Moyang Salleh Musical aims to instil patriotic spirit
22 Aug 2022 08:49am
Musical Theatre 'Moyang Salleh' to be performed at Istana Budaya to evoke feelings of patriotism and awareness of the nation's history - Photo from Sinar Harian
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Its producer, Siti Salbiah Zahari, said the musical theatre, which would showcase the history, arts and culture of the Malay community in Negeri Sembilan, should also be appreciated by the younger generation who might have forgotten the history.
"The focus of this theatre is on instilling a strong sense of identity in the community and love for the country. We also hope that the youth will not forget the history of this state, and perhaps many are not familiar with Moyang Salleh’s story.
"That is why we are bringing it to the stage, especially during this National Month celebration. The government is holding various programmes and campaigns to enliven the celebration, so this is our small contribution to the efforts,” she told Bernama today.
She said the team also emphasised on accurate facts in staging the theatre, including referring to sources from Undang Luak Jelebu and academic researchers, in addition to taking eight months to complete the script written by Subroto Katimin.
The Kuala Pilah native said that although financing it was one of the major constraints, the team managed to produce the theatre after receiving assistance from the Negeri Sembilan branch of the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKNNS), such as location, technical aspects and costumes.
"The sponsors may be less convinced that theatre is a great medium to convey information, especially given the production cost of about RM1.6 million (because) this is a huge production and we want to make a good impact,” she said, adding that she planned to adapt the stage play into a film.
Directed by Roslee Mansor, the theatre involves 33 actors, including Datuk Ahmad Tamimi Siregar who will play the character, Moyang Salleh, and 37 professional dancers and featuring over 16 new song compositions.
"What makes the theatre more interesting is that it uses 90 per cent Negeri Sembilan dialect except for the characters of the Sultan, dignitaries and guards of Johor,” said Siti Salbiah.
The Moyang Salleh theatre performance, produced by Negeri Sembilan Karyawan with the support of Badan Kebajikan Ahsan Undang Luak Jelebu, is scheduled to be staged at the Raja Melewar Auditorium of the JKKNNS Complex for three days starting Sept 23.
Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun hoped the theatre performance would go well in highlighting the story of Moyang Salleh’s struggle. - BERNAMA
