LOVE, fairies, kings and queens, mistaken identity — a right royal mix that is the fun of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Add that to the traditional dance-drama style of mak yong and audiences are in for a treat, Malaysian-style, with Mak Yong Titis Sakti.
Says its director Norzizi Zulkifli: “The issues are still relevant and it still discusses today’s problems. It focuses on the conflict of love, where each partner is hoping for the ideal love.
“However, conflict arises and in today’s world where reality is upheld, the element of magic and fairies is appealing to audiences.”
When Mak Yong Titis Sakti premiered in 2009, also under The Actors Studio Teater Rakyat, the marriage of these two distinct worlds made many sit up and it was selected to be a part of the Asian Intercultural Shakespeare Archive.
The play has been studied at the National University of Singapore and appeared in numerous publications including the Routledge Handbook of Asian Theatre.
Norzizi has since made the Malaysian stage light up with Medea and Usikan Rebab, which earned her a Boh Cameronian Best Director Award in 2013.
After earning her doctorate, Norzizi offered Throne of Thorns last year, which married Shakespeare’s The Tempest with mak yong.
It’s been eight years since the last staging of Mak Yong Titis Sakti, and Norzizi is sailing strong with getting the production ready for Jan 27 opening.
There are no major changes to the staging, she says, adding “if I added more, it will be overzealous creativity”.
“I did want to add more. However, I asked myself why I wanted to do so and whether it was just because of the restaging. My instincts told me not to and instead strengthen the presentation of the play with better blocking, entrance and exit, characterisation of each characters and acting style from the actors.
“One major difference is in the language in that I combined English (Shakespeare’s dialogue), Malay and the Kelantanese dialect. The result is a ‘sastera of mak yong’.”
Norzizi is again backed by a capable team comprising choreographer Zamzuriah Zahari, music director Kamrul Hussin, set designer Bayu Utomo Radjikin and costume designer Nur Afifi Mohamed Taib.
Some of the original cast will be making a return including Zamzuriah and pak yong Rosnan Rahman along with Asrulfaizal Kamaruzaman, Rosdeen Suboh, Shahanaros Shahruddin, Elza Irdalynna and Siti Farrah Abdullah.
New to the ensemble are actress Mardiana Alwi, Ezdianie Hayatie Omar, Safia Hanifah, Putri Hanan Shahidah as well as five dancers and 12 musicians.
Mak yong, declared by Unesco as a Masterpiece Of The Oral And Intangible Heritage Of Humanity in 2005, is not that well known outside of its bosom in Kelantan.
For Norzizi: “The use of Shakespeare's text is already appealing for non-Malay audiences.
“I think this exploration to fuse mak yong performance with western text will expand the audience for mak yong.”
Without a doubt, Mak Yong Titis Sakti is an apt start to the two-year celebration mounted by The Actors Studio to mark its 30th anniversary in 2019. --subhadra@nst.com.my
Fact Box
Mak Yong Titis Sakti
When: Jan 27 -Feb 4, 8.30pm with 3pm matinees on Jan 28 and Feb 4.
Where: Pentas 1, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), Sentul Park
Tickets at RM80 / RM60 / RM40 (with concessions)
Call KLPac Box Office at 03 4047 9000 or visit www.ticketpro.com.my