Hey guys! So I was recently invited to the opening night of Love Story: The Musical, happening from now til 18 June at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre. Not my first time at a musical, but I thought it’d be a good idea to bring B along since he’s never been to one before. I’ve also never been to KLPAC, even though it’s THE place for the performing arts in Malaysia.

Located in Sentul within a gated and guarded park area, KLPAC opened in 2005 – but the building itself has an impressive history dating back to the 1800s, formerly housing a wood-crafting workshop, a sawmill, and a railway depot. At the end of WWII it was bombed but rebuilt and made into a golf clubhouse, before being abandoned in the 1990s. Today, the remodeled building houses glass windows at the front.

Entering the spacious, high-ceilinged interior, we were greeted by an open space with stairs on the right leading up to the second floor. Posters of plays, dance performances and music shows were plastered on the pillars, and at the back was a mini library with space for ongoing art exhibitions. Under the staircase area was a chic cafe called Espressolab, where B and I had some drinks since the show wasn’t due to start in an hour.

Posters of ongoing and upcoming shows on the notice board.

Show that we watched that night!

I’m sure everyone has either seen or heard of this movie from 1970, based on the acclaimed novel by Erich Segal. Even if you haven’t, you would know the popular song “Where Do I Begin”, the film’s instrumental theme (which also seems to be a favourite tune of music boxes lol). The story was then adapted into a musical in 2010, with the script written by Stephen Clark and music by Howard Goodall. It enjoyed successful runs in UK and the US, and now, luckily for us, has been brought to Malaysia for the very first time!

View from the staircase.

Mini library with books donated from the public.

At 8.30PM, we entered the theatre, which looked like an auditorium with colorful seats. There was a small screen at the top which ran subtitles.

As photography wasn’t allowed during the show, I only took two photos of the hall before and during the intermission.

The play tells of a rich, spoiled boy, Oliver Barrett, and poor music student Jennifer Cavilleri, whose paths cross in the most unlikely way. They eventually marry against Oliver’s family’s wishes, and Jennifer gives up her lifelong dream of a scholarship in Paris in order to put Oliver through law school. He eventually graduates, lands himself a job and the happy couple move to New York to start their new life together. But as usual, fate has other plans…

(SPOILER) As far as it goes, it was a great play and I enjoyed it, although personally I don’t like watching sad plays or movies

The actors were good at conveying their emotions, especially Joshua Gui, the lead actor who plays Oliver Barrett, and Michelle Tan, who plays Jennifer Cavelleri. Both had awesome stamina; having to run around the stage, dance, sing and also convey emotion is no mean feat. I really admire the production crew and the speed in which they changed the sets around – basically after every scene, they had to rush out and spin/move the huge sets around and have them in place within seconds. The songs were also really great with nice melodies and meaningful lyrics, from the upbeat ‘Pasta’ and ‘Summer’s Day‘ to the haunting What Can You Say. 

The play is produced by Dama Asia, which has a long history of staging theatrical shows and musicals in Malaysia.

Showtimes:

• 16 June – 8.30PM
• 17 June – 3PM & 8.30PM
• 18 June – 3PM

Ticket prices start from RM65 on Friday evening and Saturday Matinee, and RM85 for Saturday evening and Sunday Matinee.

More info on http://www.dama.asia, or call 03-4047 9000 (KLPAC) / 03 7880 7999 (Ticketpro).