#theatrethreesixty

Me as ‘Jarod’ in #TheEdgeKL 2018, produced by TheatreThreeSixty. Pictures by Tarrant Kwok.

theatrethreesixty presents the 10th anniversary production of THE EDGE

Written by Nick Choo

Directed and Designed by Christopher Ling

Original Music & Lyrics by Nick Choo

Musical Direction by Dominic Lucien Luk

Movement by Kenny Shim

(*Picture : This is me as ‘Jarod’ for #TheEdgeKL 2018.) - by Tarrant Kwok.

For the first time since I started acting in the Malaysian theatre scene in 2003, I am getting a second chance at a character I’ve played before. To make it even more amazing, it was the first musical I ever performed! This will be happening in #TheEdgeKL being produced by TheatreThreeSixty and will take place Upstairs At Lot’ng, USJ. 

Here’s the official blurb :

theatrethreesixty presents the 10th anniversary production of THE EDGE

Written by Nick Choo

Directed and Designed by Christopher Ling

Original Music & Lyrics by Nick Choo

Musical Direction by Dominic Lucien Luk

Movement by Kenny Shim

Featuring: Tria Aziz, Michael Chen, Michelle Tan, Chris Chalmers, Iz Sulaini, Ping Khoo

Winner of the Boh Cameronian Award for Best Musical Direction, Best Original Music in 2014, THE EDGE returns to Malaysian shores after a well received restaging in Perth, Australia earlier this year.

Josh is a brother, a lover, a rascal, a drifter. His friends are jealous of his idyllic lifestyle. Yet the cracks in all their perfect lives fracture the strongest of bonds. Despite his friends and family around him, he is vulnerable, alone in a very unkind world. As friends and family reach out to help him, what is the ultimate cost to save his life?

With songs both intimate, raw and sometimes hilarious, THE EDGE explores the heavier themes of life, on the butterfly effect of our relationships through its tightly woven web of characters, each with their own story. Directed by BOH Cameronian winning director Christopher Ling, THE EDGE features a cast of accolade-winning actors, some from the original workshop production - all coming together to create a remarkable experience that will speak to everyone.

Time: 

Evening Shows: Sat 8th, Wed 12th to Sat 15th, Wed 19th to Sat 22nd December @ 8.45pm 

Matinees: Sundays 9th, 16th and 23rd @ 3pm

Venue: Lot’ng Arts Space, 32-2, Jalan USJ 10/1E, 47620 Subang Jaya - http://www.facebook.com/upstairsatlotng

Tickets:

RM 58 standard rate for all shows

RM 48 concession rate for students and the elderly

Buy your tickets today! Click here for the FB page or here for the ticketing site.

(*Picture : Zalina Lee as ‘Lily’ and myself as ‘Jarod’ in 2008 during The Edge’s workshop performance, directed by Chris Ling.)

I was given the ridiculously awesome opportunity to be the first guy to play the role of ‘Jarod’ in this brilliant musical back in it’s workshop musical performance (2008). The book & music is by award winning Nick Choo and it has since been staged twice : 2013 in KL and 2018 in Perth, Australia. Check out Nick’s website here. 

(*Picture : This is the cast for #TheEdgeKL 2018.)

It’s an absolute honour and pleasure to be doing this again. It was my first musical. ‘Jarod’ is one of the characters I’ve played in my time as an actor that has really stuck with me these last 10 years. I first played ‘Jarod’ in my mid twenties, acting to be in my early 30′s. I’m actually in my 30′s now. It has come full circle.

For those non-actors reading this, there’s a thing that happens when an actor plays a character. 

“...actors often take their characters’ painful experiences - repeated night after night - away with them off stage.” - source article here.

This musical deals with each of the 6 characters above trying to convince someone they care about not to commit suicide, not to jump off the edge. It’s heavy stuff but don’t worry, there’s a lot of laughing and love in this story. 

All of it stayed with me. Playing ‘Jarod’ makes me think & constantly examine my own relationships with my own parents, brothers, friends and even my own flaws + strengths.

Do come watch this show. It’s a very special one to me. It’s a show I’ve been asking to be a part of for the last 10 years. Hoping that I was good enough to be considered to act in again by the team involved. I’m sharing the stage with immensely talented people. 

Come close out the days before Xmas with a special show that will hopefully make you want to revisit all of your own close relationships and just give it that little bit more care. 

A big shoutout to TheatreThreeSixty (Chris, Nan, Tarrant & Farisha), Nick, Monday Show Entertainment (Dom!!!) and my fellow amazing cast (we’re gonna rock it!) : Tria Aziz, Michelle Tan, Chris ‘Kai’ Chalmers, Iz Sulaini & Ping Khoo!

Hey guys. We're sold out on Sunday and I'm sure today (Saturday), it's going to get really full really quickly. But hey, you might want to try your luck.

But that's not what I'm here for. Well sort of. www.tixipro.com/theatrethreesixty go get tickets from there. Okay done. #riwayat360 Okay I'm done being a theatrethreesixty #shill so read on.

 I'm here to talk about the importance of doing stuff like RIWAYAT. Stuff that pushes boundaries and confounds categorical profiling. Again, Jit Yang is crazy. So is the rest of the cast. Alfred Loh, Vinna Law, Claudia Low, Stephanie Vanden Driesen, Shane Capri Chin, Nicole-Ann Thomas, Grace Ng and all. But still.

How do we talk about something that doesn't have a script, that doesn't have a musical score, that is built piece by piece like a Lego brick sculpture of pathos and hope and self-deprecating humour? There is no box to discuss the merit of the writing, the choreography is raw and horrifying, the cast is its own orchestra and conductor, and the set is designer Chee Kong's and my bastardised fever dream?

I'm in no position of authority to talk about these things to be honest. I've not seen enough work (local or otherwise) to comment. But at the same time I have seen and recorded the amazing work of Janette Hoe, Yumi Umiumare, and Tony Yap's among many others performances. So I speak from seeing excellent people at work at their creative best when it comes to the very fungible genre of performance art, which is what RIWAYAT is.

We run the risk of straying into the circle-jerk of postmodernist criticism, where the audience must derive meaning and such a notion reeks of artist arrogance but that is not the case here because unlike most performance art, RIWAYAT actually makes sense. it makes sense because it's uniquely Malaysian, and it, despite defying every notion to stuff it in a genre, still hits raw points in your person.