Gold Rain & Hailstone
A Dramalab Production at KL PAC
Gold Rain & Hailstone is a witty play staged by Malaysia’s renowned theatre activist, Jit Murad and the talented Lin Jaafar. Gold Rain & Hailstone has been staged several times with its debut -- a humble production in the year 1993 at the British Council. This two- actor play is jam-packed with witty remarks and hilarious jokes which are woven intricately by the writer himself, the one and only, Jit Murad. Jit Murad reveals that Gold rain & Hailstone “is not autobiographical but none of it is made up.”
Gold rain & Hailstone starts off with the numbers 1991 beamed from the laser onto the stage backdrop which signifies the setting for this play. Multiple roles played by Jit Murad and Lin Jaafar makes this play smooth in transition and constantly demand the audience to fiercely follow the stories presented. Zahim Albakry has made a good job with the directing of Gold rain & Hailstone. This is because with only two actors, Zahim managed to make the play lively with the multitude of characters come to life.
Gold Rain & Hailstone revolves mainly around its four prominent characters. They are Amy (an independent woman), Jay (an effeminate guy), Azman (a man’s man) and last but not least Nina (a modern city girl). These four characters are brought parallel into the story of Gold rain & Hailstone because in some way or the other all of them are connected. For instance, Jay and Azman are the best of friends since their childhood days. The both of them share a lot of memories. Similarly, Amy and Nina too are friends even before they went off to America to further their studies. Thus, based on these four characters’ stories, Gold rain & Hailstone tries to bring forth certain issues experienced by almost the majority of Malaysians going to America in the 1990s to further their studies.
The issues ‘discussed’ in the play is the dilemma Malaysians faced when they have been spending more than five years abroad – in this case the United States of America. This is because there will come a time when the Malaysian expatriate will question themselves “Should I return to Malaysia?” To these people, that particular question is difficult to answer. This may be caused by their sense of belonging to the United States of America -- the free country which is also a melting pot.
Gold rain & Hailstone tries to highlight the dilemma that is being faced by Amy. She is not able to choose whether to return to Kuala Lumpur. To make matters worse, her father is gravely ill and that she has not returned to her homeland for the past ten years. She is torn between staying in America and her father.
Similarly, Jay is also having a dilemma. He takes such a long time to consider his decisions before finally making a huge leap of faith and return to his homeland. As for Jay, he has never felt that he belongs anywhere. He does not simply fit in. This is due to the fact that he has always been different from the other boys. Jay as the name may suggest is a man who is more attuned to his feminine side. In his homeland, Jay is not does not enjoy freedom as much he wanted to. He feels as if there is somebody watching his every move and that person is just waiting for the right time to point out Jay’s mistakes. Being an effeminate male in a Muslim and Malay community is such a torment. That is why Jay feels that he is better off stay in the States. He feels more accepted in the quirky way the American seems to practice. The Americans are more nonchalant about his physical appearance and they also could not care less of Jay’s daily activities.
Nina on the other hand dreads to return to Malaysia simply because she feels that she is not ready to settle down. In America, nobody cares whether she is married or single. In contrast, Nina is being asphyxiate by her family members especially her mother and aunts who relentlessly kept pestering her to marry. They reason to her that “Orang perempuan tak elok bujang lama-lama” or simply translated “a young Malay woman should be married before she reaches the age of thirty”.
Azman on the other hand is having the time of his life as he is free to do whatever he wants to do. In America, it is acceptable for a young man to be promiscuous. This is due to the fact that Azman prefers the American way of life.
Azman, Nina, Jay and Amy are four young Malaysians from the heart of Kuala Lumpur acts differently from their typical Malaysians. These characters are not too Malay due to the education they receive and also the modern cultures that they are exposed to. That is the reason why these four young people feel that they do not belong in either the Eastern community or the Western community.
Apart from that, the director tries to highlight some authentic Malaysian tendency. In a few scenes, Nina’s mother talks to Azman’s mother on the phone. These two mothers have the habit of telling other people’s stories that they heard from ‘reliable sources’. It seems as though gossiping is some form of entertainment for them. Apart from being ‘concern’ of their gossip victims, these two doting mothers also love to boast about their son and daughter respectively. In addition, Azman and Nina like their mothers also gossips. This is apparent in the scene where Azman and Nina meets and get engaged in a conversation while attending the ‘kenduri’ or a feast. They both were gossiping about Amy and Jay. When their friends wave at them, Azman and Nina wave at them back while continue talking about the other persons nonchalantly.
In addition to the abovementioned traits, the characters of “Gold rain & Hailstone” also try to emphasize that in Asian values, especially in Malaysian context, the young must always respect the elderly and the “have-nots” are expected to have respect to the “haves”. This can be seen when Azman and Jay are being accompanied by their respective family members at the airport before their plane takes off to America. In this particular scene, Jay acts accordingly in order to show his respect to the Datuk and the Datin (Azman’s parents). Simultaneously, the audience can see that Jay’s mother is rather timid when she is around the Azman’s well-to-do family. Jay’s mother can be seen acting rather awkwardly around the Datin when in actual fact the Datin does not intend to show any sign of authority. Based from an Asian perspective, in my humble opinion, Jay’s mother knows exactly how to behave due to her parents’ upbringing. Asian has this system whereby a person needs to always present their best side whenever they are in the company of people from higher status such as the royalty and respected people (teachers, the rich and famous, politicians) etc.
Azman symbolizes some Malaysian young men who are seeking for fun and thrills in America. Apart from studies, Azman enjoys social events held around the town in which he stays. Azman makes up stories about his sexual encounter with an all American girl. He boasts that he is capable of giving satisfaction and pleasure to that girl. In America everything goes. This is especially true to most Malaysian expatriates since they are away from the watchful eyes of their ‘concern’ family members, friends and neighbours. This phenomenon can be due to the reluctance of classic Malaysian parents (especially the Malays) to openly discuss about sex. Parents see sex as a taboo subject and it is better not to discuss about it with the children. As a result the younger generation grows more inquisitive and eager to discover sex.
In conclusion, Gold rain & Hailstone is a thought-provoking, hilarious, witty play that carries a multitude of social messages to Asians especially Malaysians. Cleverly written, the issues in this play have been made as if they have never been so blatant before. This play is a good piece not only for discussions in higher learning institutions classrooms but this play can also provide useful and insightful points to discuss while sipping your cup of cappuccino at the all American cafes.
A Dramalab Production at KL PAC
Gold Rain & Hailstone is a witty play staged by Malaysia’s renowned theatre activist, Jit Murad and the talented Lin Jaafar. Gold Rain & Hailstone has been staged several times with its debut -- a humble production in the year 1993 at the British Council. This two- actor play is jam-packed with witty remarks and hilarious jokes which are woven intricately by the writer himself, the one and only, Jit Murad. Jit Murad reveals that Gold rain & Hailstone “is not autobiographical but none of it is made up.”
Gold rain & Hailstone starts off with the numbers 1991 beamed from the laser onto the stage backdrop which signifies the setting for this play. Multiple roles played by Jit Murad and Lin Jaafar makes this play smooth in transition and constantly demand the audience to fiercely follow the stories presented. Zahim Albakry has made a good job with the directing of Gold rain & Hailstone. This is because with only two actors, Zahim managed to make the play lively with the multitude of characters come to life.
Gold Rain & Hailstone revolves mainly around its four prominent characters. They are Amy (an independent woman), Jay (an effeminate guy), Azman (a man’s man) and last but not least Nina (a modern city girl). These four characters are brought parallel into the story of Gold rain & Hailstone because in some way or the other all of them are connected. For instance, Jay and Azman are the best of friends since their childhood days. The both of them share a lot of memories. Similarly, Amy and Nina too are friends even before they went off to America to further their studies. Thus, based on these four characters’ stories, Gold rain & Hailstone tries to bring forth certain issues experienced by almost the majority of Malaysians going to America in the 1990s to further their studies.
The issues ‘discussed’ in the play is the dilemma Malaysians faced when they have been spending more than five years abroad – in this case the United States of America. This is because there will come a time when the Malaysian expatriate will question themselves “Should I return to Malaysia?” To these people, that particular question is difficult to answer. This may be caused by their sense of belonging to the United States of America -- the free country which is also a melting pot.
Gold rain & Hailstone tries to highlight the dilemma that is being faced by Amy. She is not able to choose whether to return to Kuala Lumpur. To make matters worse, her father is gravely ill and that she has not returned to her homeland for the past ten years. She is torn between staying in America and her father.
Similarly, Jay is also having a dilemma. He takes such a long time to consider his decisions before finally making a huge leap of faith and return to his homeland. As for Jay, he has never felt that he belongs anywhere. He does not simply fit in. This is due to the fact that he has always been different from the other boys. Jay as the name may suggest is a man who is more attuned to his feminine side. In his homeland, Jay is not does not enjoy freedom as much he wanted to. He feels as if there is somebody watching his every move and that person is just waiting for the right time to point out Jay’s mistakes. Being an effeminate male in a Muslim and Malay community is such a torment. That is why Jay feels that he is better off stay in the States. He feels more accepted in the quirky way the American seems to practice. The Americans are more nonchalant about his physical appearance and they also could not care less of Jay’s daily activities.
Nina on the other hand dreads to return to Malaysia simply because she feels that she is not ready to settle down. In America, nobody cares whether she is married or single. In contrast, Nina is being asphyxiate by her family members especially her mother and aunts who relentlessly kept pestering her to marry. They reason to her that “Orang perempuan tak elok bujang lama-lama” or simply translated “a young Malay woman should be married before she reaches the age of thirty”.
Azman on the other hand is having the time of his life as he is free to do whatever he wants to do. In America, it is acceptable for a young man to be promiscuous. This is due to the fact that Azman prefers the American way of life.
Azman, Nina, Jay and Amy are four young Malaysians from the heart of Kuala Lumpur acts differently from their typical Malaysians. These characters are not too Malay due to the education they receive and also the modern cultures that they are exposed to. That is the reason why these four young people feel that they do not belong in either the Eastern community or the Western community.
Apart from that, the director tries to highlight some authentic Malaysian tendency. In a few scenes, Nina’s mother talks to Azman’s mother on the phone. These two mothers have the habit of telling other people’s stories that they heard from ‘reliable sources’. It seems as though gossiping is some form of entertainment for them. Apart from being ‘concern’ of their gossip victims, these two doting mothers also love to boast about their son and daughter respectively. In addition, Azman and Nina like their mothers also gossips. This is apparent in the scene where Azman and Nina meets and get engaged in a conversation while attending the ‘kenduri’ or a feast. They both were gossiping about Amy and Jay. When their friends wave at them, Azman and Nina wave at them back while continue talking about the other persons nonchalantly.
In addition to the abovementioned traits, the characters of “Gold rain & Hailstone” also try to emphasize that in Asian values, especially in Malaysian context, the young must always respect the elderly and the “have-nots” are expected to have respect to the “haves”. This can be seen when Azman and Jay are being accompanied by their respective family members at the airport before their plane takes off to America. In this particular scene, Jay acts accordingly in order to show his respect to the Datuk and the Datin (Azman’s parents). Simultaneously, the audience can see that Jay’s mother is rather timid when she is around the Azman’s well-to-do family. Jay’s mother can be seen acting rather awkwardly around the Datin when in actual fact the Datin does not intend to show any sign of authority. Based from an Asian perspective, in my humble opinion, Jay’s mother knows exactly how to behave due to her parents’ upbringing. Asian has this system whereby a person needs to always present their best side whenever they are in the company of people from higher status such as the royalty and respected people (teachers, the rich and famous, politicians) etc.
Azman symbolizes some Malaysian young men who are seeking for fun and thrills in America. Apart from studies, Azman enjoys social events held around the town in which he stays. Azman makes up stories about his sexual encounter with an all American girl. He boasts that he is capable of giving satisfaction and pleasure to that girl. In America everything goes. This is especially true to most Malaysian expatriates since they are away from the watchful eyes of their ‘concern’ family members, friends and neighbours. This phenomenon can be due to the reluctance of classic Malaysian parents (especially the Malays) to openly discuss about sex. Parents see sex as a taboo subject and it is better not to discuss about it with the children. As a result the younger generation grows more inquisitive and eager to discover sex.
In conclusion, Gold rain & Hailstone is a thought-provoking, hilarious, witty play that carries a multitude of social messages to Asians especially Malaysians. Cleverly written, the issues in this play have been made as if they have never been so blatant before. This play is a good piece not only for discussions in higher learning institutions classrooms but this play can also provide useful and insightful points to discuss while sipping your cup of cappuccino at the all American cafes.
1 comment:
Wow.. you're actually writing a review? Anyway, the theatre sounds good though.. I should have been there.
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