KITA The Musical－My Only Idol

(From left) Rao, Nas Adila, Hafiz, Wang and Lin are wxcited to be in the show

Akademi Fantasia 7’s versatile champion will add musical theatre to his list of accomplishments when Kita opens next month, writes DENNIS CHUA

AS a protege of Puteri Gunung Ledang and P. Ramlee The Musical executive producer and Akademi Fantasia 7 principal Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina has helped Hafiz Suip make the leap into musical theatre.

The Kuching-born AF7 winner is all excited to appear in Kita, a feel-good musical about 1Malaysia. Produced by Musical On Stage Productions, it will be staged from June 17 to 27 at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur.

“It’s my first musical, and it’s in English and Bahasa Malaysia. I will play the protagonist Rahman, the son of a village headman who has set his sights on becoming a successful recording artiste in the big city,” says Hafiz.

He will share the stage with Astro Vaanavil Superstar 2009 winner Michael Rao, who is also making his theatrical debut. Other cast members include newcomers Eric Lin and Amy Wang, Lim Cheng Hock, recording artiste and AF7 contestant Nas Adila Mohd Dan, theatre star Sukania Venugopal, and actor Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan.

Musical On Stage founder Ho Lin Huay, best known for the award-winning Siddharta The Musical, Above Full Moon and Jewel Of Tibet, is the director, producer and scriptwriter. His longtime collaborator, Imee Ooi, is the composer, music arranger and music director.

Hafiz is happy to star alongside Jalaluddin, whom he describes as a “brilliant actor and teacher”.

“It’s a joy to work with him (Jalaluddin plays his father). He’s taught me a lot about making my first move into acting,” he says.

Kita reunites Hafiz with Nas Adila, who plays his love interest, the conservative and semi-literate Ayu.

“Since AF7 ended, I’ve been in showcases with runners-up Aril Pilus and Akim Ahmad. Working with Adila is a new and challenging experience,” he says.

While Adila is like an “elder sister” to Hafiz, he’s not new to playing the love interest of senior contestants. During AF7, he did a sketch from P. Ramlee The Musical with his “class monitor”, singer-actress Ismaliza Ismail.

“What I’ve learnt from Tiara is that you have to play different people, sometimes more mature characters, in musical theatre. The most successful stars are the most versatile,” he says, citing Sharifah Amani as his favourite leading lady.

Nas Adila, who has appeared in several movies before, finds mastering the Kedah Malay dialect her biggest challenge in Kita.

“My character is from Kedah, so I had to learn Loghat Utara (northern dialect) from the Kedahans among the cast members,” she says.

She will also perform a duet with Hafiz titled Pandangan Pertama.
She hopes to do voiceover work for Bahasa Malaysia editions of foreign films in future.

Rao, who plays Rahman’s best friend, Ganesh, is thrilled to be part of a musical that “tells the Malaysian story” in simple language and heart-warming music. “Kita should appeal to all ages and touch Malaysian hearts.”

Ho wrote 29 songs for the musical. Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s inspiring Getaran Jiwa is also part of the repertoire.

“It’s great to have Hafiz, Michael, Adila, Eric and Amy on board. They may be newcomers, but they’re so committed. We’ve been training for two months, three days a week,” she says.

The musical covers a four-decade period that coincides with the nation’s industrialisation.

“It’s a simple coming-of-age story of three childhood friends — Rahman, Ganesh and Chong — who dream of becoming successful entertainers in Kuala Lumpur.

They live in Teluk Intan, which coincidentally is my hometown,” says Istana Budaya director-general Juhari Shaarani.

“Kita will have old and new scenes of Teluk Intan, most notably its Leaning Tower as the backdrop.”

Its message, he says, is that the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, Muhibbah or 1Malaysia has always been a way of life for Malaysians and so there’s no reason why it should be questioned.

“Malaysians come from various backgrounds, but they have always found common values and bonded well. It’s the norm, never the exception.”

Kita was launched at Istana Budaya on May 17 by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon. The launch was attended by Ho, Juhari and the cast.

Tickets go for RM288, RM188, RM148, RM108, RM88 or RM38 each. Time: 8.30pm and 3pm (June 20). No show on Mondays. Call 03-7954 5922.