State of the Nation

Malaysia. If you haven't noticed before, you need to know that I love my country madly. I truly believe that there is no better place in the world to live. There are problems, true - but where aren't there?

Sure, there's preferential treatment. If you're rich. Or white. Everyone else more or less gets equally dumped on. Doesn't it sound like anywhere else in the world already? If you want to escape the smaller racial nuances in Peninsular Malaysia, pop over to Sabah / Sarawak - it's so rojak there that everyone gives up trying to judge according to race and religion.

We've hit the news headlines a goodly number of times this month. Riots! Heaven forbid! A riot is defined as "a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons, as by a crowd protesting against another group, a government policy, etc., in the streets". Legally, a riot is "a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a disrupting and tumultuous manner in carrying out their private purposes". Of the former, I protest the use of the word 'violent' - the marchers / demonstrators / rioters were anything but violent. The only violence came from the police, which isn't anything new anymore. Of the latter, 'public peace' tends to be highly subjective; as is 'private purposes' - how private can the matter of "free and fair elections" be?
Yes, people took to the streets to demand free and fair elections. And got water cannoned, tear gassed and generally beaten down. Ironic, isn't it? The sad thing is that the police, who are meant to be the apolitical guardian of the people, are very much the lapdogs of the current government. But if it's politics, the government will rise up and kick ass. Of its own people.
What's beautiful and masterful was the next rally: the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) wanting to march and deliver a memorandum to the British High Commissioner demanding compensation for the shit they've been through since the Brits shipped them over yonks ago. Okay, so England's never going to hand over the ridiculous amount they're demanding (they've enough Indians of their own over there to worry about) but they made an key point here in Malaysia: that you CAN demonstrate and get away with it. Sure, they got arrested, beaten down, water cannoned and tear gassed too - but a tiny proportion. We need to be reminded of this fundamental human right here, that WE THE PEOPLE are the ones who ultimately decide HOW the country is run and BY WHOM.
It's the timing that was exquisite: if they rallied first, the 2nd one (which was far more politically biased) would never have gotten through. Of course, the fact that it was Indians (arguably the most looked-over minority here) marching about their getting the lousy end of the preferential treatment stick made the powers-that-be stop dead in their tracks. Can you imagine the scene?

Police officer: "Boss, they're rallying illegally! The Indians are all in the streets!"

Police boss: "Illegal rally?? Take them down! Water! Gas! Send out all the... wait, WHO?!?"


If it were Chinese... it'd be a very different story, wouldn't it. Of course, the Chinese are far too sensible to go out into the streets and get wet and smelly and whatnot - hello, where's the obvious economic gain??

Sadly, the PM announced that he would use the Internal Security Act (ISA) if necessary. Subdue us unruly lot, who would not sit in subservient silence as nonsense after nonsense crop up in this administration.


On other news, which WE should be making a much bigger deal of - a Malaysian woman totally whoops the ass of THREE Chinese top seeds in badminton and takes gold! First time in Malaysia a woman takes gold in badminton, I think. Hallo! Celebration time!! We just owned a 1-billion-kiasu-people sporting nation!!!

Congratulations girl, you kick ass.




The things we focus on. We're a funny people, us Malaysians.

Rose Rose I'll Miss You

The run is over, so quickly it feels. Of course, 6 shows IS short; and 1 month rehearsals is VERY short. Owing to the mad schedule we were keeping in Genting and my severe lack of sufficient computer exposure, I've been spending the last 2 weeks catching up on sleep and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (which, I must reiterate, kicks ass).

Highlight of the past 2 weeks is "guest starring" in Ghost, a drama series in Malay that'll be coming out on 8TV next month. It's by Popiah Pictures, and the script's looking quite interesting so that's something to look out for. More on that in the future (yes yes lots of posts promised, I'm getting round to them). Oh yes a great development also happened, but a teaser will have to do for now.

The highlight of Rose has to be meeting a whole host of new people and working with them. Broken Bridges to Ah Steve to Tunku, lots of similarities. On to Rose, and there are only a small handful with whom I worked with before. And of course we had great opportunities to bond - shared hardship and being locked up in Genting together. Got to meet some real star characters. Quite a number of us regularly meet up for yam char or whatever, though I usually count myself out.

Post-production blues? Initially. Now, I've just inundated myself with stuff to do so it's all good - from catching some amazing plays this week (Wrecks at KLPac and Solo Sessions I at Central Market Annexe), organising entertainment for my university alumni centenary dinner, organising the next university alumni social event, working on my short play, working on a whole bunch of ideas.

I'm back, baby; and I'm ready to roll!

Rose Rose I Hurt You

The biggest challenge I'm facing with Rose Rose I Love You on stage is actually physical. Sure, there's definitely standards to maintain, expectations to live up to and the quagmire that is the production process. But really, the character I play does not require much emotional depth, nor verbal eloquence; and his greatest dramatic moment is already written into the script. So I don't have to worry much about lines or creating deep emotion. Much of the physical challenge lies in the gorgeous headgear that we open the show with:
(No, we don't open inside the dressing room with the toilet in the background.)
That's me and my wife. She's an accomplished dancer and choreographer - in fact, she helped choreograph some of the stuff in the show. The inside of the headgear:
Notice the demonic little staple-like things scattered about between the holes. A close-up to the demons within:
Just think of it as a mother-thick big staple that's there to hold up the fancy stuff on top of the headgear. Now imagine - there are 7 (or so) of those things, digging a hole in my skull. It's like one of those ancient torture helmets people used to clamp on victim's heads to render them rather stupefied with pain. Of course, it's a really dumbass thing to use for interrogations - they'd be too dumb to speak after it's been on for any length of time.

Also, part of my choreography involves shaking my head side-to-side to emphasize the gorgeousness of the headgear (and the beautiful head it rests on, obviously). Yerks. An additional exacerbation point: I need to wear a black wrap around my head to support the headgear. It's wound really tight. With lots of additional hairpins for support. And it's on the whole show. I really dislike it. It constricts blood flow to my head until it comes off, then all the waiting blood does a much-anticipated blitzkreig right back into my head. Ugh. And the hairpins are not cool, either.

It's no wonder I feel so nauseated, faint and generally unhappy just before curtains are open. Of course, then everything after that is easy-peasy shitsy-sneezy, so it's nice that way. One of those "suffer now, gain later" things. Anyway great experience for the next time I carry funky stuff on my head.

Rose Rose I Shit You

Overheard in the male dressing room:


X: "You know what? Ever since we came up to Genting, I've been shitting 3 times a day. I mean that's not actually bad, it's not diarrhea or anything but you know what's really annoying is that my ass itches like hell!"


Y: "Here. Take these pills. You'll be okay in about 30 minutes."

Rose Rose I Dress You

As a welcome change from Tunku the Musical (yes yes I've still yet to post up my layers of costumes for Act 1), here's my full wardrobe for Rose Rose I Love You:
Yes, a grand total of TWO sets, comprising of:

• 1 white Pagoda T-shirt (worn throughout the whole show)
• 1 white kung-fu top
• 1 black kung-fu trousers
• 1 pair of kung-fu shoes
• 1 pair of white socks
• 1 black trousers
• 1 pair of dark blue slippers

Of course, these are the most accessories I've ever worn in my life lah:

• 1 black band for my head
• 1 black band as a kung-fu belt
• 2 black bands as wrist-wraps
• 1 monster headgear

And here's a parade of headgears, as worn by the Kam family:
Bet it looks great on stage. I've no idea myself, though. Someone should make a giant portable mirror that'll reflect everything on stage for vain, preening actors. Not, not me obviously.

As you can see from the first pic above, the lucky fellow I'm sharing a "wardrobe slot" with is Tony, who only has one costume the whole show (the other lucky bugger's Soon Yoon). Technically I'm the lucky one as I've a huge space to hang my clothes. So here's my dressing table area (with the necessary rose, programme booklet and resident monkey):
And here are some shots of the male dressing room. Here's some flashy lights, an angle from the toilet and our resident primary schoolteacher playing School Wars:
Here's the other angle from the toilet, with a committee-jukebox (Anrie, Bella, KK, Tony and Soon Yoon [hidden behind the jacket]):
And here's an angle from next to the front door, where they've set up a make-up & hair corner:
And yes, with unusual laconicness, I end here.

Rose Rose I Love You : Opening Weekend

With rather insufficient preparation, rehearsals and full runs, we opened last Friday. I cannot accurately gauge the size of the audience (the layout's quite different to KLPac, and the Genting International Showroom seats 1000) but it's in the hundreds. Personally, I think the first show went terribly. Last minute changes were still being made during the day, with a quick rehearsal for the changed parts (not necessarily running the whole scene) and off to get made-up / sound-checked / dressed / prepared for the big show. My opening dance sequence was one of the late changes, as we (my "wife" and I) got caught in the crux of misaligned ideas that came to fruition at the eleventh hour - choreographer wanted a nice partner-work dance that emphasized that we were family, set designer wanted a nice tight set that had multiple stories that just fit people's heights, costume designer wanted gorgeous, dramatic, Chinese opera style headgear for my wife and I. The set was fixed, the director loved the headgear (with the massive feathers that double my height) and so we had to work around that. No worries, the sequence is short, I can hack it. Anyway showtime adrenaline kept me on the ball.
By the second show we pretty much had our act together - most of us thought it our best (including the 3rd show lah!) and I think it was great that all various teams pulled their socks up and really made a difference. Actors with their cues and pacing, musicians with their cues and timing, technicals with the sound cues and balance.
At the end of it all, people are enjoying the show (for the most part). It's pop theatre, nice and simple, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. The thing that would put most people off is the bilingualism of the play, and they're rectifying it this weekend with a subtitle screen.

More shots to come later.

What I think this production could have done better? Planning. I think the production team (producer, director, stage manager) and the extended production team (choreographer, set designer, costume designer) really should have sat down early and met regularly to set out exactly WHO DOES WHAT, and WHEN. Regular communication between these people, as well as clear scheduling would've made a huge difference to the final production, and everyone involved.

What I think this production does very well? Marketing. Blimmin'ell, the sheer number of articles regarding the play puts KLPac to shame. Mention Rose Rose I Love You and so many people respond with, "oh, the Rose Chan musical?". Kudos. The other thing that this production has done very well is put together a piece of enjoyable (not exemplary nor excellent) theatre in a very short period of time. Much of it is a credit to the sheer talent, hard work, dedication and thick-skinnedness of the creative team lah.

Come up, watch it. It's fun, and Genting's not so bad. In fact I'm really enjoying my time here - it's quite different when you're working and have been given a prepaid debit card for buying food here. I'd happily work here again. And I believe that I'd work with this team again.

Rose Rose I Love You : Full Dress Rehearsal

We had our first full dress tonight, the first time we're seeing and working with all our costumes. As usual, it was madness. We all felt it went horribly, though from the current looks of things the 2nd Act was worse (we're working on it right now) than the 1st though we felt the opposite was true.

Anyway the costumes are fabulous (courtesy of Steven Sunny) and the make-up is fantastic (courtesy of MAC). My opening costume was shocking when I first laid eyes on it, and amazingly gorgeous. The headgear's worth RM800, but I just realised that I didn't wear my belt in the run. Check it out:


Battery out.

Hopelessness and Resignation

[composed on my PDA-phone at 1.30am, 1st Nov 2007]

It is 1.30am and we're running Scene 3, possibly the most rehearsed scene in the play. I am resigned to the possibility that we will run past 3am today, with a ridiculous call time tomorrow morning.

What is the point? We started with a 9am call time and ended up properly rehearsing at 11.30am. We've been in this god-forsaken hall since NINE A.M. with 1 hour 45 minutes break for lunch and dinner. In total. There has been no structure to the day, with the singular exception of ONE full technical run. That creates an environment of tension, where your best is required the instant your scene is on but you don't know when that is.

What is the point? Will we remember all these changes tomorrow? Will we be yelled at again tomorrow? Will we stay in robust health at the end of the week? Will we stay injury-free at the end of the week?

What is the point? Will we start 2 hours AFTER call time again tomorrow? Will we have an insufficient break again tomorrow?

What is the point? The insults. The rudeness. The unreasonableness.

So many tears. So much frustration. So much negative emotion, pent-up, bottled. Is it all necessary?


What is the point??

Rose Rose I Fear You

[composed on my PDA-phone at about 11pm, 31st Oct 2007]

Technical runs are known to be frustrating at best, and downright agonizing on average. Today, I think our combined blood pressure rose high enough to keep the whole of Genting Highlands heated for the rest of the year.

Disorganisation is only painful if it affects you, then you truly appreciate, value and even treasure the pain-in-the-ass-ness of an organised group. The general mood of the whole team was so low that any of us would've committed murder if we could've escaped the theatre hall. Me, I was so tense that I had trouble shitting- it is rather weird to continuously, consciously tell your arsehole to relax.

What have I learned thus far?

1. It's called a production TEAM for a reason. The Director and the Stage Manager need to work together. The Musical Director needs to work together with the D and the SM.

2. All the people involved are also a team, working together to have the production happen. Well, preferably. The Director and the cast are on the same side. The Stage Manager and the cast are on the same side. The musicians and the cast are on the same side.

3. Respect is so important. Respect for other people, respect for people's time, respect for the need for effective communication, respect for people's space and abilities. Insulting people simply does NOT bring out the best in them. Taking the effort to not waste people's time on waiting around goes a long way in boosting morale and provides an excellent reason for people to give their very best during the times they ARE working for you.

4. Planning is so crucial. For one, it builds on #3 above - giving a schedule for people to work with and organise their time around. Furthermore, it means that there's a common direction for people to work towards, and so practise with a known goal in mind. It is also a structure for improvement - what has been tried, what has been adapted, what works and what doesn't. Having clear rest times ensures your team stays relaxed and not tense even when on a break. Let's never forget that the key to having a plan work is keeping to it.

5. A smoke-free theatre is not a given, and must be appreciated.

6. The mindset of 'get as many things done at the same time' or some form of kiasu-ness, when it comes to stop-start running a play, does not work. Wanting to work tech (sound and lights), blocking, choreography, music and pacing all at the same time throws everyone off their cues and characters.

7. Clear communication is vital to get things done smoothly and effectively. Everyone who needs to know, needs to be told. There should be a "Director's Notes" and a "Stage Manager's Notes" at the end of every rehearsal or so, to communicate what had been done that rehearsal and what (and when) the next one is.

Just a few days ago I was looking forward to this Genting trip with a volatile mixture of excitement and trepidation. Working at a different venue (my largest), enjoying a most-expenses-paid, extended stay at cool (cold, not hip) Genting, getting away from the madness of KL, a chance to finally get it all over with. And yet - maniacal whole day rehearsals, spur-of-the-moment changes to anything whatsoever, expected rehearsals even after opening night, the mad flood of ultimate Cina-ness that is Genting, the oldness of everything.

Now that I'm here, I so want to fast forward to the end of next week. And yet I so look forward to those little moments of free time. Bah.

Lights out.