Bangsawan on the move

TAUFIK Ibrahim, better known as Pat Ibrahim, has directed eight musicals, including P. Ramlee the Musical, Terima Kasih Cinta the Musical, and Mud: Our Story of Kuala Lumpur.
Last year, he decided to try something different – he directed Bangsawan Dendam Laksamana, a production based on a script by Siti Jasmina Ibrahim.
The play received rave reviews, and attracted a wide range of audiences. The production was also recently nominated for four Boh Cameronian Arts awards.
The four nominees are Nadia Aqilah for best actress, Norzizi Zulkifli for best supporting actress, Akma Suriaty Omar for best costume, and Yusman Mokhtar for best lighting, with the winners to be announced at awards night this Sunday.
Now, the 52-year-old director intends to restage this production, and take it on the road.
The production will visit Johor Baru (from June 29-July 1), Malacca (July 6-8) , Kuantan (July 13-15), Kuala Terengganu (July 19-21), Penang (July 26-28), Alor Star (Aug 3-5) and UPSI in Tanjong Malim (Aug 9-11), with the final performance at Matic, Kuala Lumpur (Nov 2-11).
One of the main reasons Pat is bringing the play to the rest of the country is because he wants to expose the younger generation to this traditional theatre art form.
"This theatre art form was first brought here by the Persians in 1870," says Pat. "It started in Penang and was called Wayang Parsi. But slowly, Wayang Parsi became intertwined with Malay culture, and evolved into its own identity."
Pat believes one of the reasons it struck a chord with audiences back then was because it creatively combined many art forms – music, dance, song and drama – into one production, and was presented in an entertaining manner.
He adds: "Bangsawan was where our entertainment industry started. In fact, some of our famous legendary actors such as Siput Sarawak, Normadiah, and Mahmud June started their careers in Bangsawan before moving into the film industry."
But he laments the fact that youngsters nowadays see this form of theatre as old-fashioned, dull and boring.
Pat has to admit that he was the same when he was younger. Studying Bangsawan, which was part of the syllabus for his diploma in dance, was a 'chore' he endured back in 1994.
He says: "I was never keen on Bangsawan and I never thought, in my lifetime, that I would ever direct a Bangsawan production."
His perception changed when he watched the Bangsawan performance of Panglima Awang in 2016.
"I went to see the play because I wanted to support my good friend (actor Jalaluddin Hassan) who was in that play," he says. But he was so completely taken by the beauty of the language used in Bangsawan, especially the pantun (poems), that he began to have a greater appreciation for the art form.
Pat feels that as we get older, we tend to want to explore our roots, heritage and culture. Yet, at the same time, he wants to appeal to the youngsters and get them to appreciate this traditional art form.
That's why he has added some modern and contemporary twists to his Bangsawan production, making the dialogue less formal, the costumes less gaudy, and the pacing less slow.
Despite the good reviews, he admits that some purists were not happy with the changes he made to his Bangsawan production.
"They said that what I have presented is not Bangsawan," he says but adds that he is not angry with them, as they are entitled to their opinion.
His hope is that the story of Bangsawan Dendam Laksamana, which is based on the story of a real admiral, Laksamana Bentan, will resonate with the younger generation.
The admiral, who was sent by his king to fight a war, returned to find that his pregnant wife, Wan Anum, had been put to death for eating a jackfruit belonging to the king.
Crazed by the death of his beloved wife, he plotted revenge and killed the king.
As for Pat, he is more curious to understand why a king would kill the pregnant wife of his admiral who was serving both him and the country, over a jackfruit.
"I try to explore my curiosity in the production. Injustice can be a terrible thing. Injustice can end an empire."