His Pengiring, or adviser, comes to him in desperation, begging that he stop the current flow of events. But despite knowing the tragic outcome, the king chooses instead to risk the lives of all his sons.
He allows the war to proceed, choosing to gamble with destiny while hoping his sons will triumph and seize victory. And what unfolds is a tragic tale of hope, betrayal, fate, and human volition.
Director Chee Sek Thim describes the local opera “Malam Takdir”, which revolves around an imagined conversation from the “Mahabharata”, as a tale that invites audience members to think.
“There’s a reason why epics such as the ‘Mahabharata’ are epics, why they continue to stand the test of time,” Chee, 60, said via Zoom in an interview with FMT Lifestyle.
“The story we are presenting really has its characters in a complex moral complication. How does the king make this decision, both as a ruler of a nation and as a father?
“The story asks questions but does not provide any black-and-white answers. And I think that is where its profundity lies.”
“Malam Takdir” is the second opera from local playwright, composer and lecturer Johan Othman. Originally presented as a play in 2019, it was subsequently workshopped and adapted into its current form with the goal of staging it the following year. The pandemic, however, interrupted everything.
Fortunately, plans for the production were later revived, and the cast and crew of the theatre collective Five Arts Centre are excited to be staging “Malam Takdir” in Penang and the Klang Valley this month and next.
This Malay-language production will see the blind king portrayed by Hilyati Ramli, reprising her role. The Pengiring, meanwhile, will be performed by four actors, namely Kabilan, Desmond Ngooi, Teoh Chee Lin, and Wong Wei Hern.
”As the king is blind, he essentially never sees the Pengiring but hears and feels him,” Chee said. “And the Pengiring takes on different tones throughout the story. Sometimes he is very loving and caring towards the king; sometimes he lectures and questions him.
“There are so many aspects to the Pengiring’s personality, I thought they could be brought out through four different performers.”
These voices also serve as a chorus supporting the arias of Penang-born soprano Tan Jin Yin, who plays the narrator, Suara. Tan describes her role as exciting, mainly because the opera is performed a cappella, with no musical accompaniment at all.
“So I have to use my voice, and only my voice, to bring the story together and make it gel,” Tan, 34, shared. “It’s a very new experience for me, and a great way to experiment with a new kind of opera.”
Another unique aspect about this production is that, despite being billed as an opera, the actors have been rehearsing without a music score.
Composer Johan had instead provided them with a “menu” of sounds and rhythms, and a melody line for the soprano part. It was then up to the cast to put the music together as they saw fit.
As a result of this unconventional approach, the “creative process was more organic”, Chee pointed out, allowing “music and sound to support the story, as a group”.
“There was a lot of trying things and seeing how it goes. It’s a very modular approach to an opera, and to start rehearsals without a score required a leap of faith.
“It was the most challenging and the most seductive part of this production – but danger is always sexy,” Chee added with a grin.
The director concluded that he hopes “Malam Takdir” will serve as a positive experience for theatregoers and encourage them to check out all forms of art.
‘Malam Takdir’
Penang:
Auditorium A, Level 5, Komtar
• July 21 & 22 (Friday & Saturday), 8.30pm
• July 22 & 23 (Saturday & Sunday), 3pm
Tickets are RM50 and can be purchased here.
Petaling Jaya, Selangor:
Nero Event Space @ Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre, 1Utama
• Aug 5 (Saturday), 8.30pm
• Aug 5 & 6 (Saturday & Sunday), 3pm
Tickets, priced at RM70, can be purchased here.
More information on Five Arts Centre can be found via their website. Also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.