Tribute to Tun Dr Siti Hasmah

(CNB 2012)

Last Sunday evening, SB and A invited me to the tribute theatre 'Tun Siti Hasmah' at Panggung Sari, Istana Budaya. I had not been to see any performances here for sometime already, so I was indeed glad to be able to see the life of this venerable lady translated into a stage play.

Under the direction of Erma Fatima, it was quite well done and even Tun Dr Siti Hasmah (TDSH) herself thought it was a success. I must say the first part, where a young Siti Hasmah was played by Lisa Surihani, and the love of her life (TDSH's not Lisa's) Mahathir, whom she met in the Universiti of Malaya, Singapore was played by Nazim Othman, kept the audience quite entertained. The lively scenes at the campus and later at the hospital and kampung (Jitra) was light and sometimes comedic.

Even a little boy in the seat in front of mine seemed to be enjoying the show as he flapped his wings arms in tune to the 'mambo beat'.

But during the next phase, the 'tempo' changed. The more mature TDSH was played by Eja and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad by Esma Daniel. The 'plitik' (politics) in their lives inevitably became a more serious affair and sometimes for TDSH, very trying. But as we all know, she truly loved her man and his consummate love for 'nusa & bangsa', and stood by him, no matter what. Till today.

(CNB 2012)

This time I think the little boy in front of me did not really understand what was going on and I noticed that he either slept through parts or fidgeted left and right. But at the end, when all involved in the theatre (dancers, actors, etc.) came on stage to take their bows, he was all enthusiastically clapping away and flapping his arms in dance. I am glad that his mother had introduced him to the performing arts, particularly theatre, early.