Back together again... Tiara and Rahman-Hughes are reprising their roles as Gusti Puteri and Hang Tuah, respectively.
Tiara Jacquelina is grooming a new generation of thespians to take over from veterans. And what better way to do this than stage a grander version of Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical. RADIN SRI GHAZALI writes.
IT’S going to be bigger and better. That’s what Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina said of Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical 3 (PGL3).
“We have gained much experience by staging the previous musicals. And we learnt a lot from Wicked (a new Broadway musical),” said Tiara during a PGL3 Press conference recently.
“After watching Wicked, we decided to enhance the technical aspects of the play with a better sound system. There will also be bigger sets,” added Tiara.
Most of the ensemble has also been changed.
“We believe in giving opportunities to up-and-coming actors. You will see a lot of new faces, many of whom attended our The Starmaker Boot Camp. We uncovered some exceptional talents who are just raring to go!”
She said Chedd Yusoff, who acted in P. Ramlee The Musical, will assist Datuk Zahim Albakri in directing the play.
“He’s now Zahim’s protègè and hopefully, he will seize the opportunity given to him,” she said.
“We want to promote musical theatre among youth as part of our popular culture. There’s already a growing interest in it among them,” she said, citing Impak Maksima as an example.
“I can’t play Gusti Puteri all the time. A day will come when a rising star will replace me,” laughed Tiara.
Nevertheless, the main cast members including Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Adlin Aman Ramlie, A.C. Mizal, Ida Mariana and Yalal Chin will reprise their respective roles.
“Other than that, we hope to maintain the flow of the original script because it’s good,” said Tiara, adding that while there won’t be new songs, they will be arranged differently.
With regard to her role as Gusti Puteri, Tiara took the liberty to learn from soprano maestro Jane Edwards during her stay in Tasmania, Australia.
“As a result, I think I have greatly improved,” she said.
The producer is also thrilled with the sales of the tickets with 30 per cent of them sold within a month.
As for Rahman-Hughes, he is glad to be back in Malaysia.
“As soon as I was offered to reprise the role, I jumped at the opportunity,” said Rahman-Hughes, putting on hold his singing career with his band, Teatro.
“It (the band) is currently seeking a replacement for me while I’m involved in the play. But it’s going to be difficult — it’s hard to find a Pan-Asian look in England,” he said.
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