Actors in their respective roles during the opening night of ‘Rhymba, The Musical’ at Damansara Performing Arts Centre in Petaling Jaya.
MALAYSIA boasts a remarkable array of biodiversity that often goes unnoticed.
In an effort to inspire appreciation for the country’s natural wonders, Pan Productions staged its debut original musical in a celebration of the country’s diverse flora and fauna.
The show represents a new venture for the company, which has been exclusively staging Broadway productions for 14 years.
Rhymba, The Musical follows the journey of Tama, a young orang utan aspiring to become guardian of Rhymba forest which is being threatened by deforestation and illegal hunting.
Pan Productions co-founder and producer Peter Ong said Malaysia was impacted by the alarming 73% decline in global wildlife populations between 1970 and 2020.
“Our last Sumatran rhinoceros died in 2019, making the species officially extinct in our country.”
He observed that many local children were more acquainted with exotic animals like penguins and pandas than with native species such as the siamang and pangolin.
“How can we protect our home (Malaysia) when we don’t even know what is in it?” Ong asked.
He urged Malaysians to cultivate greater curiosity about the rich biodiversity existing within our own borders.
“A lot of locals complain that Malaysia is boring and so they choose to travel overseas,” he said.
“However, there is so much in our backyard that we haven’t explored yet.
“We have one of the oldest rainforests on the planet but many Malaysians have never set foot inside.”
Ong: We have one of the oldest rainforests on the planet but many Malaysians have never set foot inside.
He added that all the characters in the musical were based on Malaysian fauna such as the orang utan, Malayan tiger, hornbill, elephant and clouded leopard.
Besides biodiversity, he said the musical also aimed to highlight intergenerational conflict.
This was portrayed in the musical’s storyline where young animals in Rhymba are seeking change after years of being ruled by a council of elders.
Ong referred to real-world conflicts caused by rapid changes.
“For example, the technological revolution has left a lot of people behind due to their lack of access.
“How do we, as a plural society, reach consensus in this swiftly changing world?”
Ong added that Tama’s character was symbolic of youths pursuing changes by challenging existing social order.
Tama was played by local musician Christian Palencia who is also known as “The Barefoot Musician” for performing in bare feet in other stage roles.
The 90-minute musical was held at Damansara Performing Arts Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Other prominent cast members included local jazz vocalist Junji Delfino who played Guru the Hornbill.
Tunku Alizakri Alias, who was behind the original idea of the musical, played the role of Tama’s grandfather Tok Po.
Ong said the show, which combined various contemporary music styles such as rap, folk and electronic dance, was in its first or incubation phase.
“We want to collect feedback from audiences to improve the musical in phase two.
“As we move to phase three, we will aim to export it overseas,” he said.
