*I had intended to post this review only after the official review is out on Berita Harian but due to mistiming, the review will not be published on the newspaper.
Bonda Bedah and Mak Temah are two characters that have gained immense popularity through their videos posted on YouTube. Their shows candidly explore social issues through parodies. For the first time ever, their comedic acts are brought from YouTube screens to stage by Kreativ Outbox. The show 'Bonda Bedah, Mak Temah and The Chamber of Polongs' which ran from 30th Apr to 3rd May was initially scheduled for three shows but due to the overwhelming ticket sales, two shows were later added. All shows were sold out.
I first heard mentions of ‘Bonda Bedah’ and ‘Mak Temah’ through family gatherings from my nephews and even my mother. As honest as I can be, I have never watched any one of their videos and had just assumed that they were just two males who create slapstick comedy and everything will seem funny due to their crossdressing. My curiosity about them was aroused when I discovered that a play was actually being staged with them as the central characters. Even more so when I heard that all shows were sold out. They must be really good to garner that kind of response.
Rated 'Advisory due to coarse language' by MDA, the show is lighthearted and highly entertaining with colourful characters. Temah had accidentally released all her Polongs to Bedah. Bedah, not knowing the fact that the Polongs are attached to her now, continues with her daily routine. The audience is brought to a journey of how Temah and Bedah resolve their differences on the Polong issues through bantering and disagreements. Bonda Bedah is played by Hafidz Rahman and Mak Temah is played by Zuhairi Idris. Supported by five colourful characters consisting of Orb, Ziana, Azizul, Zain and Awab played by Nur Afiqa, Sunita Chiu, Junaidi, Sultan and Luqmanul Hakim, the show is fun-paced and there is never a moment of boredom when watching.
I was surprised when Izad shared that the supporting characters were mostly newbies and selected from auditions where more than 100 hopefuls turned up. The most outstanding newbie was Nur Afiqah who played the character 'Orb'. She was like a seasoned actress as she pranced around the stage with great confidence and stage presence. Her fluid movements and strong voice character definitely had my attention. I would love to watch more plays with her around.
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| Afiqa as Oracle |
The highlight of the show is when the characters periodically break into song-and dance movements with catchy tunes and lyrics. The play uses popular tunes from songs like ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor and lyrics are customized to suit the show. One of the songs, ‘Bonda Bedah Best’, is still an earworm until today. I especially like the fact that there are no major distracting fanciful set changes. The set is simple using platforms of varying heights that optimizes space. I personally love the cocoon-like structures where the ‘polongs’ are kept.
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| Orb and Polongs |
Much laughter was heard throughout the play and the best thing is that audience need not be theatre-trained to understand and enjoy the show. This is in line with Kreativ Outbox's objective of encouraging family to watch theatre as a family activity. Playwright and producer, Izad Omar had shared that they would like to invite families to exit their comfort zone of watching programmes on television from their couch and to immerse themselves in theatre works as an alternative form of entertainment. Kreativ Outbox also aims to dispel the myth that watching plays are only for the elite and not for the common folks.
The aftermath of watching this show had me realizing that Hafidz Rahman (Bonda Bedah) and Zuhairi Idris (Mak Temah) are not simply slapstick comedians but two hardworking individuals who continuously seek to hone their craft. They have an intimate working relationship due to their strong friendship ties and therefore they are able to understand each other well. This translates to their ability to seek relevant materials on social issues together. For them to develop parodies and send their message out as simply and crudely as they could, they carefully dissect current social issues and present them in their ‘makcik’ (aunty) characters so that audience can relate to them more easily. Their candid and spontaneous nature has won the hearts of their fans. I hope for them to carry on concocting laughing potions while perhaps downplaying their coarse language so that their shows will be more family-friendly.
