Juniper
Having missed the 3 seasons of Puteri Gunung Ledang, I didn’t expect to be among the audience at Puteri Gunung Ledang In Concert Rebirth Of The Legend, now on at Istana Budaya until 24th March 2015. Now this is a concert so it’s nothing like the 3 seasons in that you get banter like what you would expect at a concert and the main actors and dancers are not in traditional costumes all the time.
Still, this is an interesting performance for 2 reasons : that the audience are free to mingle and dance in front of the stage and interact with the actors AND we are at liberty to take as many photos as we liked without using flash. Okay, there’s one more reason : some of the songs are in English and when Stephen Rahman-Hughes appears for the 1st time as Hang Tuah, he is in a tux and more superhero than the legendary warrior.
It was great to see the rapport the actors had with the audience as occasionally Tiara Jacquelina as Gusti Putri a.k.a. Puteri Gunung Ledang and Ida Mariana as Bayan, reached out to touch the hands of the enthusiastic audience right in front of the stage who never let down their glow sticks.
The songs are not my cup of tea, to be honest. Not that I couldn’t understand the gist of it, after all I know this is a love story. My favourite scene was the one of Tuah and Puteri on the mountain serenading each other, They had that love lorn look but it wasn’t all seriousness as Tuah forgot his lines on a few occasions but none of us minded, it was all good fun.
There are many, many fans of Puteri Gunung Ledang with most of the audience having caught at least one of the seasons and some went to all 3 seasons. Tiara Jacquelina looked the part of the alluring and enchanting princess of the mountain and as for Stephen, of course he played the part of Tuah to perfection and one could almost believe he was the noble warrior of ye old legend wooing the beautiful princess who could love only him.
The set and props are amazing and it was as if Enfiniti Productions spared no expense. This is a reunion of the previous cast members of Puteri Gunung Ledang. Adlin Aman Ramlie, who is the concert director, returns as Sultan Mahmud while AC Mizal reprises his role as Gusti Majapahit/Raja Majapahit.
My invitation to Puteri Gunung Ledang In Concert Rebirth Of The Legend was thanks to MAC Cosmetics, make-up sponsor of the concert.
Looks like the legend will live on for a long, long time!
I think the part that Hang Tuah forgot his lines must be hilarious! Oh, gosh. I wonder how many dare to go dance and mingle right on the stage where everyone will be staring at us. Maybe one day celebrities with so many people taking photos.hahahaa XP