BUDDING actress Mia Sara Shauki has finally landed her leading role in a musical, and she is a princess like no other.
She may be Cinderella, that perennial Disney princess but she is no damsel in distress, unlike the traditional portrayal of the glass-slippered beauty who travels to the ball in a giant pumpkin.
"Yes, I may be the long-suffering Cinderella who finally gets her Prince but the storyline is highly Malaysianised and instead of travelling in a pumpkin, I go to the ball in a gigantic durian!" said Mia at the launch of 'Cinderella, A Musical Comedy For The Whole Family' at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC) recently.
DEBUT MUSICAL
Cinderella is staged at PJPAC in One Utama Shopping Centre from May 30 to June 2, and is the centre's debut musical production.
Directed by Joanna Bessey, 'Cinderella' also stars Brian Chan, Nabil Zakaria, popular comedians Joanne Kam and Papi Zak, Amsalan Doraisingam, Izzaldin K, Sheikh Irfan Mansor, Alya Amani, Arief Danial, Feyee Bethany, Janelle Arnelia, Julia Batrisyia, Swarna Naidu and Tan Guan Lin.
FAIRLY LIBERATED
Mia described her version of Cinderella as a "fairly liberated young woman" like Lily James' 2015 movie version of Cinderella.
"My Cinderella is an all-round good girl, but she is also a bit eccentric," said Mia.
As for glass slippers, Mia said she also had special footwear which Malaysians could relate to.
"They're even better than glass slippers, so wait and see!"
OLA BOLA
Brian, who is best known for playing Chow Kok Keong in 'Ola Bola The Musical' is marking his second collaboration with Mia.
"We appeared in 'The Producers' at KLPAC last year, but we weren't the main characters," he said.
Brian, who plays the Prince, said he does not "save" Cinderella but learns a lot from her.
"It's good to tweak the traditional plot, so as to make Cinderella a smart beauty."
SHOW STEALER
Kam, who plays Cinderella's stepmother Lady Tremaine, said the character will be a "show stealer".
"Cinderella's stepmother is a glamorous beauty whose ugliness is her meanness towards others. Nevertheless, she ain't a two-dimensional villain," she said.
BEYOND APPEARANCES
Papi plays the Fairy Godmother but will not be fully in drag.
"I will still look like a man, as an adult pantomime invites audiences to look beyond the mere appearances of the characters," he said.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Joanna said 'Cinderella' aims to bring performing arts and local talents closer to the residents of Bandar Utama and surrounding neighbourhoods.
"This is not the Cinderella everyone knows as it is packed with music, jokes, audience interaction, K-pop flavour and a whole new level of visual pleasure."
She said 'Cinderella' is a story of the supremacy of love over selfishness and greed, loaded with humour and magic.
"It transforms the classic fairy tale to reflect the crazy times we live in!"
DRESS-UP DAY
As a treat for young fans of musicals, there will be a show at 3pm on June 1 for the audience to play dress-up and the best dressed among them will win attractive prizes.
Tickets: RM65 to RM155.
Time: 8.30pm (May 30 to June 1) and 3pm (June 1 and 2).
For more information, visit https://pjpac.com.my/.