Bawang Putih Bawang Merah

by Ridhwan Saidi
Teater Ekamatra
Pesta Raya 2024
Singtel Waterfront Theatre, Esplanade

Teater Ekamatra takes the Singtel Waterfront Theatre by storm in this raucous, colourful production as part of the Esplanade's Pesta Raya. 

Playwright Ridhwan Saidi has taken the classic Nusantara folktale and thrown in delicious contemporary references that are both incisive and uproarious, tackling themes such as gender roles, capitalism and the importance of finding one's own place in the world. His script is equally poetic and sassy, peppered with clever wordplay and modern lingo (ASMR from frying fish in hot oil anyone?) that will no doubt please audiences both young and old. 

The story itself is simple, involving two rival step-sisters - Bawang Putih (Munah Bagharib) and Bawang Merah (Nabila Huda) - who live with their widowed mothers at the fringe of the woods. Following the patriarch's death, Putih and her scheming, black magic-obsessed mother Mak Kundur (Siti Hajar Abd Gani) try to wrest control of the household from Merah and her plant-loving mother Mak Labu (Aidli 'Alin' Mosbit). 

Throw in reluctant crown prince Raja Muda (Rizman Putra) who rejects courtly rituals in favour of adventure, his earnest but bumbling advisor Pembesar (Fir Rahman) and a series of misadventures and mistaken identities and we have a recipe for riotous fun. It's cheekily narrated by a fairy godmother-like Nenek Kebayan (Siti Khalijah Zainal) who has a surprise or two up her sleeve. 

Mohd Fared Jainal's production unfolds with the manic energy of a pantomime, involving elements of live traditional music, singing, puppetry and physical comedy. His sleek, whitewashed set almost resembles a playground and involves actors climbing and sliding all over the place though one feels the action struggles at times to fill the sheer expanse of the stage. 

Photo Credit: Teater Ekamatra

The cast are uniformly excellent with Rizman stealing every scene with his comic antics and Munah and Nabila providing a rich emotional anchor that has one rooting for these characters who do not easily fall into the typical good-evil dichotomy. Tube Gallery's costumes, Adrian Tan's lighting and Safuan Johari's sound provide a perfect backdrop, turning these characters into incandescent figures that shimmer on stage.

A wonderful evening of entertainment and what a joy to see a sold-out crowd filling the theatre. If there's one thing to take away, it's the incredible sense of community, seeing audiences turn up in droves to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Malay culture and having a great time.

The Crystalwords score: 3.5/5