A brand new international production of the world’s most beloved musical, “The Sound of Music” is coming to Malaysia for the first time this December and a casting search is now on in Malaysia for 18 children, ages six to 14, to be part of the musical as members of the famous von Trapp children.

The legendary musical, produced by Broadway International Group, Simone Genatt, and Marc Routh and presented by Base Entertainment Asia, will take stage at the Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur. Together, the Producers and Presenter of “The Sound of Music” are looking for 18 outstanding girls and boys from Malaysia to play the roles of the six younger von Trapp children, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl, in three separate casts.

Children auditioning will be assessed by “The Sound of Music” touring creatives in Malaysia.

Datuk Jared Lim, Chairman of Base Entertainment Asia said, “It is huge for Malaysia to be having its first international musical after a 2.5 years hiatus because of the pandemic. With the overwhelming response we received for The Phantom of the Opera – Kuala Lumpur 2019, we have put Malaysia on the map for international touring musicals. Now with the brand-new Broadway production of The Sound of Music not only premiering in Kuala Lumpur, but also auditioning for local children to star in it, we are taking arts and live entertainment in Malaysia to another level by bridging local and Broadway talent on an international platform.”

Chantal Prudhomme, Chief Executive Officer of Base Entertainment Asia said, “These are exciting times for the live entertainment and arts scene in Malaysia because with “The Sound of Music” premiering in Kuala Lumpur, we are further setting a precedence to present more international productions in the country. Also with the auditions, to be able to give local talent the chance to star in an international production from Broadway with professional actors is not only a dream come true, the possibilities of where this opportunity will take them are endless.”

Children who wish to audition must fit the below criteria to perform in the musical. The children are expected to sing in English and have a good level of skill in acting, singing (including harmonies) and dancing. Auditions for “The Sound of Music” will be held at Dominus Arts Venue at Wangsa Maju – Grand Hall on 28 and 29 June for these roles. Those aged between six to 14 are invited to register via an online form at https://thesoundofmusic.asia/ where further details can be found.

Candidates must be physically present for the auditions on 28 and 29 June at Dominus Arts Venue at Wangsa Maju – Grand Hall and must be available for all rehearsals and performances as listed on the registration site.

All ethnicities and nationalities are very welcome.

Meanwhile, tickets will go on sale at the end of June.

After three years of postponement, Enfiniti (M) Sdn Bhd recently announced that it has decided to cancel the stage production of “Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical”.

The company, headed by Tiara Jacquelina, shared the sad news on social media on 24 May, stating, “As a company passionate about performing arts, we believe that “the show must go on”. However, despite having investigated all available options, we are deeply sorry to inform you that we have had to make the difficult and devastating decision to cancel “Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical”.”

“To all ticket holders, we appreciate your support and understanding, and we will be providing refunds in batches commencing from 1 July 2022 until 31 December 2022. You will be notified in the next 14 working days of an email from us on how to process your refund online. As we will be systematically working through refunds for thousands of bookings with our ticketing agent, please bear with our ticketing agent and us as we go through this process.”

The company also thanked all ticket holders for their loyalty and patience, and expressed hope for everybody to continue to support the performing arts industry.

The musical was originally scheduled to be held in Istana Budaya, Malaysia in July 2020, as announced back in 2019, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The said musical is based on the epic film of the same name directed by Saw Teong Hin in 2004, starring Tiara herself alongside M.Nasir, Adlin Aman Ramlie, and Sofia Jane among others.

Early last month, fans were treated to a single, “In My Arms”, off the “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)” OST album. Now finally fans get to listen to the whole album!

Liver & Lung, the Malaysian theatre company behind “Sepet The Musical”, has released the six-song album today, which doubles as its debut studio album.

The album, which serves as an accompaniment to the upcoming eponymous short film, depicts the legend of Mahsuri, a Malaysian tale of a beautiful woman wrongly accused of adultery. 

It is described as having a blend of South and South East Asian sounds, with contemporary musical theatre elements to reimagine the legend, documenting Mahsuri’s arrival in Langkawi, her romance with the warrior Wan Derus and her untimely death at the hands of her evil mother-in-law, Mahura. 

A diverse Malaysian spirit is truly captured in the beautiful mix of East Asian instruments, Bollywood-inspired vocals and authentically Malaysian percussion beats.

The album was first composed by Shafeeq Shajahan for the upcoming short film, a recent finalist at the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo, which he also directed.

“I developed the concept for Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales) in 2017 as a stage musical. It was hugely successful and won Liver & Lung our first BOH Cameronian Award. The film adaptation has been gestating in my mind for a while so I’m so happy that our music is finally released for all to listen,” said Shafeeq Shajahan.

“I’ve always believed in the importance of remembering our roots. The Malaysian identity is diverse and colourful and as a film and theatre-maker, I feel a responsibility to keep reintroducing Malaysian stories to new audiences in contemporary & exciting ways,” he added.

The album features the voices of rising stars Badrika Baluch (as Mahsuri), Joshua Gui (as Wan Derus), Nabilah Hamid (as Mahura) and Nave VJ (as Deraman).

Stream the album right here: https://linktr.ee/liverandlung

While fans wait for the release of the short film “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)”, they can first check out the official teaser for it below:

Prior to the official launch of “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)” next
month, a single from the upcoming short film will first be released this
Friday.

Called “In My Arms”, it is described as a folk-pop song that combines
a unique contemporary sound with an authentically Malaysian story, depicting the
epic romance between Mahsuri and Wan Derus, the protagonists of one of the most
famous legends in Malaysia.

“In My Arms is a song that means so much to me. It is romantic, soulful and,
most importantly, inspired by the melodies my mother used to sing to me when I
was younger. 

“It will hopefully breathe new air into the incredible love affair between
Mahsuri and her husband Wan Derus. I am so excited for you to hear it,” said
Liver & Lung co-founder Shafeeq Shajahan, who composed the song as well as
directed the short film.

“I’ve always believed in the importance of remembering our roots,” Shafeeq
added. “The Malaysian identity is diverse and colourful and as a film and
theatre-maker, I feel a responsibility to keep reintroducing Malaysian stories
to new audiences in contemporary & exciting ways.”

Badrish, co-composer of “Sepet The Musical”, and Irena Taib from indie-band
The Impatient Sisters are featured as primary vocalists in the song.

“In My Arms” will be released this 6 November. Pre-save links are available at
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/liverandlungandbadrishandirenataib/in-my-arms

The full soundtrack of “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)” will be released
later this month.

Meanwhile, the short film itself, which has been selected as a finalist at the
prestigious Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo, is set to launch this
December.

Adapted from Liver & Lung’s Cammie award-winning stage production that
debuted in Kuala Lumpur in 2017, the first musical short film from Liver &
Lung follows Adam, an autistic boy who stumbles upon a mysterious book of
legends that transports him and his friends into a magical world of music and
wonder. In this instance, Adam is teleported to 18th century Langkawi, where
he must help magical Mahsuri, wife of warrior Wan Derus, escape from the wrath
of her mother-in-law, Mahura.

Can’t get enough of the songs from Liver & Lung productions “Sepet The Musical”, “A Little Life” and “Malaya Relived”? 

Here’s your chance to watch the acoustic covers of the songs, to be
performed by Liver & Lung showrunner Shafeeq Shajahan and his friends at the
online concert “Songs from Liver & Lung” happening tomorrow!

Aside from the abovementioned musical numbers, they will also be singing new
songs from the upcoming short film, “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)”.

Details for “Songs from Liver & Lung” are as below:
Date: 26
September 2020 (Saturday)
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Ticket price: RM12 / SGD4

Tickets can be purchased at https://songsfromliverandlung.peatix.com/view

“Songs from Liver & Lung” is part of the inaugural Peatix Online Event
Festival that is taking place from 11am to 11pm tomorrow.

The all-day festival is set to feature events from Singapore and Malaysia,
bringing together more than 10 unique shows in the arts, music, F&B and
wellness. The full programme can be viewed at peatixonlinefest.peatix.com

The musical by Liver & Lung Productions will be back with two additional shows, to be held two weekends from now.

Below are the details for the upcoming “Sepet the Musical”:
Dates: 18 & 19 September 2020 (Friday & Saturday)
Venue: GMBB, 2 Jalan Robertson
Time: 7.45pm – 9.30pm

Tickets, priced at RM110 each, can be purchased at Sepet.peatix.com

Adapted from Yasmin Ahmad’s acclaimed film “Sepet”, Badrika Baluch and Joshua Gui star in the musical as Orked and Jason, who fall in love with each other despite coming from different cultural backgrounds.

The adaptation was first brought to the stage in late September last year. Not surprisingly, the tickets were sold out, a phenomenon repeated last month when the musical was revived for nine live shows from early to late August.

Prior to that, the musical was streamed online for a limited time during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia for fans to enjoy without charge.

Currently, another Liver & Lung Productions musical is also available for free on YouTube up until this 12 September. The historical musical “Malaya Relived: Merdeka” is the second instalment of the award-winning “Malaya Relived” trilogy.

Meanwhile, yet another Liver & Lung Productions musical, “Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)”, is a finalist at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2020 in Tokyo, which will announce its winners this mid-month. The full version of the film is expected to be released online soon.

Malaysians will be celebrating the nation’s 63rd Independence Day or Merdeka
this coming Monday, 31 August.

In celebration of this, Liver & Lung Productions is releasing
historical musical “Malaya Relived: Merdeka” for free streaming on YouTube for a
whole week!

It is a recording of the live musical held on 20 April last year, which was
done in partnership with GMBB, a creative hub in Bukit Bintang. It is part of
Liver & Lung’s “Malaya Relived” series, a musical anthology based on
iconic events in Malayan history.

Watch the trailer for the anthology series below.

“The musical explores freedom, fidelity and forbidden love,” said Hannah
Shields, founder of Liver & Lung and writer of the musical, in a press
statement.

“Last year, audiences travelled back in time with us to experience 1950s
Malaya and relive Malaysia and Britain’s collective history. As a company with
roots in both nations, exploring our shared past was something that felt
authentic and necessary.”

Shields herself stars in the musical as Sylvia Graham, a British Foreign
Correspondent who travels to Malaya and hopes to pen the article of her
career, offering a fresh account on what the country’s fight for independence
will mean for the British Empire. 

Little does she know that she’s about to rewrite the plot of her own life when
she meets Raj Veerasamy (“Ola Bola” star Prem Sagar), a formidable proponent
of decolonisation, active member of the Malayan Indian Congress and staunch
supporter of the rising anti-colonial Malaysian movement, Merdeka.

Shafeeq Shajahan, founder of Liver & Lung and director and co-composer of
the musical, stated, “Malaya Relived is a love letter to my country. Merdeka
is about belonging and togetherness. It’s important we remember this in our
socially distant world and remind each other that we can still unite, even
though we’re apart.”

Here’s the link to watch “Malaya Relived: Merdeka” on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHWSkF1b3pQ

Tn Hj Burhanuddin Md Radzi himself, owner and Managing Director of Les’ Copaque Production, announced the good news on his Facebook.

Luckily for fans of the Yasmin Ahmad film “Sepet”, not only was it screened for a limited time on YouTube but a musical version was also made available on the same streaming platform for fans’ enjoyment.

A taste of what audiences will be treated to in “Sepet the Musical”.

Save the date! (Or dates, if you wish to enjoy this musical more than once.)

However, due to the current global pandemic, the musical has been rescheduled to next year.