KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Hang Jebat is most well known as a villainous foil to Hang Tuah in Malay folklore, who was defeated in a legendary fight.

A new English-Malay theatre production explores the origins of his treachery and tell the story from his point of view in a modern reimagining of a classic tale.

JEBAT will premiere at 8pm on September 16 and run until September 24 in klpac Pentas 1, directed by theatre veteran Joe Hasham and written by U-En Ng.

The story follows Hang Jebat as he must choose between a path of revenge against the Sultan or caring for his wife and unborn child.

The production will dazzle audiences with intense choreographed silat fights, immersive sets and costumes and a sweeping score with traditional and modern elements.

"We have many wonderful Malaysian stories that deserve to be told,” director Joe Hasham said in a statement.

"While there has been much focus on Hang Tuah, this will be the first major English language production focusing on Jebat, exploring what possibly went on in his head and why he did what he did.”

Hasham said audiences will see traditional elements including the use of the keris and silat but set in an ‘East meets West’ world with military costuming and post-apocalyptic set design.

The main cast will feature Daulat actor Zul Zamir as Hang Jebat, Yusuf Amin as Hang Tuah, Swarna Naidu as Dayang or Jebat’s wife, Davina Goh as Tun Teja and Sidart Joe Dev as Sultan Mahmud Shah.

The show is set to be The Actors Studio’s biggest production of 2023 featuring an ensemble of 40 performers.

The Actors Studio is a locally renowned theatre production company founded in 1989 by Datuk Faridah Merican and Hasham.

The onstage fights were guided by silat master Danial Nawawi with assistance from martial arts expert Keith Toh and choreographer Zhafir Muzani.

The original score is composed by Siu Yee who will incorporate the Malay gamelan with Western percussion and co-composed by cellist Eugene Chong.

Early bird promotions are available for tickets bought until September 10 at 25 per cent off.

Regular ticket prices are from RM80 to RM100, with a special RM40 price for education group booking with a minimum of 20 people.

The show is organised by The Actors Studio in partnership with ArtsFAS, Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

Tickets for JEBAT are available here.