Stage

Set a date with Malam Takdir this July, August

Opera uses combination of music, movement and the national language

Updated 3 years ago · Published on 26 Jun 2023 11:15AM

Set a date with Malam Takdir this July, August — Inspired by the Mahabharata, Malam Takdir revolves around an imagined conversation between a king, who was born blind, and his advisor. – Pic courtesy of Five Arts Centre, June 25, 2023

FIVE Arts Centre is presenting a new opera in Bahasa Melayu by Johan Othman that is inspired by the Mahabharata.

Directed by Chee Sek Thim, Malam Takdir gives contemporary expression to a story inspired by a piece of classical text that is common to the South-East Asian region.

By using a combination of music, movement and the national language, the opera refreshes tradition and carves out new relevance for our inherited cultural heritage, it said in a statement.

The story of Malam Takdir 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.

In this conversation, the advisor tries to convince the king to stop the war.

Fully aware of the tragic fate that awaits his sons, the blind king nonetheless allows the war to proceed, choosing instead to take a gamble with destiny, with the hope that his 100 sons will triumph and inherit the throne.

What unfolds is an argument that brings to the fore a story of hope and betrayal, fate and human volition.

Malam Takdir was first presented as a play in Penang in 2019. It featured Hilyati Ramli and Noor Rizuwan Zolkepli as actors.

The music for the opera, also by Johan, is composed with the participation of the performers and employs rhythmic clapping and sound-making around arias written for a soprano voice, which will be sung by Tan Jin Yin.

The opera will be presented ‘a capella’.

Details for the shows are as follows:

Penang

Date/Time: July 21 & 22 – 8.30pm; July 22 & 23 – 3pm

Venue: Komtar Level 5, Auditorium A, Penang.

Ticket: RM50

Early bird promo RM140 for four tickets (ends July 7)

For tickets, go to: https://forms.gle/CBKcQh2tJZS3Z2Yt7

Klang Valley

Date/Time: August 5 – 8.30pm; August 5 & 6 – 3pm

Venue: Nero Event Space, Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre – PJPAC, 1 Utama E.

Ticket: RM70