16.08.08.
Malam Gemilang only meant one thing to me : Malaysian food buffet! I didn't dress too formal, because i already had a really fun time at the Ursula Ball, and was to lazy to dress up again.
But in all aspects, i failed to get pics of the food. i guess you could say the food was too good.
Performances and theatre-wise however, was so-so, at best. From the opening video that was really confusing, to the last MAFU song that one guy totally forgot his lines, and was further plagued by non-existent mike problems. Sources tell me that for such a complicated song, the event itself was the FIRST TIME everyone sang together. =S
But wat to do. thats the Malaysian way of doing things. Someone once said that what Malaysians do best, is that we can laugh at ourselves. But I wonder/worry if sometimes thats the ONLY thing we can do if things go wrong. If i were a non-Malaysian at the event, what would I think? the stage had shoddy deco (Malam G_mila_), the narrator forgot his lines, and had delay problems.
If it was a really casual event, then MAYBE these things wouldn't matter. Maybe the theme was supposed to be a lighthearted comedic Malaysian show. But based on how everyone donned suits and lovely dresses i guess it wasn't. I certainly wouldn't expect a half-headed performance if i wore my best suit.
Yes, we were there to have fun. And it did succeed in that respect. Someone told me that "at least it was fun for everyone." But it was funny/fun for wrong reasons. Let the audience laugh because there was good dialogue, impressive dances, solid acting, not because of curtain failures, forgotten lines, or silly mistakes. TV screens outside the venue advertised the event as "Malam Gemilan". Show a little class.
On a better note, the 3 dances were good, with Asmaradana being the best. Kudos to the choreographer for that one.
I bumped into one guy at the event who said that based on the shows, there was NO way Malaysia could ever host a international event without looking silly, especially in light of the opening Olympic ceremony. Indeed, most of the "technical accidents" that happened could only be laughed off by a Malaysian. The price? $50. But it was worth $40 at most, the saving grace was the great food and the Asmaradana dance.
I might come across as a little harsh, in criticizing the event, but we must remember, this is our National Day celebration, with important (boring) VIPS and all, plus there were many foreigners in the audience. If we can't showcase our abilities during our National Day celebration, then when can we? Shape up, Malaysians. We are capable of much better =)
words by Gwen A. Jord
