cultural indexthe arts at a glance

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In the anthology of the great-est love stories in history, the one of Joseph and Mary, parents of Jesus Christ, probably doesn’t factor

very highly on the list — but it should be. When you examine their story, you will fi nd a tale of love triumphing all and also a story of tremendous faith and courage.

A quick recap of the biblical narrative: Joseph and Mary are teenagers about to be married. But Mary becomes pregnant mysteri-ously, claiming she is supernatu-rally impregnated and is carrying the divine child of God. Joseph wrestles with what Mary tells him and weighs the implications of the situation, and considers calling the wedding off.

It doesn’t end that way — the two do get married — but one can certainly imagine the emo-tional anguish that went on in-side Joseph, the faith it took for him to believe that his beloved Mary was telling the truth and the courage to go ahead with the wedding, even if it meant living under a cloud of stigma for the rest of their lives.

This portion of the story of Jesus’ birth isn’t one that is of-ten honed in on, and The Bible itself gives little details of the sort of struggle that the young lovers went through, not just emotionally, but also in the social and psychological context. It is this very aspect that the New York Times bestselling book, Two From Galilee, by Marjorie Holmes centres on.

Holmes fi lls in the gaps of the story recounted in The Bible to give a moving, multi-dimensional account, “a compassionate, emo-tional novel of divine love”, as the book has been described. In 1996, composer Robert Sterling

and lyricist Karla Worley adapted the book into a musical, capturing the heart and spirit of the story through their rich and imaginative scoring that evoked the emotions of the storyline. In 2006, the musical achieved Broadway status when it played at The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Sym-phony Space on Broad-way, New York.

“There’s a depth to the story... it does justice to the book in terms of substance,” says H K Chong, music director of The Canticle Singers (TCS), who will be staging the musical here in October. TCS was fi rst formed as a choral group in 1992 and ventured into dramatic musical productions in 2002. Their fi rst production was a much smaller production of Two From Galilee performed at a local church. This year’s staging will see a bigger cast and set design, and will be at the Panggung Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur.

“The main message is the

BY ELAINE LAU

Faith & courage

A tale of love triumphing all in the musical, Two From Galilee

Christmas story,” says artistic di-rector Chin San Sooi. “It develops into that but so much of it is the build-up to that, all the confl icts related to this. You have the most interesting confl ict between Mary and Joseph — the disbelief, the incredulity of it all and coming to terms with all this, that’s where the drama is centred on. That’s how the drama develops.”

Joanna Poh, cast as Mary, says portraying the role has given her a newfound appreciation for the biblical character. Mary is often conveyed in a one-dimensional way in most Nativity plays, giving

no hint to the struggles and diffi culties she faced. “Mary was just a child at that time,” says Poh. “It must have been very scary for her, and what’s worst is that the boy she loves could not believe what she said. I thought, if it was me how I would react. I re-alised it’s pushing a girl to

her limits. There were a lot of emotions that could make her go crazy. It takes a certain degree of faith to help her through such a time.”

Chin comments on what’s dif-ferent in this second staging of the musical. “Most of it is in the development of the characters,” he says. “The fi rst cast we had was not so experienced as most of them were raw. Because of that we couldn’t get them to enter into the characters fully. This time, the cast is a bit more experienced. They’re able to throw their ideas in and we could work with them

to develop those ideas. The fi rst cast, there was none of that. They were just taking direction. When you do that you are just copying and not making it your own. This time, however, I can work with them more. When they are raw, it’s very hard to push them. But when they have a little more experienced, you can help them realise their own vision. That makes it more interesting and exciting to do.”

Net proceeds from the show will be channelled to two chari-table causes: St Barnabas Home for abandoned children and or-phans in Klang and the Tondo Community Project in Manila, Philippines.

Two From Galilee will be staged from Oct 23 to Nov 1 at Panggung Bandaraya, Jalan Raja, KL. Tick-ets priced at RM38 and RM58. Call Axcess hotline at (03) 7711 5000 or visit www.axcess.com.my.

Scenes from the fi rst staging of Two From Galilee. The current production

sees a bigger cast and set.

19

Music

AkashAOct 23 and 24 (10.30pm)Alexis Ampang Bistro and Bar

10, Ground Floor, Great Eastern

Mall, 303 Jalan Ampang, KL

Free admission

(03) 4260 2288

AkashA is a Malaysian seven-

piece band that plays fusion

music, blending elements

of Malay, Indian, Chinese

and Western sounds. The

vibrant group seeks to explore

beyond the boundaries of

tradition and the constraints

of culture. Coming fresh from

the Rainforest World Music

Festival 2009, AkashA will

bring audiences through the

colours of the world with its

performance.

French IntermezzoOct 21 (6.30pm)Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

Level 2, Tower 2, Petronas Twin

Towers, KLCC

RM10

(03) 2051 7007; dfp_boxoffi ce@

petronas.com.my

The MPO Chamber Players

will be performing Ravel’s

Violin Sonata in G major,

Saint-Saens’ Caprice sur des

airs danois et russes, Berio’s

Sequenza VII for Solo Violin

and Poulenc’s Suite française.

Theatre

The Offi cial History of Malaysia — The Motion PictureOct 25 (5.30pm)CHAI House

6 Jalan 6/3, PJ

Free admission; donation

recommended

(03) 7784 8792

Kam Raslan and Na’a Murad

present a witty and thought-

provoking dramatisation

of Malaysian history, using

textbooks as their source.

The Yalta ConferenceOct 20 (8.30pm)CHAI House6 Jalan 6/3, PJ

Free admission; donation

recommended

(03) 7784 8792

This 30-minute off-beat and

funny play by Japanese

playwright Hirata Oriza depicts

the history of the past 50

years as created by world

leaders. Watch as Churchill,

Roosevelt and Stalin gather

at Yalta to discuss the post-

WWII world, plotting together

— and separately — just how

to best carve up the earth. The

performance will be followed

by FIRSTWoRKS The History

Conference, an interactive

play-making session with Jo

Kukathas, Zalfi an Fuzi and

Blue-chip performance

Shanon Shah, where you get

to make your own Malaysian

play (or plot) from a key

(or seemingly insignifi cant

moment) in Malaysian history.

Dance

JAMU 09Oct 22 to 25 (8.30pm)

ASWARA

464 Jalan Tun Ismail, KL

RM5 and RM10

(03) 019 231 9179

Revel in two separate

programmes of new

contemporary dance works

by some of Malaysia’s most

celebrated dance artists.

Expect to see a wide range of

material, from pieces steeped

in tradition to the avant-garde

that deals with life and social

issues, from pure dance to

strongly conceptual.

Visual Arts

Arts Festival 2009: PassionsUntil Oct 31Starhill Gallery

181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL

Free admission

(03) 2782 3855

Starhill Gallery’s arts festival,

presented in collaboration with

The National Art Gallery, is a

celebration of sculptures and

installation art. On display are

larger-than-life sculptures and

3D art as well as masterpieces

by renowned Malaysian artists

such as Philip Wong, Chin Wan

Kee, Azahari Khalip, Eng Tay,

Yusof Ghani, Abdul Multhalib

Musa and Raja Shariman.

No Refuge: Burmese Refugees in MalaysiaUntil Oct 25 The Annexe Gallery

Central Market Annexe, Jalan

Hang Kasturi, KL

11am to 8pm (Sun to Thurs);

11am to 9.30pm (Fri and Sat)

Free admission

(03) 2070 1137

Burmese refugees may have

escaped the horrors of living

under the military rule of the

junta in Burma, but they live a

life of fear here in Malaysia. As

Malaysia is not a signatory of

the Convention Relating to the

Status of Refugees, Burmese

refugees do not have rights in

this country. Because of this,

they are subject to all sorts of

abuse, both by the authorities

and fellow Malaysians. Five

photographers — Greg

Constantine (USA), Halim

analogies in the telling of their

stories by hinting, associating

and interpreting issues that are

close to them from a social,

political and biographical point

of view.

Syed Ahmad Jamal: PelukisUntil Oct 31Balai Seni Lukis Negara

2 Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun

Razak, KL

10am to 6pm (daily)

Free admission

(03) 4025 4990

Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, one

of the pioneers of the Malaysian

art scene, turns 80 this year,

and Balai Seni Lukis Negara

is hosting a retrospective

exhibition in honour of this

man’s life and work. The UK-

trained artist was instrumental

in ushering a new era in

Malaysian art in the 1960s,

one that championed abstract

expressionism. The exhibition

showcases never-before-seen

works from his childhood, iconic

works in his career and newly

completed works.

The Best Art Show in the Univers Until Oct 24Seksan Design

67 Jalan Tempinis Satu, Lucky

Garden, Bangsar, KL

9am to 6pm (Mon to Fri)

Free admission

(03) 2282 4611

Presented by arts blogging

Berbar (France), Rahman

Roslan (Malaysia), Simon

Wheatley (UK) and Zhuang

Wubin (Singapore) — present

photojournalistic documents

of the deplorable living

conditions of a people who

have yet to fi nd refuge or

hope here. The exhibition

will also mark the launch of

a petition to the Malaysian

government to recognise

refugees and to sign the 1951

UN Convention Relation to the

Status of Refugees. Part of the

proceeds from the sale of the

photographs will be channelled

to SUARAM’s campaign to

advocate for the rights of

Burmese refugees.

KiasUntil Oct 28Valentine Willie Fine Art

17A Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar

Baru, KL

Noon to 8pm (Mon to Fri);

10am to 5pm (Sat)

Free admission

(03) 2284 2348

Kias in the Malay language

simply means hint or allusion.

Five artists — Ahmad Shukri

Mohamed, Jalaini Abu Hassan,

Chong Siew Ying, Ahmad

Zakii Anwar and Kow Leong

Kiang — explore the use of

metaphors, symbols, icons and

initiative Arteri Malaysia, the

exhibition by Chi Too, Dill Malik

and Munkao is an irreverent

and humorous affront on the

Malaysian art world. Expect to

see intellectually stimulating

and electrifying works on video,

photography, performance,

installation and conceptual

painting.

SINGAPOREDa:ns Festival 2009: DunasOct 23 and 24 (8pm)Esplanade Theatre

1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore

S$20 to S$100

sistic.com.sg

Don’t miss the world premiere

of a work by two of the

world’s most celebrated

dancemakers, María Pagés

and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, who

have collaborated to create a

dialogue between fl amenco

and contemporary dance.

Inspired by the undulating

landscape of sand dunes,

a splendid vastness with

a myriad tales to tell, this

remarkable work of harmonic

and rhythmic expression is

set against an original music

score with echoes of fl amenco,

classical and Arabic music.

AnimalsUntil Oct 21 2902 Gallery

Block B, #B2-09, 11 Mount

Sophia, Singapore

11am to 8pm (Tue to Sat); 1pm

to 6pm (Sun)

(+65) 6339 8655

Three photographers — Derrick

Choo, Serena Teo and Zhao

Renhui — visually explore

the facets of the relationship

between man and animal in the

contemporary context of our

world today. Choo reinterprets

voyeurism as his works run

parallel to a celebrity-obsessed

world at Assahiyama Zoo in

Hokkaido, where animal and

man become celebrities and

paparazzi respectively. Teo’s

photogram on buffaloes,

inspired by a trip to Vietnam

in 2008, takes on a personal,

retrospective admiration for

the animals, highlighting man’s

primal reliance on them. At the

other end of the scale, Zhao’s

provocative works lend a

scientifi c and clinical approach

to man’s deep fascination

with animals through a

zoological gaze.

I have a Date with SpringUntil Oct 25 (8.30pm; 3pm)Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre

Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, KL

RM60 to RM235

(03) 4047 9000

Set in the 1960s to the 1980s, the play follows the dreams, hopes,

aspirations, loves and trials of four singers who become the best

of friends while working together at a well-known nightclub. The

four eventually move on to individual pursuits, with Butterfl y Yiu

becoming the most celebrated singer. Some years later, they return

to perform a benefi t concert at the soon-to-be-closed night club.

Being back at the venue that holds so many memories, Yiu has

to come to terms with the ghosts of her past. In Cantonese and

Mandarin with English subtitles.

BANGKOK

Not Quite a Total EclipseUntil Oct 25100 Tonson Gallery

100 Soi Tonson, Phloenchit

Road, Bangkok

11am to 7pm (Thurs to Sun)

(+66) 02 684 1527

One of the most outstanding

Thai contemporary artists, Wit

Pimkanchanapong, presents

his latest innovative sculptures

developed from his interest in

mechanical systems observed

from various machinery. The

site-specifi c installation work

he created for this exhibition

is a time-based mechanical

sculpture that attempts to

recreate the psychological and

emotional effects of an eclipse.

Zeitgeist Becomes FormUntil Oct 31Bangkok University Gallery

3/F Building 9, Bangkok

University, City Campus, 119

Rama 4 Road

9.30am to 7pm (Tue to Sat)

(+66) 02 350 3626

This photography exhibition

offers a multifaceted view

of social themes covering

50 years of German fashion

photography.

JAKARTAPhone Number My HandUntil Oct 22Plaza Indonesia

Lantai 1 E#10 – E#11 Thamrin

Entrance new lobby, Jakarta

(+62) 62 5292 0648

The solo exhibition presented

by O House Gallery features

works by contemporary

Indonesian artist Arya

Pandjalu. Her provocative

artworks afford viewers plenty

of room for interpretation.

Club ObsolomUntil Nov 17 Vivi Yip Art Room

Lot 2-3 The Promenade Jl

Warung Buncit Raya 98,

Jakarta

(+66) 21 7900 480

Indonesian artist Yudi

Yudoyoko, who now calls

Uruguay home, is a painter,

installation designer and

fashion editor. His exhibition

at the Vivi Yip Art Room will

be curated by prominent

Indonesian artist Rifky Effendy.

If you have a cultural event you’d like to list, please email details to options.theedge@gmail.com

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