By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
CULIK emerges as a tragic comedy that explores themes of humanity and life pressures through a light-hearted, audience-friendly approach.
Staged at the alternative venue Insider Satellite Ipoh, the effort by the Persatuan Seniman Teater & Teknikal Pentas Perak (STEPS) and its collaborators to “bring theatre closer to the people” deserves recognition.
The main strength of this production, directed by Ard Omar, lies in the performances of its three lead actors who successfully brought the story to life despite the modest stage setting.
Ard Omar, who plays Mat, stood out as the kidnapper character by naturally balancing serious and comedic elements, making his performance the most memorable throughout the play.
Bob Rizal, portraying Jai, complemented the dynamic between the two kidnappers well with a relaxed, spontaneous acting style, while Puteri Fairuz deserves praise for her courage in portraying an 11-year-old kidnapping victim with convincing energy and expression.
However, the production’s biggest weakness lies in the emotional logic of the child character.
Realistically, a kidnapping victim would normally experience trauma and fear, yet the character was portrayed as overly cheerful and comfortable with her kidnappers. One scene even implied her desire to marry one of them.
While the intention may have been to inject humour and satire into the story, the approach appeared unsuitable given the character’s age and could potentially create confusing interpretations, particularly in today’s sensitive climate surrounding child safety issues.
From a directorial perspective, Ard Omar effectively utilised the “black box” concept to create an intimate atmosphere between the actors and audience.
However, the minimal use of props and visuals caused several scenes to feel static. Additional visual elements could have helped enhance the emotional transitions and dramatic atmosphere.
Despite its weaknesses in emotional construction and visual presentation, Culik still succeeds as an entertaining production that offers reflection on life pressures, love and the consequences of poor decisions.
Its bold move to bring theatre into alternative spaces is also a positive step that should continue to be supported by local theatre practitioners.
