"So now you know the story of Mahsuri. The story took place in Pulau Langkawi, and it's a true story. In Langkawi, there is Makam Mahsuri (Mahsuri's Memorial), Telaga Mahsuri (Mahsuri's Well). We can visit these places when we go on vacation to Langkawi, ok"
That was a part of a conversation I managed to overhear, between a mother and her 10 year old daughter, as I made my way up the steps to exit the theatre.
The play, directed by Fauziah Nawi includes the cast of Vanidah Imran as the leading roles of Mahsuri. It tells the legendary story of the island of Langkawi. Mahsuri, the island's beauty, is the daughter of the villagers Pak Mayah and Cik Alang. Her elegance and beauty captured the heart of Wan Yahya (Datuk Pekerma Jaya), the Sultan's ambassador to Langkawi, and proposed her for his brother, Wan Darus despite the objection from his wife, Wan Mahura.
Wan Mahura was jealous of the attention given by the people of Langkawi towards Mahsuri, who was then pregnant with the child of Wan Darus. A call by the Sultan of Kedah to defend the state from the attack of Siam, was the perfect opportunity for Wan Mahura to devise a scheme to rid of Mahsuri. The selection of Wan Darus to lead the troops from Langkawi, tore the heart of the father-to-be, between leaving his heavily pregnant wife, ad his loyalty towards the state. With a heavy heart, the young lovers seperated, leaving Mahsuri in the care of her parents and Deramang, a lone traveller who settled in Langkawi and a good friend of Wan Darus.
A silent trickery was played; Mahsuri's parents were called to the house of Wan Yahya, leaving Deramang alone to care for Mahsuri. The golden opportunity was seized by Wan Mahura, accusing Mahsuri of committing adultery in the absence of her husband. Deramang was defeated and killed whilst defending his and Mahsuri's honour. Taken to Datuk Pekerma Jaya, Mahsuri was sentenced to death for her 'crime'. As she was pregnant, she was imprisoned and her sentence was to be carried out after she has delivered. A baby boy was born, and named Wan Hakim.
Pleas from her parents and villagers of her innocence were ignored and thrown aside. Alas, on the day of the sentence, the 'keris' used to kill her could not penetrate her body. After several attempts, it was Mahsuri who suggested to used her father's inherited 'keris'.
As the legend goes, the 'keris' penetrated her body, and white blood bled out of her body. Her curse, was the Langkawi will suffer from tragedy and grievousness for 7 long generations.
The Legend of Mahsuri is a story of an innocent being accused and judged without a fair trial. The white blood symbolises her innocence and purity, and her bravery in proving it. Whether you want to belive in the story or not, the invasion of Siam to Langkawi was believed to be based on her curse, as well as several other occurrences which happened to the island.
The whole history of Langkawi, including the its most famous legend are available at Makam Mahsuri, Langkawi.
The play is currently running in Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur, from 24-30 April 2009. Tickets are priced at RM30, RM50, RM70 and RM100. For further information and ticket reservations, visit : http://www.istanabudaya.gov.my
My Review...
For those who already know the story of Mahsuri, the play was quite predictable. So, I would focus more on the choreography. For me, as it is my first time in Istana Budaya, I was satisfied with the props and technicalities. The part when the lovers were to be seperated almost brought tears to my eyes, and how the separation between the two scenes of Wan Darus after the victory against Siam, and of Mahsuri being in prison was remarkable. The dances and songs were believable and beautiful. I congratulate the members of Artistana Istana Budaya, the artistes, the crew and of course the director, Fauziah Nawi, for a brilliant and lively performance. In the midst of cultural balancing of the country, the play has shown the beauty of the Malay gracefulness and politeness through this play.
The play, directed by Fauziah Nawi includes the cast of Vanidah Imran as the leading roles of Mahsuri. It tells the legendary story of the island of Langkawi. Mahsuri, the island's beauty, is the daughter of the villagers Pak Mayah and Cik Alang. Her elegance and beauty captured the heart of Wan Yahya (Datuk Pekerma Jaya), the Sultan's ambassador to Langkawi, and proposed her for his brother, Wan Darus despite the objection from his wife, Wan Mahura.
Wan Mahura was jealous of the attention given by the people of Langkawi towards Mahsuri, who was then pregnant with the child of Wan Darus. A call by the Sultan of Kedah to defend the state from the attack of Siam, was the perfect opportunity for Wan Mahura to devise a scheme to rid of Mahsuri. The selection of Wan Darus to lead the troops from Langkawi, tore the heart of the father-to-be, between leaving his heavily pregnant wife, ad his loyalty towards the state. With a heavy heart, the young lovers seperated, leaving Mahsuri in the care of her parents and Deramang, a lone traveller who settled in Langkawi and a good friend of Wan Darus.
A silent trickery was played; Mahsuri's parents were called to the house of Wan Yahya, leaving Deramang alone to care for Mahsuri. The golden opportunity was seized by Wan Mahura, accusing Mahsuri of committing adultery in the absence of her husband. Deramang was defeated and killed whilst defending his and Mahsuri's honour. Taken to Datuk Pekerma Jaya, Mahsuri was sentenced to death for her 'crime'. As she was pregnant, she was imprisoned and her sentence was to be carried out after she has delivered. A baby boy was born, and named Wan Hakim.
Pleas from her parents and villagers of her innocence were ignored and thrown aside. Alas, on the day of the sentence, the 'keris' used to kill her could not penetrate her body. After several attempts, it was Mahsuri who suggested to used her father's inherited 'keris'.
As the legend goes, the 'keris' penetrated her body, and white blood bled out of her body. Her curse, was the Langkawi will suffer from tragedy and grievousness for 7 long generations.
The Legend of Mahsuri is a story of an innocent being accused and judged without a fair trial. The white blood symbolises her innocence and purity, and her bravery in proving it. Whether you want to belive in the story or not, the invasion of Siam to Langkawi was believed to be based on her curse, as well as several other occurrences which happened to the island.
The whole history of Langkawi, including the its most famous legend are available at Makam Mahsuri, Langkawi.
The play is currently running in Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur, from 24-30 April 2009. Tickets are priced at RM30, RM50, RM70 and RM100. For further information and ticket reservations, visit : http://www.istanabudaya.gov.my
My Review...
For those who already know the story of Mahsuri, the play was quite predictable. So, I would focus more on the choreography. For me, as it is my first time in Istana Budaya, I was satisfied with the props and technicalities. The part when the lovers were to be seperated almost brought tears to my eyes, and how the separation between the two scenes of Wan Darus after the victory against Siam, and of Mahsuri being in prison was remarkable. The dances and songs were believable and beautiful. I congratulate the members of Artistana Istana Budaya, the artistes, the crew and of course the director, Fauziah Nawi, for a brilliant and lively performance. In the midst of cultural balancing of the country, the play has shown the beauty of the Malay gracefulness and politeness through this play.
