After getting “Her Story”, now it’s time to witness “His Story” at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (Klpac).

In “His Story”, eight budding writers will share unique stories of Malaysian men on self-discovery, relationships and various life stages.

The monologues are set to unveil relatable anecdotes that flesh out the various cultural experiences and context of living in Malaysia, from the male point of view.

Staging in Pentas 2 of Klpac from 23 to 26 February, the show is the second-part installment from Fa Abdul’s playwriting writing project, which showcases the works of 20 budding writers and their diverse perspectives about Malaysians from all walks of life.

“His Story” features a show list such as Andrew Loh’s “Don’t Jump!”, Karam Tabba’s “I Got Busy”, Bing Hou’s “Life Changes” and Lawrence Chin’s “Tattoos on the Left”.

One can also gauge the themes explored under the titles by Faizal Sohaimi’s “Little Grains of Sand”, R. Mohamad’s “Mother’s Boy”, Simon Ong’s “The Good Son” and Zee’s “Hey Daddy”.

These monologues shine a light on the colourful, surreal, humorous and real-life experiences of ordinary Malaysians, being told after a bout of deep introspection.

“His Story” will be brought to life by the performances of Ash Sahimun, Sidhart Joe Dev, Karam Tabba, Lok Shi Hoong, Xavier Chen Wen Xuen, Adrian Choong, Nandagopall, and Daniel Hussin.

The creators began on the project since the pandemic days in 2021, as a creative outlet to overcome the lockdown blues.

Seasoned playwright, Fa Abdul, took 20 new writers under her wing to explore the ways of powerful story-telling. The output resulted in 20 insightful monologues, in English and Malay, by the new writers, who are between 13 and 55 years old.

“His Story” follows “Her Story”, which was staged in January 2022 and had featured the works of 12 female writers, on subjects such as the human condition and femininity.

The works had comprised stories of women exploring their freedom in Oti T.’s “Rollercoaster”, Asmaak’s “The Unexpected Moments”, Binnu’s “My Dad Was Never a Doctor!” and Dalela’s “Bukan Semua Perlu Cerita”.

Mental health issues and family expectations were also explored in “Kontradiksi” by Aurora Borealis’, Dev M.’s “My Blessed Unrest”, Fatih Nuur’s “Di Sebalik Tirai Sakit Jiwa”, Angelina K.’s “A Letter to Death” and Livaanya Sivarajah’s “Brida”.

Falling in love and finding your self worth were the themes in Bina K.’s “A Single Pringle”, AC Wong’s “Red Lipsticks” and Anussha Kumar-Lee’s “Curls”.

The powerful monologues were performed by Piravina Ragunathan, Veronica Boh, Janusha Laxmi, Tiana Xavier, Ais Isaac, Vio, Mardiana Ismail, Tharwa Karina, Skylar Lim, Carmen Khoo, Carolyn Chow, and Nephi Shaine.

Both “His Story” and “Her Story” feature presentations in English and Malay, and includes subtitles in English.

Check it out for a refreshing blend of relatable plots and twists filled with cultural relevance and context about the regular Malaysian on the street.

Tickets for “His Story” are priced at RM40 can be purchased here. Visit the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) for more information., call +603 4047 9000 or WhatsApp +6018 227 7212. 

Cover image and press release supplied by the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre.