Front Row

Three decades after it first drew its curtains, Phantom of the Opera continues to thrill audiences around the world with its high drama and stellar music. In celebration of the musical’s 30th anniversary, Michael Cormick and Claire Lyon, who played the Raoul and Christine in previous productions, are presenting an evening of songs from the show in Kuala Lumpur. They talk to us about performing in the production, and why Phantom remains such a time-honoured classic. 

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On a Sunday afternoon just as a tea crowd broke into a downtown restaurant, our producer met with artist Poesy Liang. She had very recently exhibited a provocative installation at Art Stage Singapore in January. As words spilled between her cup and her lips and midst the hum of conversations and order-taking, she revealed that whimsical in her art belied her serious concern about creating experiences to engender compassion, kindness and empathy.

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When we see paintings in museums from years or even centuries ago, we don’t often think about the people who are responsible for their upkeep. But painting conservation plays an essential part in making sure we can continue to enjoy the masterpieces of the past. Kristin Rattke, paintings conservator with the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, talks about her job and her upcoming lecture, “Painting Conservation, Who Cares”. 

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The annual Le French Festival 2018 is back with an eclectic array of films, performances, art, and food from France. Jacques Bounin, the Director of Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur, talks about the many events in store at the festival.

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What does education really mean in Malaysia when viewed through the lenses of the urban-rural divide, class differences and wealth gap? Anomalist Production explores these issues in its play, IQ.Rock.

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Writer Ridhwan Saidi has been staging a series of Malay-language playlets he wrote since last year, which he calls Teater Modular. With the last four in the series currently being staged, Ridhwan talks about the process of writing the plays and bringing them to stage.

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Gamelan has been a part of local Malay culture since the early 19th century. A group of young practitioners have founded a contemporary gamelan group called Gangsapura with the aim of both keeping the art relevant and teaching new performers. In conjunction with an upcoming four-week course, co-founders Teuku Umar Ilany and Nur Diyana Nadirah talk about their love for gamelan and their vision for their group.

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The travelling minstrel was a medieval poet and a musician. Also known as a troubadour, they often travelled in troupes across countries and continents bringing stories and weaving. Joining Elaine Foster on this month’s edition of Speak Easy is a modern day minstrel and travelling poet from Singapore, Deborah Emmanuel.

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What do doodles have to do with cancer? On World Reverse Cancer Day, which is observed on 2nd of April, Doodle Malaysia will be helping Cancer Research Malaysia to promote awareness on cancer research.

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Four emerging theatre directors present their debut productions in a quadruple bill titled “Light. Eve. Soldiers. Fire.” The directors, who come from urban collective Theatresauce’s inaugural Emerging Directors Lab, share their experiences and talk about the productions.

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