Looking East?

i must say that hafidah can really sniff stuff out. i'd been sitting on this for a while now, since we met this japanese guy at the cameronian arts awards and he wanted to discuss bringing PGL the Musical to Japan. with the madness of rehearsals and always being behind in deadlines for approving print ads, editing the P.Ramlee coffee table book and managing interviews and communication for the show in between attending rehearsals, there really wasn't much time and brain space at all for anything non-P.Ramlee.

she caught me off-guard with a phone interview about the Japan thing though, i must say. cheeky thing. i hadn't even discussed it with the guys yet. gosh, when you're in "recovery" mode from one big rollercoaster ride, you don't wanna get on another one that instantly.

"putting on" a show the size of PGL or P.Ramlee really takes a whole lot out of you, not just out of our piggy bank, but physically and mentally too. emotionally and spiritually too in the case of PGL especially as everyone knows the project really has a special meaning for me.

well, now it's out in the open i guess the next few weeks will be spent trying to make the next run happen, and anyone interested can keep watching this space...

peace, everyone.


2008/06/24

Wordhasit: Puteri Ledang may head East
By : Hafidah Samat

EACH time Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina’s name makes the headlines, Malaysians inevitably take pride seeing her passion in raising the bar of Malaysian theatre.
And now that she has shouldered the reins of film and theatre productions, our respect and admiration for her can only get stronger. She obviously knows what she wants and strives to remain dynamic in the creative field.

Now, barely two weeks after her latest production, P. Ramlee The Musical: The Life, The Loves & The Inspiration (Season 2) concluded its successful run at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur, Tiara has started talking about her next project.

According to the executive producer of Enfiniti Productions, the company’s first theatre production Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical (PGLM) has been invited to perform at an arts festival at the Metropolitan Theatre of Performing Arts in Tokyo early next year.

Understandably, Tiara is excited. But still reeling from the too-good-to-be-true feeling, she refuses to think about the offer yet.
In a phone interview last Friday, Tiara let out a hearty laugh, saying that she is still “recuperating” from the sold-out performances of P. Ramlee The Musical.

“Oh my, how did you find out? But yep, a representative from the Japan Foundation has approached me not too long ago. Although the offer is just too good to miss, there are a lot of factors to consider if I were to accept it,” said Tiara.

Logistics is the paramount factor she has to look into if the production goes to Japan.

“PGLM is not designed as a ‘two-men-and-a-suitcase’ production as that would be ideal for a travelling show. And the musical without the set is a different story.

“If the organiser can plan PGLM for a longer run, that would be more economically-viable for us,” said Tiara, adding that she will be meeting with the production crew to discuss the matter in a couple of weeks.

She also said that PGLM has also been invited to be staged in Singapore.

“Honestly, it is expensive to start the entire production all over again and for a production to break even, it has to run for at least two months,” she added.

Asked about her latest project, Tiara said she can’t reveal anything at the moment.

“Yes, I’ve something planned for next year but it is still at an infancy stage,” she said.

The self-professed perfectionist has also released Behind The Scenes At P. Ramlee The Musical, a coffee-table book that documents interesting anecdotes and never-seen-before images of the production.

Citing it as “a labour of love”, she helmed the book project in order to make it more special. “It’s more of a record of our journey and the book can be used as a manual for fellow theatre practitioners for their future productions,” she said.

The book is currently available at all MPH outlets nationwide.