Written by lainie at 02:13 PM on March 25, 2006 in Arty stuff.

To perform my usual gig-whoring duties, to friends and readers alike, please go check out Reza's blog, because the Kampong Fest looks frickin interesting (I like the line up), my friends love Bar Blond, and "Slow Jams" will feature Reza, Melina Williams, Rhapsody, Zalila Lee, Kevin (Broken Scar) and more, for charity. Cmon, music while telling yourself this is actually for a good cause. Indulge . Or, buy a tub of ice cream.

Seriously though, i wish there were more new acts around. Open mic, open mic, I guess. Isaac Entry is back, which is a good thing .

Right. Instead of blogging one long post, I'm breaking it up a bit - Seriously, I cannot sit on my bum all day and type out what happened in three days. Plus, I'm reading a book. Well, five, I have lots of reading to catch up on.

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[ Edit: Update ]

First of all, M The Opera has MP3 snippet downloads so you can preview how some of the songs go (it's on the left side, I'm listening to Cun Kan Aku by Maizurah Hamzah right now, it sounds very different in the opera, but ah, she has a lovely voice).

[ Navigation for photos are annoying, but the MP3s are cool ]

But heck, Opera, so if you're considering going for it (good luck with tickets), maybe you could catch a glimpse of the singing and music.

[ End: Update ]

Went for M! The Opera on the 22nd, it was preview night, not officially the opening, Zedeck gave me some comp tickets. M, I suppose, is what willl be called a modern opera?
And I suppose, if I was more arsed to do so, I would check the official website or Kakiseni and get more information, but nah.

Sat with with Isz, Kate and Josie, a row away from the stage, and I was right behind the conductor Roland Peelman (Isz says he's really, really good - I wouldn't know how to tell, I'm not the one who played for an ochestra). I met TV Smith along the way, as I walked towards my chair.

Okay - let's just get my shallow side out of the way by saying that there are many scenes where a whole row of girls WILL face their booty your way, in their beautiful, flattering, tight designer dresses, and it gets distracting. My utterly insincere apologies for having to point that out.

Now that I've said that....

I was initially a bit lost at the beginning of the opera, because it was in Bahasa, though I did like the songs there (I'll tell you now, two of the songs have been stuck in my head, and the only thing that vaguely comforts me is knowing I'm not alone, they've been playing in Tei and Isz's mental ears too).
I knew what was happening, just not exactly what they were saying (the plus point of watching too much Japanese anime, I suppose).

I found the ending a bit abrupt, felt contrived and forced to tie in wittily with the beginning of the opera, but heck. After the opera it was a general "Why, would they choose to end it that way?".

Halfway through the play, Isz points out the translation board waaaaaaaaaay above my head. I'd been sitting too close to the stage to notice it. The translation board for that night was pretty damn bad. It'd get stuck a few scenes behind, and leave out many parts (though that was only for the preview night, it gets heaps better on opening night).

Doreen Tang (Sepi). Hmm. Name to watch out for. Everyone who watched it agree she's cute as heck. And what a voice. By the second night, we knew to watch out for the scene where she flutters out in her white dress. Can easily tell we'll be seeing more of this woman, so best get used to her name.

Maizurah Hamzah as Kak Ros. Lovely, lovely.

Oh and George Chan as Kerabat is fricking cool, I reckon I liked his character most (really well casted, either that or he pretty much absorbed the role of Kerabat into himself). Kerabat and M have bad karma together (mostly cause M keeps taking / getting stuff from Kerabat ever since he was born).
He pretty much dominates every instance he appears. Good dancer, I like watching him move, sings well. Definitely wouldn't mind watching more of his work.

Kate and I were sitting close to the stage and halfway through his dance, Kate tapped me on the shoulder, and did some "He-Man" type of pose, said "Buff". Like jesus, I'm not blind, we're sitting real close, I can see he's fit. The next day I sit far away and I can STILL see he's way fit.

Actually, I liked ALL the dancers, choreography rocks. Especially on the preview night (sadly, dancing not as well executed the next night - though everything else picked up more the next night). The outfits were great as well, there were some I really liked. I'd post up pictures, but no photography allowed on that night .

I'd been told that Jo Kukathas has been known to.....well. She has trouble editing out stuff, apparently. So the intermission was much, MUCH later than expected. I liked the music (Isz loved the music), especially loved the gamelan part - maybe because I don't hear it as often, so.

Beautiful moons on stage. I liked the Tokyo scene heaps in the beginning, though I think it could have done with some editing.

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After it was done, Zedeck was rather traumatised by the opera for some reason, looked really troubled and fretted. We comforted him, Isz told him to hug me cause I'm "good with hugs" (I am binding my boobs before I hug her from now on).

Lainie: I'll give you a hug.

Zedeck kneeled down and hugged......my groin. I mean, I know I offered a hug, but this is really not what I had in mind.

Lainie: *looks down* Zedeck. That is my groin. With your face. In it.
Zedeck: I know.
Lainie: *narrowed eyes*. Move higher.

Zedeck moves up a little bit higher and hugs....my boobs.

Lainie: Oi! Opportunist!
Isz: I know. Isn't he?
Lainie: Quite.

I look at his big mop of hair covering my boobs and roll my eyes. If I wanted chest hair I'd drink 80 proof alcohol every day, breakfast lunch and dinner. He looked up and smiled at me, I throw Isz a look, she thinks it's funny, and I was just analysing what must be one of the plus points about being tall, you can hug an Asian girl while on your knees, and your face will be chest level.....

Lainie: Anytime now......you can feel free to let go of my boobs.

And it's not even the first time he's pulled this stunt. I don't know why I'm not inclined to smack him upside the head everytime he does stuff like that - I've kicked balls for far lesser reasons, like caffeine deprivation (wait, is that a lesser reason?).

Oh well.

Must learn his technique, so I too may go around freely grabbing breasts, and sticking my face into groins.

After M!, went for a mamak session with Zedeck, Isz, TV Smith, and some cast of M!. Allll the lil stories came out, who fudged up where, who covered up their fudging and how, the complains....Eheh. Always fun.

I met Nicole Thomas there - I mostly remember her because she blogged and called Zedeck a male geisha, and I spent minutes laughing after reading that.

Overall, M! was alright, I enjoyed it - but it could have been better, definitely. Not in the way that anything and everything can be better, but in the "it can obviously still be improved" kinda way. That being said, one look at the list of people involved in it should be a pretty big selling point - Lots of talent Talent there.

[ SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER ALERT (I think it's a spoiler anyway) ]

Zedeck asked later on if we figured out that Kerabat and M are actually siblings. Isz figured it out from the song lyrics (I missed the part where he sang about being brothers), I got it from the whole implied-needle significance and when Kerabat sings that everything keeps getting taken away from him (which is why you should really pay attention to the lyrics) (did I mention George Chan is frickin cool in this opera?).

It's not meant to be obvious, I guess, but you should be able to pick it up if you've been paying attention.

[ End pseudo spoiler ]

Highlights are the music, choreography and fashion (so that's pretty good, for an opera revolving around fashion and love). Lyrics were simplistic, but I don't have much beef with that.

I liked the concept and ideas that drove it, but it feels like the Malaysian audience is not really ready for it yet, I could overhear during the intermission quite a few people who did not understand what in heck's name was going on (not used to theatre / opera, perhaps?).
But I'm very cynical in the sense that I think heavily conceptual / stylised stuff usually doesn't go down well here. Isz said she heard some people didn't even get the idea behind the stage design, at all..........I mean.... -_-".

Suanie: m! the opera - too many cooks

TV Smith: M! THE MESS (A Review)

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