AN almost full house of friends, families and well-wishers greeted the actors of the 19th Short+Sweet Festival: Musical offering on Oct 10.
The eight 10-minute plays ran the gamut of comedy, drama, song and dance at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) in Sentul Park.
Some plays were engrossing for content, some for talent and others you thanked quietly for being, well, short.
Sets were simple and minimal. Actors danced around boxes, sat on them, and these became beds, tables, etc.
Unfortunately, technical issues with the body microphones marred some dialogue and songs. But the affected actors soldiered on.
BIG WINS FOR BITTERSWEET PLAY
Sunday night was an awards evening for the Musical category, and the play 'Untuk Lelaki Dan Wanita Yang Bercinta Tanpa Kata-Kata', took home six prizes: Best Overall Production, Best Libretto, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), Best Director and The Actors Studio Foundation Award.
This little play was about a man (Alvin Looi) and a woman (Karynn Tan) who meet daily at a bus stop.
They only talk about books and fall in love without even knowing each other's names.
It's a bittersweet ending when, after a year or so, they meet again, but she has lost her sight.
Can they still relate over their mutual love for books? It does seem so.
Tan and Looi showed chemistry on stage, so their love story was believably real. And it also helps that they are a married in real life.
Tan had a sweet soprano, which carried her well-enunciated words clearly as a bell in Pentas 2.
Kudos to Yusuf Bakar for text, lyrics and spoken dialogue for which he won the Best Liberetto award.
The keyboardist needs a shoutout too, for keeping the tempo and marking the pacing of the play.
The production won Kelantan native Zuhairah Zamri the Best Director award.
Serendipitously, I was seated next to her throughout the show.
When asked about the results later in the week, she said that "it was a humbling experience".
Zuhairah, an accounts executive, has been in theatre since 2014.
The 32-year-old recalled how she was invited by Tan and Looi to take a look at the script.
"I've not directed a musical before, but the script moved me, and I went for it."
STANDOUT TALENT, ENGAGING STORIES
Another standout actor was Abigail Khoo from 'Here Alone All By Myself'.
The play was about how artificial intelligence has taken over a company's operations and, finally, the company itself.
Khoo acted as the robot, displaying robotic non-expressions and movements convincingly.
She garnered the Best Actor (Female) award.
In the play 'How Do You Do', actor Kevin Yii showcased his vocal range and took home the Best Music Director award.
He, with fellow actor Jaycee Parcs, also won Best Composition.
The play opened with 2E (Yii) returning to his apartment, knackered from the day's responsibilities.
While venting his frustrations on his balcony, he was interrupted by his cheerful new neighbour, 2D, who thinks he is about to make a tragic decision.
Their conversation soon turned into a musical exchange about the power of empathy.
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The last song that Yii delivered carried the weight of the emotions, peppered with highs, lows and sighs.
Most of the plays were two- or three-handers, but the play 'Tunang Paksa' boasted 12 on stage.
Young actors showed commitment in this story about love and marriage.
The story opened with a grandfather waking from a dream about Faris marrying his granddaughter Yaya.
The light-hearted skit had Bollywood-style song-and-dance sequences.
The concept of an arranged marriage was touched on, and the pair decided they would get married when they wanted to and not at the behest of others.
The ensemble didn't have the best voices, but they did enjoy themselves.
DARK THEMES AND COMEDY
The Artistic Director's award went to the play entitled 'Of Whiskers and Wire'.
It's about two sibling rats, played by Tania Ashwini and Naveen Raja, who find themselves ensnared in a city-wide quarantine.
As chemicals are unleashed to cleanse the city, the duo battle to live. One doesn't make it.
That pathos was well shown in Naveen's lovely vocal range who came across as a countertenor.
The director, Sharanya Radhakrishnan, took home the Festival Directors award.
The play 'Bug in My Head' dealt with trauma in a friendship.
The dark theme saw actors Shaun Choo Tze Shien and Yap Siak Foong working out their co-dependencies.
One dies, leaving the other to learn to let go of guilt. I felt it needed more "oomph" in musicality.
In 'Room for Make-Believe', the plot revolved around a doctor who treats unusual patients.
They include a childhood toast-shaped pal called Toastie, a teenage fairy and an ideal imaginary boyfriend.
Their complaint? They have been abandoned by their creators.
The play dealt with loneliness and growing up. Psst, I think the creator of these pals was the doctor.
The toast had a clear voice, promising potential, but the story somehow lacked grit.
The play 'Catnap' was funny in a Monty Python style.
An absurdist plot around a missing cat, a zombie and two friends. I couldn't stop smiling at the premise.
As Intan searched desperately for her cat, her bestie Afiqah did her best to give her an anchor in an obviously terrorising world, especially with an ex-boyfriend who had turned into a zombie — a black comedy that got the giggles going.
LAUNCHPAD FOR LOCAL TALENT
Since its Malaysian debut in 2008, the Short+Sweet Festival Malaysia has premiered more than 1,000 new works.
It's our own fringe festival. It's about giving new voices and young actors a start in the performing arts.
Divided into various categories, including film, song, stand-up comedy and dance, the latest edition began in late September.
The festival continues this Friday with theatre works, ending Oct 25 with a Gala Night and prize-giving ceremony at KLPAC.
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