfolds is an argument that brings to the fore a story of hope and betrayal, fate, and human volition. We find...

The play Alu & Lesung invites the audience to be voyeurs and peek behind closed doors, and follows an ensemble’s journey in revisiting the peaceful moments in their lives, the events revolving around harm that they have experienced, and their pursuit to heal from these trauma. Part of Theatresauce's seventh-year anniversary showcase, Alu & Lesung is set to be a multisensorial project that...

The podcaster. A kopitiam. “Hello Malaysia!” Through the broadcasting activities of a hobbyist podcaster on his “How Much You Know About Malaysia?” programme, Dama Asia returns with In Perfect Harmony, Too , a show that pays a musical tribute to the popular music and songs that have tugged at our heart strings since Merdeka. Promising a mix of blues, bubblegum pop, rock n' roll, Western pop and mo...

The Philharmonic Society of Selangor or The Phil as it's better known as, is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year - and they're set to stage their Music from Movies & Musicals – 65th Anniversary Charity Concert to celebrate! Featuring an almost 80-member strong community choir, the group want to take you on a trip down memory lane with well loved classics, and all in the name of charity...

Said to be inspired by the tragic and romantic beats of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Opium By Any Other Name promises to be a tale of betrayal, romance and tragedy, and is director Tarrant Kwok’s second offering, in his “Opium” thematic series of plays. He joins us to share more about the play that follows young lovers in 1890s Taiping as they navigate the journey of self-discovery while attemp...

George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" is not only one of the most popular and frequently performed choral works in Western music, but it is also widely considered as one of the most monumental works in Sacred Music. The work consists of three parts and 53 movements, including the famous Hallelujah chorus. The Yin Qi Choir is set to present the complete choral masterpiece in its three parts, under the...

Kakurega is the Japanese word for “hideout”, and is also the title for Theatresauce’s fourth production of their 2023 season. Set to explore the anxieties that artists face as they deal with the pressures of creation, this production welcomes audiences into the world of four characters simmering in their hideouts, as they reflect on their work, reexamine their sense of purpose, deal with their inn...

Bialystock and Bloom - names  that strike equal amounts of terror and hysteria in anyone familiar with Mel Brooks' classic comedy, The Producers! Follow the scheming producer and his mousy accountant, as they aim to produce the biggest flop on Broadway in this laugh-out-loud spectacle, presented by Malaysia's very own Pan Productions . A musical also described as an "equal opportunity offende...

A listening body is a dance/-theatre experience based on dancer January Low’s thoughts and questions in and around Odissi. Informed by a practice that spans 30 years, and more recently empowered by a virtual mentorship with Odissi exponent Bijayini Satpathy, January has deepened her relationship with Odissi by actively listening and responding to her body, mind and environment. This work peels awa...

The upcoming performance Sakti is a marriage of Malay folk tales, aerial artistry and drumming theatre, set to be performed by air artists VIVA Circus and musicians HANDS Percussion . Bernard Goh, the Founder & Artistic Director, Hands Percussion joins us to discuss this experimental new performance which also promises dance, narration, contemporary music with drums, percussion, gamelan and ot...

Switchblade Operation: The Longing is described as a unique visual and dance performance that reimagines two groundbreaking choreographies from '94 and ‘95, by acclaimed contemporary dance choreographer, Loke Soh Kim. The two dance performances, “Gui Qu Lai Xi” and “A World in the City” will be revived in KongsiKL with a whole new team of diverse dancers, and creative team. Presented by Kongsi Pet...

" Baggage " is described as a new theatrical experience which considers the weight of the world we carry. Presented by emerging creative company The Fever Kinetic , Baggage is the company's debut feature length play, written, directed and performed by Tristen ZiJuin, who is also the Artistic Director & Executive Producer of The Kinetic Group. Tristen joins us to share more about the one-person...

Teater Jajahan Chow Kit Road is a play written by Azril Suhaili, which is set against the backdrop of the unforgettable 1986 Chow Kit Road mega concert held by the late singer Datuk Sudirman Arshad. In the play, three friends who consider Jalan Chow Kit as their sacred space plot to ruin the concert, but their plans are thwarted when they meet an old man searching for his ex-wife, leading them on...

On the 29th of May 1973, the world unexpectedly lost P Ramlee, a gifted artist and screen legend of unmatched talent and style. 50 years on, the performance Konsert P. Ramlee - Signature A Minor 7 wants to celebrate the late icon's work, featuring songs rearranged by Aubrey Suwito, and performed by Sean Ghazi and Liza Hanim, with stories of P Ramlee's life narrated by Sobri Anuar.  We find ou...

Padma Shri Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant has been described as one who "inhabits the worlds of administration, academics, and arts; straddling them with equal ease." A Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer and guru, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour, for her contributions to the field of dance. She has performed across the world, and Dr Ananda is back in Malaysia for h...