PETALING JAYA, April 16 — Why wait for the next Disney film to represent South-east Asian or Malaysian culture when our very own folktales offer the same magic, mystery and marvel, if not more?

To get Malaysians acquainted and re-acquainted with stories from our past, the Performing Arts Centre of Penang (Penangpac) will be bringing audiences a five-part series titled Once Upon a Time to showcase Malaysian folklore that have captured the imaginations of generations before us.

And if you think only the Brothers Grimm can spin a disturbing yarn, our stories have no shortage of darkness too.

Penangpac will kick off the stories tonight with Badang the Magnificent and Si Tanggang the Ungrateful Son — both contain elements of mystic and good moral values for little ones.

Badang tells the story of a slave who is granted superhuman strength after meeting a mystical creature while Si Tanggang is the tale about a poor man who returns home as a rich merchant but is ashamed of his humble roots.

‘Si Tanggang’ tells the story of a poor man who becomes a rich merchant but is ashamed of his humble roots. — Picture courtesy of Penangpac

Director Fa Abdul has given these tales a new spin in the form of humour and audience interaction.

Fa’s love for Malaysian folktales began at an early age when she would watch black and white films featuring screen legends Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Tan Sri Jins Shamsuddin with her family on RTM every week.

"As such, it has always been a dream of mine to stage the stories I once loved especially since I feel our theatre industry players seem to be quite obsessed with everything Western,” she told Malay Mail today.

"It is also a dream of mine to educate the new generation and the expat communities in Malaysia of our own folktales — which is why I decided to adapt the stories into English.”

The one-hour show will be conducted entirely in English except for the traditional Malay dance scenes that will feature popular Malay tunes.

Penangpac’s five-part series ‘Once Upon a Time’ is a fresh take on Malaysian folktales. — Picture courtesy of Penangpac

It stars Garu Rumon, Karam Tabba, Lara Matias, Lawrence Chin and Martina Andrene as well as Nur Liana, Nur Khairina, Nor Shafiqah and Natasha Amanda from the Afif Dance Theatre (ADT).

The dance scenes are choreographed by ADT founder Muhammad Afif Anor.

Fa told Malay Mail the idea for Once Upon a Time came about when Penangpac was applying for a grant from the Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana).

"We were brainstorming for the projects to propose and somehow the idea just popped and got everyone excited,” the Penangpac general manager said.

Penangpac was one of 150 beneficiaries from the arts and culture sector to receive a grant under the Cendana Recovery Initiatives programme which helped fund this children’s theatre special.

Initially slated to be staged in February, the show was postponed to April due to the second movement control order (MCO) making it Penangpac’s first internal production post-MCO 2.0.

The one-hour show is conducted entirely in English to introduce Malaysian folktales to a new generation and expats. — Picture courtesy of Penangpac

Last December, the theatre venue staged Twisted: A Different Kind of Fairy Tale which Fa directed and adapted from various Western fairy tales but in "true Malaysian rojak style”.

It was a hit with audiences so Fa is applying the same concept to Once Upon a Time where the audience can expect to be part of the show.

"I think the audience would enjoy it. No, I am pretty sure they will love it,” said Fa.

"Furthermore, Malaysian folktales have all the similar elements as Disney classics, and with our very own touch of culture, it actually is pretty fascinating.”

Confident that Penangpac’s latest outing will be a great show, Fa and her team are sad hat due to the standard operating procedure, the venue can only have a 30 per cent seating capacity.

And that’s not taking into account, some parents might not be keen to bring their children to catch a show because of the pandemic.

"But then again, there will be another four instalments of Once Upon a Time, hopefully everyone will grab the chance to catch them,” said Fa.

Theatregoers attending the performance can expect a 1.5 metre-distance between audience seats and only six performers will be on stage at one time as a safety precaution that Creative Industries must strictly observe.

Catch Once Upon a Time: Badang: The Magnificent & Si Tanggang: The Ungrateful Son today (April 16) 8pm, April 17 (3pm and 8pm) and April 18 (3pm) at Stage 2, Penangpac, Straits Quay, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

Tickets are priced at RM20 (under 21), RM30 (concession) and RM35, call 04-899 1722 or visit proticket.com.my to purchase.

Other folklore under this series are:

The Curse of Mahsuri & Raja Bersiong: The King with Fangs — May 28-30

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah: The Step Sisters & The Fairy Princess of Gunung Ledang — July 16-18

The Adventures of Musang Berjanggut & Sanggul Beracun: The Revenge of Cik Siti — September 3-5

Tun Teja: Tale of Love & Betrayal and Pak Belalang: The Astrologer — October 15-17