Firstly, Living Arts had published the price of this production as RM 37 / 42 on the centre spread of their February 2006 issue. Later, I realized that the actual ticket price for Adults is RM62 and RM42 for students. Not very happy about it but lucky me – someone ‘belanja’me
Nevertheless it was great to see so many young people, students milling around in front of The Actors Studio @ BSC. It is always a joyful sight to have eager young people turn up for a theatre performance.
Then it was showtime and in we went to the theatre. Again a hullabaloo of excitement in air till the lights went down. From the start of the show till the end, the students enjoyed the show so much. Some of them even gave standing ovation to the actors. It was incredible to see such enthusiasm, such approval from the audience.
This is the kind of response we get for an ók’ foreign ‘Mat Salleh’ theatre production. Just because it is a Mat Salleh thing. It was very sad to see such deprived audience. There has been some incredible productions at The Actors Studio by local and other foreign theatre companies (from Japan, India, Taiwan, etc); unfortunately the number of people who come to see these shows are so little.
Till now, my biggest ‘sakit-hati’ was when people were singing praises for Saturday Night Fever, saying that it was the best production they had seen in this country.
I do beg the Malaysian theatre goers to please go for as many shows as possible, both local and foreign, (not just the ‘Mat Salleh’ ones) so you would be able to learn how to enjoy and appreciate a really good piece of theatre production!
1 comment:
Hi Nala.
This is a well known malaise in Malaysia, where all things foreign are always far better. Be it theatre, goods or consultants, many Malaysians deem "Mat Salleh" things superior and associate themselves with it wholeheartedly. On 1 hand it's a need to associate oneself with better things, on the other it's an inferiority complex whereby one is ashamed to be associated with all or some things local. Hence, foreign productions are superb while local ones are...well...local.
This also extends very much into my industry where foreign consultants are put on a pedestal and worshipped when the bloke can't put 1 and 1 together.
Hopefully, as more and more people are exposed to various art forms and things from around the world, they would grow to appreciate more local productions. I personally found "Julius Caesar" and "Cinderella" among many others to be very good. In the BBC today, Indian classical music was being showcased on a global platform and its influence extends even to Britney Spears (of all people).
So, don't sakit hati too much least you get severe heartburn. Keep up your good work and who knows, one of those kids you're teaching right now may turn out to be the next James Dean...or Clint Eastwood(??)..
Cheers...m
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