A TAD DISAPPOINTING

THE story of Cindai has been told three times over. It was first staged in 1988, a second staging followed in 1995; the most recent presentation was at the Panggung Sari, Istana Budaya, last week. The grand setting, high-tech props and different cast were what attracted many to the play this time around.

For those who have watched Cindai before, the recent outing was slightly disappointing. It lacked a certain something that presumably only renowned playwright Datuk Noordin Hassan, who wrote Cindai, would be able to detect.Director Rohani Yousoff tried to say too many things in the performance's two-hour span, resulting in a story within a story within a story.One has to dismantle the play piece by piece, scene by scene, to find meaning to the play so as to understand it.

Revising the play to make it current and relevant to the the present day was what Noordin had in mind but the manner in which Cindai was presented did not make it any easier for the audience to understand it.

It lacked momentum and some scenes were presented haphazardly - this was one theatrical effort that didn't have a climax and was dismally flat throughout.

Pak Ku played by Jalil Hamid was supposedly a symbol of the ugly Malay whose unbridled and sinister ambition made him want to fulfil his every desire, including possessing Cindai, a court dancer. When Pak Ku failed, he tried to frame Cindai by plotting to get rid of her. Aided by ''her lover'', he masterminded her elimination. Later on, Pak Ku regretted his past sins towards Cindai and vowed to repent by building a shrine for her on a remote island.

His misleading act led many narrow-minded Malays to regard and worship the graceful and innocent Cindai like a saint.

As Pak Ku, Jalil Hamid failed miserably. Not only was he unable to draw sympathy from the audience as the suffering Minister who fell from grace, he wasn't even able to give a credible performance. What we saw on stage was Jalil Hamid, the singer who popularised the song Ayam. He appeared to be trying hard to be Pak Ku - a character that was played convincingly by his predecessors, veteran actor Ahmad Yatim (in 1988) and the late Yusof Mohammad (1995). Both displayed a distinct style of acting which, when compared to Jalil's, made him look as if he was ill-suited for the part.

Jalil's role is most crucial to the whole play - not only does the play revolve around his character, he is the narrator as well.

Having three actresses - Sharifah Shahirah (as Cindai 1), Amy Haryani Abdul Hamid (Cindai II) and Ida Nerina (Cindai III) playing Cindai in different settings was a bit baffling. And none were Cindai in the true sense of the word. There was something about Sharifah Shahirah that made her unsuitable for the part; either her part as the beautiful, innocent Cindai who was wrongfully punished too small or she couldn't manage to make an impact.

As for Amy Haryani who played Cindai the court dancer who was framed and speared to death by palace guards, there wasn't much acting to contend with except for the graceful steps of a dancer, steps that were choreographed by creative dance director Sharifah Mahani Syed Kassim,

The real disappointment was Ida Nerina, the seasoned actress who normally stands out, no matter how minor her role. Here, Ida looked like she had left her heart and soul elsewhere. Ida acted out her two roles, first as the witty Tengku Puteri Sharifah Salwa Salamiah, and later as Cindai III unimpressively. At times, she appeared like a first-timer who has just got her break in theatre acting.

Another polished actress, Azizah Mahzan, was also a letdown. She only excels in Datin roles where else her other portrayals, as defence counsel and as Azizah, mother of Rabiatul, the leading lady, were mediocre. There were many disappointments in terms of acting, from the experienced, seasoned actors to the newcomers. It looked like all the actors had a freehand in interpreting their roles and that Rohani did very little directing. Perhaps, this New York-trained theatre practitioner, who also directed Cindai in 1995, was too busy handling and overseeing other areas like the production and settings that left her with not much energy and time to review the acting by her cast.Comedian Sabri Yunus who played three roles - a crippled dancer, court official and Datuk Sambaria, was the only actor who stood out. As the crippled dancer, he managed to gain sympathy from the audience; as the court official he was shrewd and manipulative while his interpretation of Datuk Sambaria, lacing his dialogue with thick Kelantanese accent, was funny.

M.Rajoli, another veteran actor who has very little exposure in theatre, was not too bad as the Minister though at times he got carried away with his lines and did some adlibbing which provided some laughs.

The other actors of Cindai were Shahrizan or Abon as Datuk Jalil and trishaw rider, Ibrahim Akir (Paduka Sultan), Dr Samat Salleh (Prosecutor/Datuk Samat), Zul Huzaimy (Iskandar), Zaidi Karim (Wazir), Abu Bakar Sulaiman (Bentara), Zahari Musa (Datuk Setiajaya) and Mohd Hady Tahir as Datuk Bakak.

The music by Suhaimi Mohd Zain was good, at times haunting and most of the times providing the mood for Cindai. But then again, he was better in the last Cindai outing.

It's unfortunate that the joy of watching Cindai was marred by the slow-paced story telling, poor acting by most of the cast and bad overall directing. The songs were only good enough for a first listen but they don't grow on you like the songs of Cindai past.

Perhaps Cindai, staged from Aug 24 to Sept 2, would have been an excellent piece if only Noordin himself had directed it.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 11/9/2001