Front Row

Ian McEwan is regarded as one of the finest writers of his generation, and amongst the most controversial. His early pieces were notorious for their dark themes and perverse, even gothic, material.

He won the Somerset Maugham Award for his collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites (1975) and was nominated three times for Britain’s most prestigious literary award, the Booker Prize for Fiction, finally securing the honour with his win for the novel Amsterdam in 1998.

Our resident literary columnist Umapagan Ampikaipakan discusses McEwan's life and works, in particular Saturday, Atonement, Enduring Love, On Chesil Beach and Amsterdam.

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Like their name suggests, the six talented members of Juxtasound come from different walks of life, but share the same passion - music and singing.

Half of this motley crew - David Oh, Eason Tang and Hunter Leow - tell us more about the acoustic and acapella music they create together, and all the goodies they have in store at their concert, A Night With Juxtasound.

Listen out for a sneak preview too!

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PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public, by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture.

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation ("chit chat"), It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide.

It rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds, and the brief the presenters are given is - no brief! They can talk about any subject of choice, as long as they keep to the time and format.

Grey Yeoh, Programmes officer at the British Council Kuala Lumpur, and arts practitioner Mark Teh, tell us more about this global phenomenon, and the upcoming celebratory Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 10 to be held here in Kuala Lumpur.

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Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' was, to some degree, a reflection of his own life. The highly anxious Kafka viewed modern man as an alienated being living in an ever-increasing cold and mechanised world, as witnessed by his hyper-responsible, alienated character Gregor Samsa.

The Oral Stage, under the direction of Christopher Jacobs, are set to stage this powerful story, and castmembers Lim Kien Lee (who plays Gregor Samsa) and Amelia Chen (who plays Lodger #3), tell us more about their staging and interpretation of Kafka's tale of change, alienation, betrayal and guilt.

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Sitar living legend Ustad Usman Khan makes his way to our shores, promising some soul-stirring and deeply evocative classical Indian music, in the concert "Soul Sitar."

Accompanying this gifted musician is Malaysia's very own tabla virtuoso, Prakash Kandasamy, who tells us more about Ustad Usman's impressive work, both as a musician and as a teacher.

Prakash also talks about his own love affair with the tabla, and the soul-enriching experience the duo have in store for all at the concert, which is presented by the Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lumpur.

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“My Lingam Speaks” is set to be a night of comedy “told from a 6 ½ inch perspective, while trying to stand up.”

Promising a huge dose of comedy, plus a mixture of drama, romance, action and even some horror, 'My Lingam Speaks' is a saucy look at all things Malaysian, served up by the dishy Terry and thecuz.

Joining The Bigger Picture today to tell us what their 'lingam' could do if it could speak, are writer/performer/designer and producer Terence Conrad and 'The Cuz', and director Daniel Koerner. Warning: Spicy Content!

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This year, non-profit organisation The Befrienders KL mark 40 years of helping the lonely and depressed members of our community.

Their fundraising charity dinner to mark the occasion will feature the staging of the pop musical 'Six In The City', presented by Integrated Expressions.

Six In The City's Music Director Penny Low and Producer Yim Mei Choo tell us about the pop-a-licious musical they've put together in aid of this momentous occasion.

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Secrets, lies and denial abound in Sam Shepard's "Buried Child", which follows the lives of a Midwestern family, and the secret that threatens to ruin them all.

Director Alex Chua talks about his interpretation of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which he is presenting as part of KLPAC's Theatre for Young People (T4YP) series.

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One-fifth of the 'rock-gods of art' in Malaysia, Bayu Utomo Radjikin of the Matahati collective talks to us about ArTriangle 2010, an exhibition showcasing the latest artworks from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore.

Currently running at the National Art Gallery, this event is a diverse showcase of paintings, sculptures, drawings and various other mediums of art, from an equally diverse range of participating artists.

Organised by the House of Matahati, the exhibition doubles as a fund-raising event, with half of the benefits from sales being channeled towards assisting artists in need.

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The 25th of July 2010 marks the one-year anniversary of filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad's passing. In conjuction with this anniversary, The Instant Cafe Theatre and Yasmin's younger sister, Orked Ahmad, present a charity screening of the film Talentime, Yasmin's final feature film prior to her death.

Orked also talks about her sister's legacy, generosity and talent, and the year that has been for Orked and the rest of Yasmin's family since her passing.

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