"IT'S has been my dream to have it staged here," says playwright, author Kee Thuan Chye, of his 2008 play, Swordfish + Concubine.
He wrote it in 2004, then titled The Swordfish, Then the Concubine, and was judged one of the top five plays in the International Playwriting Festival 2006, organised by the Warehouse Theatre in the United Kingdom.
While the play saw its premiere in Singapore in 2008 and later in 2011, last year was the first time Swordfish + Concubine was staged in Malaysia and that too in Mandarin.
What took it so long, you wonder, to which Kee has only a shrug and a twinkle in his eye.
"Essentially it's about the youth saving the day. It has serious themes but done in a light-hearted way," says Kee, known for his plays 1984 Here and Now and We Could **** You, Mr Birch (1994) as well as his work on screen.
The play is set in old Singapura, which is being attacked by swordfish until it is saved by a boy. Somewhere in that situation enters a smart concubine who has been sentenced to death by impalement.
"These stories are actually in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals). The boy's tale is based on Hang Nadim, the wise village boy who boldly speaks up and saves the kingdom from a swordfish attack by the suggestion to line the beach with banana plant stems to trap the creatures.
"But he ends up being executed by the Maharaja, as he was seen as a threat to political stability," explains Kee, his iron-grey eyebrows raised as if in affront to such deeds.
"The tale of the concubine begins with a covenant made between Sang Nila Utama and Demang Lebar Daun the chief of Palembang — binding Singapura's future rulers and subjects in a relationship of mutual respect.
"Generations later, the concubine Nurhalisa is falsely accused and executed. This act breaks the covenant and unleashes a curse upon Singapura — the kingdom is invaded and conquered by the Majapahit.
"There is no connection of the two tales in the Sejarah Melayu so I forged a connection.
"The play has drama, music, dance. The music is live by Rhythm in Bronze, and I even wrote a rap piece for gamelan! You can see the play as a simple story-telling or read between the lines as reminders of how rulers and citizens should respect each other or whatever.
"But it will be an epic spectacle," says Kee with visible excitement.
The cast includes 12-year-old Joel Timothy Low as Hang Nadim while Hana Nadira plays the role of the concubine of the title.
Low was last seen on Astro's Anak Merdeka tv series while Hani has appeared in numerous stage shows including KLPac's Hamlet Malay adaptation called Tragedi Hamlet as Ophelia.
Others include Na'a Murad, Sandra Sodhy, Qahar Aqilah, Bella Rahim, Gregory Sze, Iefiz Alaudin, and Bright Ong.
Swordfish + Concubine will also help raise funds for the family of Ooi Eow Jin, the former RTM Orchestra conductor, who is 78 and suffering from Alzheimer's and whose son recently underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour.
FACT BOX
Swordfish + Concubine
Where: KLPac Pentas 1
When: Nov 2-5, 8.30pm with 3pm matinees on weekends.
Tickets: RM95, RM 75, RM45 (students and disabled)
Early Bird tickets (until Sept 24): RM80, RM60, RM40 (students and disabled)
Call KLPaC Box Office at 03-4047 9000 or visit www.ticketpro.com.my