Finding a path
Theperfectcircle3: Earthepilogue is a musical driven by meditations on nature.
WITH a title like Earth Epilogue, one would expect Asia Musical Productions’ (AMP) latest edition of its Perfect Circle series to be a tad gloomy or serious. However, its director Ho Lin Huay quickly assures that the production is first and foremost a fun musical.
“AMP is best known for its song and dance, so we aim to entertain our audience. And if they learn something from it, taking home a little extra is always good,” said Ho.
In a recent interview, the 41year-old director revealed that the third edition of Perfect Circle revolves around the theme of nature’s now fragile state and public’s role in reversing that. She adds that the whole point of the show’s title Earth Epilogue was the the ending could still be rewritten.
As with previous productions, The Perfect Circle 3: Earth Epilogue show, which starts on April 12 at KLPac, will intersperse the musical segments with dialogue.
“Where the dialogue used to be between a member of the cast and a guest relevant to the topic, we felt it more appropriate to have an actor representing Man speak with a disembodied female voice that represented Mother Nature. The actor will speak in Mandarin while ‘Mother Nature’ replies in English,” explained Ho, 41, adding that there will be subtitles for the audience. Choreographer Michell Yong added the dialogue is only to help assert the message, not explain the dance.
“We hope people will interpret the dance how they will, as it will be a modern dance,” said Yong.
Yong, 50, is one of the two choreographers behind the musical’s dance routines along with Chan Soo Leng. The two had worked together on many of AMP’s musicals, including Siddhartha (1999), Singing Market (2010) and and Princess Wen Cheng (2012).
“I’ve known Chan since she was in her 20s,” recalled Yong with a laugh, adding “so we’ve developed chemistry and gotten quite used to working with each other.”
The Perfect Circle 3 is a performance in four loosely-linked parts, starting with a scene in the city, then moving to the holy mountain Kailash in Tibet, a dying forest and ending by the riverside.
“The city dance was the hardest one to do, we were putting in so many things and impromptu elements like having the dancers run around randomly, I basically had to organise chaos. “I told told them (the dancers) ‘don’t think, just react’. I hope they won’t bump into each other!” she added.
Brian Chuah said the stage is not the only place in chaos. With a cast of 26 dancers and singers playing different roles throughout the four acts, the backstage was just as much of a tizzy of changing between outfits and readying the next act’s props.
Chuah, 34, who trained in modern dance and has been part of the AMP troupe since the first staging of Siddhartha in 1999, has the honour of being lead in one of the dances, the dance of mirrors.
“In this dance, I’m surrounded by mirrors and watching the many facets of the self, played by other dancers who represent various emotions. There is some movement, but it is slow and deliberate, to show the struggle of discovering one’s real identity,” he revealed.
Yong enthused that using contemporary dance to tell the story has given her more flexibility in expressing how her dancers will move. Rather than leading to more showy routines, she also explored subtle gestures like focusing on the dancer’s expressions as they simply walk, in a scene portraying characters trekking up Mount Kailash.
Dancer Alana Sim, 28, chimed in that that was one of her favorite scenes, where she plays the role of a Tibetan performing the 52km circumambulate pilgrimage around the sacred slopes.
“The director told us to feel how we respect the mountain, then to express that inner emotion. When I get into character, I enjoy the scene even if there is no dance,” said Sim, adding that it was also one of the hardest scenes for her as dancing had always been the most natural way to express emotion.
The Perfect Circle 3: Earth Epilogue will be staged at Pentas 1, KLPac, Sentul Park, Kuala Lumpur on April 12-13 and April 18-20 at 8pm, with matinee shows on April 14 and 21 at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced at RM63, RM83, RM123, RM183 and RM253. Ticket hotline: 03-4047-9000. Browse www.klpac.org for more details.