A warm welcome to the columnsphere to June Low, whose column (a great parody of rempits and cops) makes its first appearance today :) That’s the brilliant talent behind Lady Baba and JuneWow.com, who as it happens, had her stage debut just last night :)My own article also ran today on that very debut :) I rushed it out late at night and tak sempat mention Elaine Wong, who was also quite good – great flattening scene! :)
The show runs this weekend and next (at PJLA all May: 19th-22nd 25th-29th at 8.30pm, 22nd/29th at 3pm 23rd/30th at 5pm. Call 03 7960 0439), and the review is reproduced below :)
No one delivers crap like Mano
Comedy is a great tool to help us bear our nation’s many trials and tribulations. The problems with politics, government and everyday annoyances that would otherwise make us tear our hair out in frustration and make us clamour for the first boat out of Malaysia suddenly seem that much more bearable after a few laughs.
“Caught in the Middle IV” — a comedy in exactly that vein — premiered last night, and the title of this article is taken from one of the hilarious lines therein (you’ll have to watch it for the context).
Directed by Thor Kah Hoong, the play runs till May 30 and features such luminaries of Malaysian comedy as Mano Maniam, Zaibo, Nell Ng, Chew Kin Wah and Sandra Sodhy as well as a brilliant supporting cast.
A loose storyline based on Petaling Jaya residents and the aftermath of a landslide intercut with random sketches provide the canvas on which the creative team takes a fun-filled swing at government inefficiencies, corrupt politics, crime, local eccentricities, and everything else under the Malaysian sun.
The material seemed to shine particularly when dealing with headaches that seem to beset all of us — cab drivers, lousy Internet, the constant peddlers that come with working-class eateries, and so on.
Among the locations are an apartment, a hospital and a mall that bear no resemblance whatsoever to Gasing Heights, Pantai Hospital or Pertama Complex whatsoever. Also, Jalan 5/53B in PJ, but there is no chance I will reveal the secrets submerged in that particular scene.
The actors remind us that Malaysians want for nothing when it comes to comedic talent. Most of the headliners proved their mettle, with Mano taking by far most of the stage time, Zaibo his usual lovable self, and Nell Ng shining in the game show sketch towards the end.
Of the supporting cast, Nicole Thomas’ wheelchair-bound granny proved quite memorable; June Low plays a very young daughter, and I think her height and size caused an amusing conversation I overheard later, discussing whether she was an adult or child actor (the former, for the record — last seen as Lady Baba in Hulu Selangor).
The crew certainly didn’t hold back, and worked to earn their 18PL rating — letting loose on shamelessly dirty jokes, poking fun at the powers that be (if Rosmah decides to make a few phone calls, they could be in trouble), and so on. Don’t be surprised if you see a porn star make an “appearance.”
The play did drag on a bit at times, and the Shakespeare bit — while scoring some points for imagery and originality — really felt out of place, especially after the first minute and definitely after the first three. Scenes featuring a flurry of action, actors and excitement were also immeasurably more enjoyable than some of the two-person conversations that kept on going without much else happening. Perhaps we could have done with a little less a******s (watch to understand!).
An enjoyable aspect of the performance, however, was that the material seems to be developed to evolve over time and adjust to audience response — which means it just gets better and better with time.
One of my favourite aspects of the play were these radio interludes, featuring well-chosen music and brilliant parodies of Malaysian DJs. Done by Chew Kin Wah and outrageously funny at the beginning, they had, by the middle and end of the play, a warm and fuzzy feeling to them, providing a calming glue to the varied show and making us feel somehow connected to a wider Malaysia out there.
This showed as much as anything in this very enjoyable play that although we were clearly caught in the middle of a Malaysia gone mad, we were at least in it together, and able to find relief via sharing a laugh or two along the mad ride.
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