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I was out for drinks last night when a friend of mine passed me an orange coloured promotional flyer the size of postcard. On the front was a hodgepodge picture of a mannequin holding a book, wearing a nurses’ cap, patting a crying girl doll that’s missing an arm and playing a piano that has a heart shaped photoframe on it, while sitting on a fish with a newspaper in its mouth that was in turn lying on something with fungi growing out of its sides that was speared through by a fork. Very morbid. I stared at it for a moment in total confusion before reading the title which explained everything (almost).

About The Oral Stage (TOS)
TOS was founded in 2004 with the simple goal of making theatre more accessible to youth. A growing non-profit theatre company, TOS serves as a hub for young aspiring thespians from all walks of life.
- Excerpt blatantly copied but painstakingly typed out from promotional flyer -

About ROJAK!
ROJAK! is an original blend of shorts and monologues, tossed with a spoonful of youth and matters close to our hearts. From happy families, sudden deaths, sinking boats to talking mannequins, ROJAK! is dark, gooey and pedas as we Malaysians like it. Every serving includes a generous portion of nuts, on the house.

Directed by Kelvin K. Wong and Patricia Low, produced by Reuben W.J Kang. Cast ensemble includes Sharmini Harikrishnan, Dominic L. Luk, Rauf Fadzilla, Lam Wai Yee, Sanjiv Gnaneswaran, Krystle Wong, Priya Kulasagaran, Rachel Lai, Azfar Baharudin, Prakash Daniel, Reuben W.J Kang, Branavan Aruljothi and Emily Yoon.
- Entire excerpt shamelessly nicked off TOS -

More details on the play itself, behind the scene snippets, ticketing information, and directions on how to get there, are available at the websites listed towards the end of this post.

What I think
You didn’t think that I was just going to do a whole lot of copy and pasting without putting in my own thoughts did you? Shame on you. You should know me better by now. CnP postings are not my forte. So here are my thoughts on the matter.

Since I have neither seen the show nor do I know its contents (being ROJAK! and all), I shall base my opinions on past experience. The last one I’ve seen was way back in September 2002. It was called Shorts which was a collection of four mini sketches. Inspite of it being over 3 years ago, I still remember the individual stories, the excellent playacting, and the accompanying laughter.

I was invited by the same person who invited me this time round. Now, I’ve seen a few local theatre presentations in my time, some good, some not so good, and some that I flushed with my next visit to the loo. The ones I’ve been to under this friend’s recommendations have been good and memorable thus far. I’ll grant him the benefit of his good track record.

So, in conclussion, you MUST go, simply because I say you must. But if not for that, then go in support of the fine young studs and rising starlets of our country. These may very well be the faces that will splash onto your tele screens during primetime in the coming years. When that happens, you can point and claim that it was you who supported them to their ultimate stardom. And who knows, you might even enjoy yourself in the process.

However, on the off chance that it doesn’t quite appeal to your tastebuds, don’t burn my house. By all means, burn the director’s place if you like but just keep your pyromaniac and arsonist tendencies away from me.

Now after all that chit chat, if you haven’t guessed it by now, ROJAK! is a play… of sorts. So I was invited and I have promoted. Now where are my free tickets??!!!111oneoneunosatu!

ROJAK!
- a dark piquant blend of shorts and monologues -

Showtimes:
13th - 16th April 2006: 8.30pm
15th & 16th April 2006: 3.00pm Matinee

Venue:
Pentas 2,
The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac),
Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan,
51100 Kuala Lumpur.

Entry:
Adults: RM22.00
Students, Senior Citizens & Disabled): RM17.00

Ticket reservations and purchase:
KLPac: +603-4047 9000
The Actors Studio: +603-2094 9400

Websites:
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
The Oral Stage