Review: 'Kena Main' an underwhelming tale of trickery

‘Kena Main’ is a 90-minute banter and lighthearted comedic scenes interspersed with bits of old-fashioned melodrama. The production was breezy and occasionally amusing but its real appeal lies in the big names who made up the cast.

Veterans and longtime performers, ‘Kena Main’ has a cast that aptly fitted into the grand stage of Istana Budaya.

The crop of talented cast included Ebby Saiful, Sani Sudin and Aida Othman play three street musicians, while Eman Manan plays a friend who makes recurring appearances. Supporting the leads were Rodhi Md. Noor, Azizah Mahzan, Azman Hassan, Sabri Yunus and Fauziah Nawi.

‘Kena Main’ tells the story of blind musicians namely Daud, Mona and Jusuh. One day they encounter Laila and Jamil from the welfare society who wishes to hire them as performers for an upcoming charity event.

While deciding whether or not they should go ahead with the proposal, they encountered a hotchpotch of trickery.

‘Kena Main’ was first staged in 1992 at MaTIC in Jalan Ampang as director Khalid Salleh’s first monologue. There was no questioning the caliber on display; each actor was performing at his or her best. Even small cameo roles were treated with respect.

‘Kena Main’ aptly captures the portrait of the previous generation and puts it up for view. The style of interaction and language employed by the characters are those of our parents and the version of Malaysia they lived through.

In fact, the entire affair feels very Gen-X. And it must be crucial to note that 'Kena Main' is a no-nonsense delivery of a pretty straightforward story set in Kuala Lumpur that feels almost as real as it looks.

Designer Irwan Ismadi staged an excellent work in bringing a chunk of the city of Kuala Lumpur to the stage through a two-level sets coupled with a staircase. Little details fitted into the stage also added to the atmosphere onstage.

All of these elements gave us the impression that ‘Kena Main’ has been given a facelift to prepare it for post-1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Malaysia.

It must be noted that the staging took quite a bit of post-show research before the nuances were unearthed. At first glance, ‘Kena Main’ seemed like nothing more than a comedic take on the day in the lives of three blind musicians.

The first segment of the show was a tad too draggy but things started progressing in the second half.

‘Kena Main’ suggested darker, more human undertones in its writing but this message was only identifiable by audiences later in the production. As a whole, on-stage affairs were somewhat idyllic in the sense that there were happy endings for everyone we cared about.

And this was perhaps the problem. The consequences and stakes in ‘Kena Main’ came across as trivial. It felt as though all these characters on stage had problems that were too easily resolved. As such, it was a tough task trying to register a connection with any of them.

Here, physical disability was used as a source for humour rather than sympathy. While this was an interesting and uncommon angle to go for, it also limited the amount of emotional investment audiences could be placed into the show.

If we don’t feel sorry for them but do we still feel rewarded watching them achieve their goals?

The decision to stage ‘Kena Main’ is questionable. How did a play based on a deceptively simple, dialogue-heavy script thrive in a venue as grand as this?

As the show is centered on three blind characters that mostly sat in their chairs and talked, some thoughts dissipated into making the stage more dynamic.

Throw in a group of extras courtesy of Istana Budaya who played passers-by every once in a while which appeared a tad distracting.

‘Kena Main’ felt like a production that would have benefited from an intimate setting. Perhaps most of the original messages were lost during the transition from stage to audience, considering the magnitude of the Panggung Sari.

Nevertheless, ‘Kena Main’ still retained a rare charm; sourced from the sheer joy of performers sharing the stage with their friends. Whether or not the script worked after it was given Khalid’s directorial treatment is still up for debate.

By the time the show ended in a visual full circle and the LRT in the background made its umpteenth loop around KL, audiences may be left wondering who is it yang kena main.

Was it Daud who got fooled by his friends? Was it Jamil, whose handphone was stolen after agreeing to send a junkie to rehab? Or could it have been us audience members all along?