Liver & Lung, a local theatre outfit with Malaysian and British underpinnings, has comfortably established itself as a provider of entertaining stage productions over the years.
One of these works is the adaptation of the late Yasmin Ahmad’s influential movie, Sepet The Musical, which was well-received upon its debut. This August, Liver & Lung, in collaboration with GMBB, a creative community mall in Bukit Bintang, will bring this musical back to the stage as one of the first live theatre pieces to grace KL since the Movement Control Order (MCO) – and to top it off, audiences will be given a preview of the company’s upcoming original musical, Songs Inspired by A Little Life.
The two main characters of Sepet The Musical, Orked and Jason
Happening across three weekends of next month, namely 7 to 9 August, 14 to 16 August, and 21 to 23 August, the double-bill is undoubtedly music to the ears of theatre aficionados who have been deprived of their fix these past few months!
Award-winning Musical
Liver & Lung Co-founder and recipient of the 2020 BOH Cameronian Arts Award for Best Direction, Shafeeq Shajahan, says, “Directing Sepet The Musical was a life-changing experience. Gaining recognition from Kakiseni was both humbling and deeply rewarding. We wanted to celebrate the win by reviving the show for new audiences and bring the hope that Yasmin Ahmad inspired to a post-COVID world. It’s time that Malaysia enjoys theatre again.” Sepet The Musical also netted the Best Original Score at the same awards ceremony.
Hannah Shields, Co-founder of Liver & Lung meanwhile exclaims, “We wanted to go bigger and better! To thank our audiences for their continued support, we decided to treat them to a thirty-minute preview of our brand-new show complete with original songs, incisive storytelling and an immersive set up.” The new show, Songs Inspired by A Little Life, was inspired by Hanya Yanagihara’s award-winning novel and details the tale of Jude St Francis, a successful lawyer who has to face his past in order to move on in his life.
Twice The Entertainment
In Sepet The Musical, Joshua Gui and Badrika Bahadur play the main characters Jason and Orked respectively. Joshua will subsequently star in the preview of Songs Inspired by A Little Life, sharing the role of Jude with Badrish Isdin, who will play the younger version of the character. Incidentally, Badrish is also the co-composer of Sepet The Musical.
Orked and Jason are played by Badrika Bahadur (left) and Joshua Gui
“We encourage everyone who comes to see Sepet The Musical to dress in their best Sepet-inspired attire (such as cotton baju kurungs). Food will be served MCO-style. It’s going to be a fun, moving and heartfelt evening,” notes Shafeeq.
The musical will run for two hours and 45 minutes. Liver & Lung and its venue partner GMBB are striving to ensure that necessary SOPs are adhered to for the show. “We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable evening,” explains Hannah. “Of course, we’ll be adding some Liver & Lung magic to the social distancing protocols so they feel part of the overall experience. Who knows, Jason could be checking your temperature on your way into the venue?”
Click here to watch the Sepet The Musical trailer and here to watch a song from Songs Inspired by A Little Life.
Sepet The Musical + preview of Songs Inspired by A Little Life
WHERE GMMB, 2 Jalan Robertson, Kuala Lumpur
WHEN 7.45pm (7-9 Aug, 14-16 Aug, 21-23 Aug)
ADMISSION RM110, RM40 (A Little Life only)
TEL 010 402 9323 (WhatsApp)
liverandlung.com