AWARD-winning Dama Asia Production is out to set the stage afire with concerts to mark its 30th anniversary this year.
"That's only later this year, but we are readying a 16-strong cast and more than 20 musicians. It will be a multilingual showcase of song and dance," says Dama artistic director Pun Kai Loon.
What is possibly a curtain-raiser for Dama's 2024 productions is 'Delicate Dreams & Desires', opening at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC) at the end of this month.
"It's a selection of beloved Mandarin songs from the 1920s to the 1970s. The early era of 'shidaiqu' (songs of the era) to more contemporary that are now called golden oldies.
"During the early 'shidaiqu' era, triads, business people and politicians were all about driving their careers forward. They were living on hope and had aspirations of making lots of money.
"It was about dreams and desires. This concert will focus on the songstresses and their fortunes," explains the Ipoh-born Pun.
Sitting cosily in the Dama office in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, Pun is joined by Dama producer Khor Seng Chew. The walls showcase posters and photographs of Dama's past concerts.
"We survived the Covid-19 pandemic years. And last year, we held two fundraisers. The audiences seemed to love having us back!" says Pun with a cheeky grin.
When it all began, they were called Dama Orchestra, boasting traditional Chinese instrument players.
The Bukit Mertajam-born Khor played the pipa in Dama's 1994 debut concert, 'An Evening of Chinese Chamber Music', at Thean Hou temple in Taman Seputih, Kuala Lumpur, while Pun was the doorman for that show.
Dama, the short form for "Malaysia" in Mandarin, has today ventured beyond classical Chinese music, to include Broadway and opera-themed shows.
From pure instrumental, the company has moved on to also work with trained sopranos such as Angela Chok and Poon Sook Peng.
Dama fans may also recall another soprano — Tan Soo Suan — who has been the company's stalwart since 2000.
For 'Delicate Dreams & Desires', Tan will take centre stage accompanied by six musicians. It will be a special concert as the Penang-born singer has not sung solo with Dama for 19 years, since 'September Tale', as life and its commitments plus teaching demand her time.
Khor says: "We have not performed 'shidaiqu' for a long time. Soo Suan will sing 21 songs, of the 23 musical selections.
"There are seven musicians in the orchestra led by erhu player and concert master Gan Boon We."
Ian Ng is co-scriptwriter and narrator, while Datin Susan Lai is the concert co-organiser.
The 120-minute concert is a tribute to the 'shidaiqu' musical landscape — from Shanghai in the 1930s to 1940s to Hong Kong in the 1950s to 1960s, and on to a new era of Mandarin classics with Taiwan spearheading it from 1970s onwards with Ge Lan Cai Qin and Teresa Teng.
The show will offer such songs as the lyrical 'Why Didn't We Meet Earlier' by Li XiangIan to the laidback 'Without You' by Bai Guang, and classics like 'Love Without End', and 'Lover's Tears', while others will have a jazz feel of that era.
It will also feature songs by Zhou Xuan.
"She was the first to sing 'shidaiqu' and made an impression on the Chinese diaspora," says Pun.
Another standout offering will be 'Song of the Fishermen', which was the first Chinese film to win a prize in an international film festival (Moscow Film Festival in 1935).
Khor added: "One composition on the bill is 'Midnight Kisses' by Selangor native Shangguan Liuyun, composed in the 1950s."
Pun said: "We heard of 'shidaiqu' from our senior citizens. As Malaysians, we do reminisce about that era, too."
Proceeds from 'Delicate Dreams & Desires' will go towards the Medical Awareness Camp Outreach, which provides refurbished computers and laptops to schools in small towns and rural areas, among other activities.
'Delicate Dreams & Desires' will take place at the PJPAC's Stage 1 on Feb 28 and 29.
To purchase tickets, visit https://onetix.com.my.
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