Apparently the must-see of 2006, this award-winning piece of British origin has been made alive for Malaysian audiences right here in Kuala Lumpur. The KLPac feature performance stars a sharp stage talent Gavin Yap and flawless veteran actor Faridah Merican along with three others to play some very contrasting characters. Given the nature of the story, one wonders why the producers chose this 1992 work of all that has been written, for it is assuringly not suited for the average Malaysian.

From the very moment Gavin Yap walked in, you could almost feel the dark vibes oozing out. Enter Cougar Glass: a character sort that you probably won’t be able to find in another piece of fiction. As was Captain Tock and Sherbert Gravel, Cougar Glass was well-portrayed overall. With the appearance of Sherbert in Cougar’s devious ploy to seduce the innocent youth Foxtrot Darling, the conflict generated was nothing short of intense.

Contained in the story are values and elements that are (I shall borrow a friend’s word) dodgy. The cream is that the author managed to inject humour in this subtly horrific tale, Cougar’s cruel intentions being the horrific part. The unfolding of the story was surprisingly fast-paced, no emotional monologues or prolonging pauses. Every line counts, and they were each delivered rapidly, though not too rapid. Perhaps such is the style of English theatre; forgive my lack of exposure, this is my first theatre that has an actual storyline. Towards the end, things get a little graphic and the intensity peaked into an instance that I assume took some time to choreograph.

Within the dialogues lies a fairy tale that has arguable connections to the primary storyline, leaving the audience with somewhat of a thinker. Though its entirety is far from utterly confusing, Captain Tock’s inner self and the significance of Cheetah Bee are really something to ponder over. Your attention to detail would serve you well to figure some things out.

At this point, it would be too late if you want to catch this play for it will end on June 11th 2006. If you wonder if you missed anything, I would say that it is not exactly phenomenal or highly grandiose. It is just an brilliant piece played out by a worthy cast, save for Niki Cheong though I hate to mention it. In the end, I’m glad to see the standards of theatre in Malaysia climbing by the year; may the local playwrights be inspired to reach further heights.

My rating: 4 out of 5