JIT Murad's playwright debut, Gold Rain And Hailstones from 1993, revolves around four friends who studied abroad and have come home.
It takes an irreverent look at the joys and tribulations of "coming home" and explodes the myth of a single national identity defined by language, culture and belief.
The title stems from the Malay proverb "hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik hujan batu di negeri sendiri".
Restaged by Instant Cafe Theatre, it speaks to a middle class still troubled by ideas of belonging, says one of its founding members, Jo Kukathas.
"I think our questions about identity never changed. Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. But then again, what is patriotism but the memory of the good food you ate as a child?
"We understand the complexities of citizenship — what it gives, what it demands, what it takes out of you. Our relationship to our country, our questions about identity, the palaver over ‘pendatang’ is still the conversation in every coffee shop. Post-May 9, it is still the conversation in every artisanal cafe and whimsical bean shop. We remain obsessed with questions of identity," says the actor, writer and director.
SLIGHT CHANGE
When it ran from 1993 to 1999, drawing rave reviews from Penang to Singapore, the 13-character play saw two performers under the direction of Datuk Zahim Albakri.
This time, director Gavin Yap has four actors — Sharifah Amani, Redza Minhat, Ghafir Akbar and Farah Rani.
Says Ghafir, who juggles a main role as Jay the hairdresser with three minor ones: "I spent eight years in the US, and my adult identity was formed there. When I came back, it was a drastic change for me. The rules are a bit different…
"Yes, I was longing to go back initially but then I realised I did change too… and not just everyone else I left behind. So, either we refuse to change or learn to adapt. It's about shifting my own mindset. I can relate to the characters' journey in the play.
"Gold Rain is not a linear play. There are scenes here, monologues there, lots of switching of realities. I need to keep track of the entire narrative. Some of my scenes are zero to a few minutes. I try to find the honesty in each of my roles," he says.
RELEVANT VOICE
Are the themes still relevant?
"Is Shakespeare still relevant? We all want to find who we are under the new government…," says Ghafir.
The actor and director has worked with the cast previously, but this is his first Malaysian play since 2015 with commitments across the Causeway. He started in theatre at 18 years old.
"I was working with ICT since 2000 as a backstage crew member, arranging chairs, helping with costume changes before getting the chance to go on stage," he recalls.
ICT was formed in 1989 by Jo, Andrew Leci, Jit Murad and Zahim. Their humour was political and edgy, or just silly. The performing collective ended up being a brave, distinctive voice in contemporary Malaysian writing and theatre.
In 1994, the late Datuk Krishen Jit wrote as Utih that "ICT allows us to feel that it is okay after all to indulge ourselves in this kind of dangerous humour".
On whether theatre is less afraid to speak up or out today, Jo says: "I think it was and perhaps still is. But sometimes, as I know is the case for Instant Cafe, we simply didn't have the funds to stage any shows — dangerous or not!
MEAGRE FUNDS
"But perhaps we had trouble getting funds because funders perceived our shows as dangerous. I was told this on more than one occasion and nothing I could say would change people's minds! So we haven't had much opportunity to stage our work.
"Instant Cafe's last major show was in 2015 when we did a show called D'State Of D'Nation Celebrating 2.6 Decades Of Instant Cafe. We asked, ‘Where did it go?’, referring of course to the US$2.6 billion which was said to be 'donated'!
“The show was very much about the mad level of corruption, the arrogance, the lies,the Bersih rallies, the rising cost of living, the money politics, the stealing, the hypocrisy and the despair people were feeling as well as the need for hope. I think audiences laughed but they also cried. So did we. It was too close to the hard truth. But we have to laugh. Had to. Have to.
"But the problem we have had has been funding. We had incredible show of public support in terms of funding for the show Raj And The End of Tragedy in 2014 and D'State Of D'Nation in 2015 and I'm grateful for that. Because of that we could stage those works but there is only so often you can fundraise and it wasn't enough to sustain the company much past those two productions,” she says.
QUIET BUT NOT BY CHOICE
"So Instant Cafe has been quiet. Not really by choice. The only show I directed in Malaysia since 2015 was Another Country — a collaboration with Singapore which was a project funded by W!ld Rice. I also directed a production of the play Nadirah that was invited to Festival Tokyo but I could not find the funding to stage it in Malaysia.
"I hope with the change in government that there will not only be a greater space for the arts in Malaysia but also that more corporations and organisations and individuals will step up. Certainly I have found a huge change already.
“People have been so receptive. Instant Cafe has received more contributions and support from more organisations and small and big businesses than ever before. We are still way off our target but I am gratified and happy that people want to talk to me and want to fund the work. And they don't want to interfere with the art or put any strictures, rules or moratoriums on the content,” she says.
STAYING SHARP
Jo adds: "I hope this will allow us to make more provocative, 'dangerous' work and allow us to play in role in building a more inclusive society. We may be 30 years old but we have been operating on a shoestring with not even a studio or rehearsal space of our own and this makes making work difficult. I hope 2019 brings that change. I feel in my bones it will."
Because ICT's work has been episodic, this 30th anniversary performance will bring the company back into the limelight.
"I think we still have loyal fans out there — people waiting for us to do shows but they find it difficult to find out what we are doing next. This comes of being nomadic. When we did our regular political comedy revues and plays, people were always on the look-out for the next show. When we had our Theatre Upstairs we had a loyal following and people knew what we were doing and the vision we had for theatre.
"When we ran Instant Cafe's House of Art and Ideas, we again had a centre people could gravitate towards. But because of the political situation pre-May 9 and therefore our inability to get funds we simply couldn't do the work. So I think people thought we had just stopped. In fact, we have been doing development work… and we have been waiting. Now, we're back," she says enthusiastically.
Jo hopes Gold Rain audiences will think and realise that humans are complex, flawed beings and that reducing people to their ethnicity and their race is absurd.
Gold Rain & Hailstones
When: March 1-3 & 5-9, 8.30pm (with 3pm matinees on March 2-3, 9 & 10)
Where: DPAC Theatre, H-01, DPAC, Empire Damansara, Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana, PJ
Admission: RM65 & RM50
Call DPAC at 03-40650001/0002, visit www.dpac.com.my or email GoldenTicketsICT@gmail.com