Men Without Shadows

News from the meditations of Tok Seth, amidst the kemenyan and haze... :)



Cape Poetics presents MEN WITHOUT SHADOWS a play by Jean-Paul Sartre at the Johor Arts Festival 2006
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TIME: Sat 19 Aug at (8.30pm)
VENUE: Royal Johor Country Club, JB
TICKETS: RM10 (students) & RM38 (available at the The Putri Pacific Hotel, JB).
For details call 07-2233333, 019-7166397 or 019-7789105, or visit www.jspa.org.my.
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Following its acclaimed staging at the French Arts Festival in KL and Penang this year, 'Men Without Shadows', the existential thriller by Jean-Paul Sartre, plays at the Johor Arts Festival. Considered one of the more provocative works of Sartre, the play is set during the last days of Nazi occupation in France. Described by The New York Times as "a searing examination of the limits to which one's free will may be tested", the work conveys Sartre's deep philosophical outlook through an eventful period in modern world history. 'Men Without Shadows' is performed for the Johor Arts Festival, organised by the Johor Society for the Performing Arts under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage. The project is supported by the Alliance Francaise de Penang. For photos of Men Without Shadows: http://www.box.net/public/uko75unjf8#main
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"Two sizeable audiences sat in generally stunned silence... I can hardly remember seeing better teamwork on a stage" - Edward Dorall, New SundayTimes.
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Costumes: King Maniaka

The menacing image of the evil and corrupt King Maniaka. His outfit was designed to give him more stature and a powerful presence. His is the epitome of power and majesty, manifested in the form of a man. Typically in SE Asian custom, yellow is a colour reserved for royalty. Maniaka's outfit is a flowing blaze of yellow and gold, a vibrant display of his wealth. A unique feature of his costume is the presence of shoulder armour and a helmet, two items which represent his insecurity, yet enhances his image of grandeur and instills fear in his subjects.

The helmet has a conical design reminiscent of the kecubung, a traditional headgear for use in makyong plays of the east coast of Malaysia and southern Thailand. A neck guard and cheek pieces were added to give Maniaka extra protection while enhancing his appearence. The shoulder pieces (pauldron) consisted of 2 plates rivetted together and an overlapping series of scales protected the upper arm. The entire ensamble is held together by a pectoral. Other than these, Maniaka has a large pending which also acted as a partial armour on his abdomen. His bracers (arm guards) complete his garniture.

His sabuk is adapted from the Javanese design, and so are his double-layered skirts. I was aiming for an overall silhouette of a wayang kulit Laksamana puppet, and I feel that I was almost on target! Maniaka's costume conveyed the illusion of grandeur, might and fear: all the elements essential for a maniacal king!

Maniaka's keris also deserves mention, as it is of a hybrid design. One might observe that the keris is a keris pekaka fitted with a Javanese ladrang sheath. However, in reality, the hilt was fashioned from the Thai hong, a mythical beast resembling the goose. In accordance with tradition, the keris is wrapped in "gold" and the sampir is made from "ivory". It was indeed, made for a King. Mr Jay suggested another weapon - perhaps a sword - to be tucked into his sabuk on his back. However, we had to drop the idea because it seemed impractical and it was also cumbersome for the actor.

Unlike Anike, I had a clear picture of what Maniaka was supposed to look like in my head. His costume was among the earliest to be finalised, but his armour and helmet took a lot of research and contemplation. I had to spend hours online, looking for the most probable look of a "generic" SE Asian armour. I decided on the scale armour because similar armour had been used in China and the Malay Bugis armour had scales made from bamboo and buffalo horn laced together with chainmail. In the end, the scale aventail (neck guard) and shoulder pieces gave Maniaka the appearence of a large and fearsome predatory bird, which seemed to fit his image.

The Temple of Fine Arts

At last... The Gathering is here! The Anikeans have been brought together at the Temple of Fine Arts (a.k.a. Annalakshmi), after some time spent in solitary meditation. The gathering was a joyful one, with Tok Seth recounting his adventures in the Land of the Maiden of Lorraine. The Sharers of the Common Dream were also delighted (on the most part) to hear praise and commendation on the parts that everybody had played so well... We were also informed that hard labour lays ahead, for the machinery of the Kingdom will soon have to flex its muscles yet again.

I hope to obtain pics of the gathering at the Temple of Fine Arts, Penang soon... The Gathering was held on Friday, August 11th 2006.

The Sharers of the Common Dream

The Friends of the Corrupt Kingdom, the entire Anike family (including Nadim II, the guy in the white shroud...).

Above is an image recorded from the first performance of Anike, held in the Indian High Commission. It seems that Queen Wanang Seri is missing... The gentleman in blue batik shirt is Dato' Mahadev Shankar, our benefactor, while the playwright, Mr Wong Phui Nam is in black batik.

Note from the Admin: Although this blog sounds political (Friends of the Corrupt Kingdom), we are by no means a political entity!!! Any political views are regarded as purely individual interpretations and should not be linked to this site (or the play, for that matter!) TQ!

Intermission

I'd like to take this chance to wish the cast and crew of "Man Without Shadows" all the best in your upcoming show in Johor. May you depart and return in safety, and may your quest be abound with treasures invaluable...