Actor Aeril Zafrel leaves his comfort zone to star in a theatre production, Bangsawan-style
“WHAT am I doing here?” TV actor Aeril Zafrel keeps asking himself during rehearsals for his debut theatre performance in Lela Manja.
An adaptation of Lela Manja the classic movie which featured Normadiah, Ahmad Mahmud, Bat Latiff and Zaiton, this theatre production stars Nabila Huda, Aeril Zafrel, Sari Yanti, Hafidz Roshdi and child actors Izzya Reen and Wafiy, among others.
For Aeril, the whole experience has been a love-hate relationship. On the one hand, Aeril who has always loved Bangsawan (Malay opera theatre) relishes the opportunity. “I enjoy the language in Bangsawan theatre. It is so archaic!” says Aeril, who plays a grown Manja in the staging.
Yet, since he has never done theatre, Aeril found it very challenging. However, it was not reflected in his facial expressions or in his movements during a sneak peek of Teater Lela Manja at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur.
The cast of the show, produced by Creative Impact Solutions, gave guests a taste of what to expect.
“I was quite nervous backstage. But once I stepped onto the stage, all fell into place nicely,” says Aeril after the brief showcase.
Asked why he’s decided to take on the challenge, Aeril offers that he finally succumbed to the keen persuasion of Istana Budaya officials. He had already declined twice.
“I guess after turning them down twice, I needed to accept the challenge. Third time’s a charm, right?” On a more serious note, he says: “All actors worth their salt should do this at least once in their career.”
But he also laments that he has less time with his family because of Teater Lela Manja, “My wife is asleep when I return home late every night but I still wake her up to find out how the day had been for her and our kids. Also, for her to give me a little rub.”
“Working in a theatre production is very demanding, both mentally and physically. You memorise lines, dance choreography, fight sequences. You move around a lot. By the time we’re done, I’m completely knackered!” says Aeril, who started rehearsing intensively during Ramadan.
“The whole month of Ramadan was quite tight schedule-wise. We worked from 2pm to about midnight. We only had weekends off,” he says.
“For a newcomer like myself, a month of training is not enough. I wished I had more time to learn new skills like silat and dancing. There were times I spent an entire day learning the movements of the upper body for silat and another day just for the feet ,” explains Aeril on the commitment needed for a production like this.
Theatre and television are two very different platforms. “Working for the cameras, you learn techniques on how to save energy and so forth. Sometimes, you need to repeat the same lines five times for the various camera angles before you do the next scene.
“Theatre is all about having loads of energy onstage because everything you do needs to be ‘bigger’. Each has its pros and cons,” explains Aeril, who can’t wait to go on a break once it is all over.
Next for Aeril is a big screen project. A joint venture between Malaysia and Indonesia, the film is tentatively called KL Vampire, and will see him team up with the likes of Indonesian actors Doni Alamsyah and Yayan; and local talents Raja Ilya and Josiah Hogan.
The filming is expected to take place in both countries. “The locations include an old palace in Jogjakarta. We’ll be spending about 10 days in Indonesia altogether,” says Aeril.