Malaya Relived: The Fall of Singapore, by Liver and Lung (in Partnership with GMBB) will be performing at the GMBB Gallery between 22-24 March 2019.
Revolving around black magic, betrayal and the British occupation; this immersive musical seeks to unravel the tenuous foundations that the Malayan cultural identity is built upon.
The Fall of Singapore, the first of the Malaya Relived series, tells the story of a young family with Bugis ancestry living in Singapore under the British empire. The plot follows Zubaida and Zabir, a sibling duo, as they try to navigate the difficult task of investigating their father’s mysterious death, keeping their family at peace and surviving the British rule. Struggling to cope with grief, their familial relationship is further strained when Zabir blames their father’s death on Zubaida’s courtship with a British soldier. While Zubaida, on the other hand, is convinced that there are larger supernatural forces at play. Amidst this tragedy, an impending threat of the Japanese occupation casts a dark shadow across the country.
Brought to life in the form of a three-act musical, the show takes place in a dilapidated kampung living room. Audiences are invited to engage with a multi-sensory experience as they are wholly immersed within a life-like funeral setting, situated at a site-specific kampung house. Set in 1940s Malaya, prepare to enter a time travel portal whilst being serenaded with an eclectic mix of moving, original music, heart-rending streams of contemporary sounds fused with a colonial, oriental twist. Woven in a colourful tapestry of familiar sounds and smells, this proudly Malaysian play promises to be a spectacular showcase of our local culture, serving as a reminder of our past realities in the most poignant of means.
Liver and Lung is a critically acclaimed and award-winning international theatre company. Stylistic and didactic, their plays, musicals and events in London, Edinburgh and Malaysia have reached a wide audience. In 2017, their original musical, Mahsuri and Other Peculiar Tales won Malaysia’s National Boh Cameronian Arts Award for Innovation in Musical Theatre. They are in proud partnership with GMBB, a retail creative hub at the heart of KL city, an exciting new ecosystem for creative growth and collaboration.
Starring Zickry Yusoff as Zabir and Putrina Rafie as Zubaida, The Fall of Singapore is seamlessly pulled together by Shafeeq Shajahan, writer, director, composer and co-producer, alongside Ian Nathaniel as the role of musical director, arranger and co-producer.
GMBB Gallery, No 2, Jalan Robertson, 50150, Kuala Lumpur, Dates 22-24 March 2019, Time 20:00 (1 hr), Ticket prices RM70 / concessions RM60, http://www.liverandlung.com/malayarelived email: liverandlungproductions@gmail.com
