Gudang & Socialites

Last night's rehearsal was held in an art exhibition, at Gudang, a warehouse turned art space.

I braved the traffic from KL Convention Centre in Jalan Ampang to Damansara Jaya. Left MIFA (Malaysian International Fashion Awards) to M's rehearsal...from slick tall bodies who sat around waiting for catwalk rehearsal to start (yes, it felt like work again except I wasn't their booker anymore, it felt good), to sizzling and pungent Char Keoy Teow being served outside the warehouse while art took place inside.

There were big blocks of ice being stacked up in one corner, a small mountain of hays (wood stripes???) in a circle, two TVs showing ONE game of tennis (clever), a hammock being finished, and many other activities that I couldn't begin to describe. There were mainly scruffy looking bohemians, familiar looking theatre people, preppy-looking folks, and there was even a Tattler couple...

It was humid inside, you perspire, from staring at a light bulb doing its thing two inches off the ground, or from eating the extremely delicious and freshly fried Keoy Teow, or from an engaging discussion on who should try out the tempting hammock now done...

One of us, a girl with balls attempted climbing onto the huge hammock....she was short and very determined, second Signal Master followed suit and got in with some pronounced effort. I was very eager and very worried about not being able to get my skinny ass onto that scary but fun-looking thing. With some reassurance and encouragement, I got onto the damn thing quite easily (jaw-dropping easy for me as the third one up) and posed some idiot poses at the camera...hope it turns out.
























Then a voice came on a mike announcing a musical performance that was about to start. A flute, a guitar and a violin. Three men. No amplification for the live performance. I tried shooshing the slightly noisy crowd (my favourite thing in public) -- reminding them what the host just announced -- don't make a sound -- performance.

They started playing, it was still a bit too warm in there, I sat on a brick out next the ice blocks...a couple of my M fellas followed. We didn't stay too long....the cast left in one group and helped each other got out of the `car-park'.

















Then at the director's house I had my third gin-n-tonic for the month. We watched Buster Keaton on film and were highly entertained, inspired (I hope) and energized...WHAT TALENT!!!! Rehearsal ended with us playing and experimenting with saying lines and words from Allan Cummings' Cabaret...saying everything with conviction and with zero laziness in the mouth and jaw, exhausted at the end of exercise.

After those exercises it was chill out time, director was in her sociable mood so we chilled and chatted for quite a while, with her unfriendly-but-curious cat and the very sociable dog milling about among us.

That was a very unusual Friday evening and I'd say, damn happening Friday night. Where were you? Jackie Cheong's musical??