WHEN you attend a Short+Sweet Festival event, it's like looking through a kaleidoscope of energy, creativity and sheer gumption, with each performance lasting just 10 minutes.
At the kick-off for the world's biggest short festival at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) last weekend, it was Short+Sweet Stand-Up Comedy & Song on the bill that Friday night.
Some of the jokes had references to well-known films, others alluded to sexual parts and some took digs at cultural differences.
The original songs bravely offered mostly told of love — lost, unrequited, or to come.
In song and comedy, you have to respect the participants for trying to bring a fresh perspective to run-of-the-mill scenarios.
Highlights for me that night in the 19 stand-up comedy offerings included James Soo with his take on being "HR" — Highly Rejectable.
Coming on stage as if straight from work in a human resources department somewhere, his take on dating someone like him who looks like a boring person and that of HR work was relatable.
Then there was Nigerian Ugo Temple, who came from Penang for the show.
His views of being dark-skinned and trying to find love in Malaysia were laugh-out loud at times.
Using local festivals like Chap Goh Mei, Hungry Ghost and Thaipusam, you couldn't help but smile at his version of local idiosyncrasies.
Garu, who said he was a Bangladeshi student, lent his insight into our perception and perspective on this large foreign employee segment.
"You think we came to this country knowing how to cook char kway teow?" he posed to the audience.
"I bet you didn't know that the robot taking your order is called a roboBangla. Hmmm!"
While he veered off into sexual innuendoes that brought a palpable stunned pause from the audience, it wasn't that bad a 10-minute show.
There was also a cross-dresser, and those who offered their delivery in Bahasa Malaysia.
Music-wise, love was in the air. The 10 offerings using voice, guitars, electric organs and drums in some form came from mature and young talents.
Tween Gwenaelle Chow sang with Karynn Tan on Turning Lemons into Lemonade.
The affirming song on seeing the brighter side of life went down well, showcasing Gwen's blossoming talent as a singer.
One of the highlights for me was pop guitarist Jonathan Mah and freestyle agent Bryan Perry — OneBrainCell — with a song on slowing down to enjoy life one step at a time.
Bryan showed his confidence, dancing to All This Time (Slow Down) with smooth moves all across the stage.
The closing act was a blast from Aristars Atrias. With a hard-driving beat and fast-paced vocals, I was sent back to my clubbing days!
I just couldn't stop feet tapping and head bobbing. While the music grabbed my attention more than the lyrics, thumbs-up to Emme, Daus and Fairus.
Kudos to the KLPAC production team for keeping pace with the acts, and not missing a beat to the switch in videos and graphics.
Founded by Mark Cleary in Sydney in 2001, the Short+Sweet Festival has been on KLPAC's bill since 2008, unearthing new talents and stage works.
The festival offers S+S Musical & Theatre (Week 1) from Oct 13-14, followed by Dance from Oct 20-22, ending with Musical & Theatre from Oct 27-29.
Call 03-4047 9000 or email shortandsweetmalaysia@gmail.com for enquiries.