Lifestyle

Tuesday March 21, 2006

Dramatic style

By RUBIN KHOO



M! The Opera Costumes Media Player Real Video

In a production that revolves around the flamboyant and ruthless fashion industry, the costumes must certainly be attention grabbing – elaborate and striking while at the same time functional and not outshine the performers. The task can’t be easy, what more when the production is one of the most ambitious to date, promising “Love, Murder, Fashion”.

Conceptualising the right look for the production is Dominique Devorsine for the soon-to-be-staged M! The Opera. The designer had to create a whole range of costumes that reflect the story of M, a budding fashion designer. The costumes move from those that reflect village scenes to those that are apt for the world of couture.

Julia Ziegler and Justin Chan in some of the more striking outfits to be featured in M! The Opera.
“It’s not an opera about fashion but set in the world of fashion,” said Devorsine, who won Best Costume Design/Styling/Make-up at the 3rd Annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. “There’s a whole a range of clothing that isn’t just what fashionable people would wear or what a designer would create for his models.”

Part of the show will focus on M’s life as a “kampung boy” and the costumes will have to reflect that. For these scenes, Devorsine drew inspiration from 1970s icon Noorkumalasari, famous for her fitting lace kebayas. But the look has been updated.

Julia Ziegler stops traffic in a modern kebaya designed specially for M! The Opera.
“We had to do a lot of fusion, take the past and move it into the contemporary,” Devorsine said.

The more innovative costumes include a kebaya-like top with a short feather skirt that will be worn for one of the fashion scenes. Batik will also be featured in the costumes and M! The Opera will feature quite a few local fashion designers including Tom Abang Saufi and past winners of the Piala Seri Endon batik design competition Nizam Ambia, Michael Shu, Ridzwan Bohari and Azizi Hassan.

The designs by Shu, last presented at the Piala Seri Endon 2005, are influenced by the multiculturalism of Malaysia and will feature elements from the various cultures.

Devorsine has been working on the designs for a year now but began making them just two months ago.

The opera, which will start its week-long run from March 23, is the brainchild of award-winning composer Saidah Rastam. It is set amid the fashion industry and tells the story of a young fashion designer, M, whose new-found fame is being challenged by a younger designer, Kerabat. The plot thickens with a love connection involving Sepi, M’s muse and childhood friend.

The opera, directed by Jo Kukathas, features a score that fuses Western and Asian sounds. Leading the cast is local actor Khir Rahman and newcomer Doreen Tang, who play M and Sepi respectively. Playing the role of Kerabat is Singaporean George Chan.

The cast also includes singer and actress Maizurah Hamzah, VJ/actress Paula Malai Ali and veteran actress Azean Irdawaty. The ensemble, meanwhile, also features several well-known faces including part-time model Julia Ziegler, who has been featured in many print and TV ads, and Justin Chan who can be seen in commercials for Fanta, MTV/Hong Leong Bank and Panasonic.

M! The Opera runs until April 1. Tickets are priced from RM20 to RM150. For bookings, call Ticketcharge (03-77262002) or log on to www.ticket2 u.biz.

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