Horror 'Melur The Musical' to Terrify Theatre Lovers From Feb. 16

Theatre lovers are in for a treat this February, as British-Malay production company Liver & Lung will be presenting its newest show, "Melur The Musical," from Feb. 16-26.

Award-winning Liver & Lung Productions is the brains behind the "Sepet The Musical," an adaptation of Yasmin Ahmad's romantic comedy-drama that has gone on to become one of Malaysia's greatest films.

From the romance of "Sepet The Musical," Liver & Lung now swerves to horror with "Melur The Musical," as it centres on the story of the Pontianak, a mythological creature known in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The Pontianak is a vampiric ghost of a woman that returns to seek revenge.  

The story, set in Colonial Malaya amid the Malayan Emergency, centres on the lives of two women, Melur and Cempaka, and the friendship that they eventually lose when they marry men of opposites.

Melur marries Si Aman, a Silat warrior involved in the anti-colonial uprising, whereas Cempaka ends up with Sir Wilson, a British High Commissioner. As tensions arise, Sir Wilson terrorises Melur and Si Aman and kills them both.

Cempaka gives birth to a daughter some months later, but their joy is short lived when they begin to be terrorised by a dangerous spirit. Melur, now a Pontianak, has returned to exact revenge on the couple.

"Melur The Musical" was directed and written by Shafeeq Shajahan, with original music by Shafeeq himself, and Badrish, and Vailis Konstantinides. It stars Tria Aziz, Mila Mohsin, Kai Chalmers, and Anwar Rusdini.

The show is suitable for those aged 12 and above, as it features death, grief, violence, and horror on stage.

Tickets range between RM75-RM125 and may be purchased on OneTix. "Melur The Musical" will be staged at the Nero Event Space at Petaling Jaya Performance Arts Centre, 1 Utama Shopping Centre.