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Menora

Menora

Menora is seen only in Kelantan. This dance drama is believed to have developed in Thailand about 2,000 years ago, was introduced to Kelantan during the second half of the nineteenth century.

It is a dance drama portraying Buddhist Jaataka stories, is characteristically Thai but has been accultured into the Malaysian milieu.

It is performed by an all-male cast who also assume female roles. Adventures dating from ancient folklore are enacted by slow rhythmic movements of legs, arms and fingers. An orchestra of drums, gongs, scrape instruments and the serunai, a Malay oboe, provides the music.

Traditional Instruments part 2

Rebab

The rebab is the most important bowed lute in Malays folk music. It is the main melodic instrument in the mak yong (a popular local tune) and is used to accompany storytelling in Kelantan, Malaysia. It has 2 or 3 strings, running over a movable bridge.The rebab is held upright on a short spike and played using a wooden bow with nylon strings. The 2 stringed rebab is found only in the context of the shadow puppet theatre.

Seruling

The seruling is made from bamboo. It comes in a few types of designs and shapes and has different numbers of holes. This instrument is said to be an indigeneous instrument of this region. It exists everywhere in Southeast Asia. In caklempong that flourishes in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, this instrument comes in 3 shapes with different names like 'salung', 'bangsi', 'puput' and 'seruling'. It is often blown across the edge and held straight during playing, for entertainment, either in ensemble or played alone. The 'persol' type of seruling, is blown and held horizontally. This instrument is a nose flute.

Serunai

The Malay serunai is a reed wind instrument, with a quadruple reed made from rice stalk. The body has 7 front finger holes and 1 at the back. Circular breathing technique is used so that once a melody is started it does not stop until the tune ends.

Traditional Instruments part 1

Rebana Ubi

In the days of the ancient Malay kingdoms, the resounding rhythmic beats of the giant rebana ubi drums conveyed various messages from warnings of danger to wedding announcements. Later, they were used as musical instruments in an assortment of social performances.

Kompang

Arguably the most popular Malay traditional instrument, the kompang is widely used in a variety of social occasions such as the National Day parades, official functions and weddings. Similar to the tambourine but without the jingling metal discs, this hand drum is most commonly played in large ensembles, where various rhythmic composite patterns are produced by overlapping multiple layers of different rhythms.

Gambus

Brought to Malaysia by Persian and Middle Eastern traders, the gambus or Arabian oud is played in a variety of styles in Malay folk music, primarily as the lead instrument in Ghazal music. Carefully crafted with combinations of different woods, this instrument produces a gentle tone that is similar to that of the harpsichord.

Sape

The sape is the traditional lute of the Orang Ulu community or upriver people of Sarawak. A woodcarving masterpiece with colourful motifs, the sape is made by hollowing a length of wood. Once played solely during healing ceremonies within longhouses, it gradually became a social instrument of entertainment. Typically, its thematic music is used to accompany dances such as the Ngajat and Datun Julud.

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Mek Mulung

Not many Malaysians know about Mek Mulung,the traditional theatre performance which originated from Kedah.This dance theatre, from the Wang Tepus district in Jitra, takes the word “mek”, an affectionate term for a young woman and “mulung”, the name of the forest where the dance was first performed.

It is believed to have been introduced by a princess cast off into the forest along with her maidservants after her father, the king, believed a fortune teller’s prediction that the girl would bring misfortune to the kingdom. She was banished when she was just a baby.

The maidservants made up songs and tales to entertain the young princess whenever she cried. She grew into a young woman who so loved the songs and tales by her maidservants that she eventually took the lead in the performances. The group soon left the forest and returned to Kedah.

According to the book, Sejarah Asal Mek Mulung (The Original History of Mek Mulung) by the Cultural, Arts and Tourism Ministry, Mek Mulung was first introduced in Kampung Paya Kulubi, before spreading to Perik, both in Kedah.

Unfortunately, the performance was not well-received by the people of Perik. The princess and her troupe then performed in Wang Tepus, where it was an instant hit. To this day, the traditional theatre performance is held annually in Wang Tepus.

There are also claims that Mek Mulung originated in Legor, Thailand, before it was introduced in Kedah during the Kedah-Thailand feud. The first places where it was introduced were Kampung Perit, Mukim Kurung Itam and the Kuala Nerang district.

It then travelled to Kampung Belukar Mulung and Kampung Paya Keladi before ending up in Kampung Wang Tepus.Mek Mulung revolves around five main stories, including Cahaya Bulan,Malim Bongsu and Dewa Muda

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Jikey theater

Jikey

Jikey is a form of traditional theatre still popular in Kedah and Perlis.

It was said that Jikey began when a group of merchants were caught for evading taxes.

To free themselves, the king ordered the merchants to sing and dance in order to earn enough money to pay their dues.

Musical instruments used include 3 drums, a serunai, a bell and a tamborine. Stories told in Jikey are folk tales.

Bangsawan

This is what is generally known as Malay Opera and is a form of theatre that became very popular in the 1950’s.

Telling tales of love, bravery and heroism of princes and folk heroes.

With singing, dancing and acting it is one of the total theatre experiences.

One of the unique features of this theatre form is called the ‘extra turn’ when the curtain is lowered to change sets and dancing girls come out in front of the curtain to perform dance-hall type numbers like the rumba, cha-cha and so on.

Often famous entertainers and comedians also make guest appearances to entertain the audience.

theater in malaysia

Theater in Malaysia is fast progressing; it is being noticed in the West and also gaining popularity in the country. The popularity of Malaysian theater can be seen from the fact that Sunday newspapers feature one or two pages on Malaysian Theater. However, Malaysian theater lacks proper infrastructure, the plays are performed by numerous amateur groups in Kuala Lumpur and generally the plays are performed three times in the city. But then, the scenario was different in the era prior to Second World War. During that time there were many professional theater groups and the entire theater set up use to buzz with activity, in both city and countryside.

The traditional theatrical forms of Malaysia are Ma'yong and Manora. Ma'yong is traditional court theater that developed into a folk form, it comprises of magical stories that has a lot of music and stylized movement. Manora is a kind of folk dance drama originating from Buddhist source, and familiar to every culture of Southeast Asia. It is generally deals with the love story between a prince and a princess of Kinnara origin.

Bangsawan is another form of theater in Malaysia. It is one kind of spoken drama, however, music is significant in such a play and there are songs in between scenes. Bangsawan is basically melodramatic in nature and depends a lot on stage improvisation as such a play does not have any script, only the basic plot is available to the actors. Before the performance of such a play, the director explains the dialogues and actions of the play and the actors later improvises these actions and dialogues on the stage. Even the lyrics and melodies are memorized by the writers.

These traditional theatrical forms have become almost dead and rarely performed, except for occasions like the King's or Sultan's birthday. But the latest developments in the theater scenario of Malaysia are encouraging and there is no doubt that theater in the country will flourish very soon.

Mak Yong

Mak Yong adalah seni teater tradisional masyarakat Melayu yang sampai sekarang masih digemari dan sering dipertunjukkan sebagai dramatari dalam forum internasional. Di zaman dulu, pertunjukan mak yong diadakan orang desa di pematang sawah selesai panen padi.
Dramatari mak yong dipertunjukkan di Terengganu, Pattani, Kelantan dan Kedah. Selain itu, mak yong juga dipentaskan di Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia. Di kepulauan Riau, mak yong dibawakan penari yang memakai topeng, berbeda dengan di Malaysia yang tanpa topeng.
Pertunjukan mak yong dibawakan kelompok penari dan pemusik profesional yang menggabungkan berbagai unsur upacara keagamaan, sandiwara, tari, musik dengan vokal atau instrumental, dan naskah yang sederhana. Tokoh utama pria dan wanita keduanya dibawakan oleh penari wanita. Tokoh-tokoh lain yang muncul dalam cerita misalnya pelawak, dewa, jin, pegawai istana, dan binatang. Pertunjukan mak yong diiringi alat musik seperti rebab, gendang dan tetawak.
Istana kerajaan menjadi pelindung seni tari mak yong sejak paruh kedua abad ke-19 sampai tahun 1930-an. Jika raja mendengar ada penari yang pandai apalagi cantik sedang bermain di kampung-kampung, raja langsung memerintahkan penari tersebut untuk menari di dalam lingkungan istana. Penari yang menari di istana akan ditanggung semua akomodasi serta kebutuhan hidup, dan bahkan menerima pinjaman tanah sawah milik raja untuk dikerjakan.
Kemunduran ekonomi kesultanan akibat kedatangan penjajah Inggris di Kelantan menyebabkan pihak kesultanan tidak bisa lagi menjadi pelindung kelompok pertunjukan mak yong. Akibatnya di awal abad ke-20, tari mak yong mulai berkembang bebas di desa-desa. Pertunjukan Mak yong tanpa patron pihak kerajaan menyebabkan mutu pertunjukan semakin merosot, terutama setelah terjadi bencana banjir besar di Kelantan yang terkenal sebagai Banjir Merah tahun 1926 hingga tahun 1950-an.
Selain itu, nilai estetika tradisional mak yong mulai luntur akibat komersialiasi pertunjukan. Lama pertunjukan juga diperpendek dari pukul 8:30 malam hingga pukul 11:00 malam. Selesai pertunjukan mak yong langsung diteruskan acara joget bersama. Penonton naik ke atas panggung untuk menari bersama penari mak yong. Alat musik untuk mak yong juga diganti dengan biola dan akordion untuk memainkan lagu untuk berjoget.
Di pihak kelompok mak yong, nilai moral penari juga mulai merosot. Tidak jarang terdengar kisah-kisah sumbang yang terjadi antara kalangan penari dengan penonton selepas pertunjukan. Keluarga penari mak yong juga menjadi berantakan, perceraian menyebabkan anak-anak menjadi terlantar. Penari mak yong malah banyak yang bangga dengan jumlah suami yang dimiliki. Publik mempertanyakan nilai moral di kalangan penari sehingga citra penari mak yong makin merosot. Keadaan ini membuat citra kesenian mak yong semakin hancur.
Di akhir tahun 1960-an, kelompok tari mak yong sudah tidak bisa dijumpai lagi. Orang yang berniat mempelajari tari mak yong juga tidak ada. Kebudayaan barat yang melanda masyarakat Malaysia makin menenggelamkan kesenian mak yong. Kalau ada pun pertunjukan Mak Yong yang diadakan pada peristiwa penting seperti Hari Keputeraan Sultan, pertunjukan hanya dikerumuni orang-orang tua.
Kelompok Seri Temenggung merupakan pelopor tari mak yong generasi ketiga yang berusaha menghidupkan kembali tari dan nyanyian asli seperti pertunjukan mak yong generasi pertama. Kelompok tari Seri Temenggung masih relatif baru dengan guru-guru yang berasal dari generasi pertama penari mak yong.