By Dina Zaman

I dug the groovy hanging beads that greeted the audience as they entered the Box. I wasn’t too keen on the stair-seats (whatever you call it) as heights were bad for my vertigo, but whatever man.

It’s a great way to end and begin a week: watching a play on a Sunday. I must be honest: I was a bit apprehensive about watching a play directed by a young man, and acted by college students. I certainly didn’t want to see a school play, which was what I had seen at a Malay musical (I forget the title of the dramatari) staged at Istana Budaya a few months back.

Having said of all the above, was Butterflies a dead insect? No.

David Lim had done a marvellous job in recreating the era of peace, love and coming of age in 1960’s New York. Reminiscent of The Graduate, Butterflies Are Free is a gentler tale of truth, freedom, the generation gap and young love. Butterflies is about a blind young man’s quest for independence from his mother and all things familiar, and his exploration into the adult world of choices, emotions, sex (or love) and life itself.

First things first: thank God the cast had not spoken in the clipped and nasal New York twang. It would have driven me bonkers to see and listen to Malaysians who look very Malaysian and yet spoke an accent that was totally foreign to a Malaysian audience. No matter how sophisticated we think we are, a put on accent would have jarred the flow and seamless chemistry between the actors.

With the exception of Amil Khan’s wide eyed stare that was prevalent throughout the play, the guy didn’t even blink once (he must have put invisible matchsticks between the lids), the cast gave a commendable performance. I’d watch out for Tasha Joseph: an effortless and honest actor, she made Jill Tanner come to life and turned her into a respectable and smart free spirit. She did not make Jill a bimbo.

Tasha’s Jill played off well against Caroline Moses’s Mrs. Baker. Here two women protective of their territory and possession (Mrs Baker and her son, Don; Jill and her very self) sparred and enlightened each other of how women have changed and yet have stayed the same. This was the Sixties, when strident feminism clashed greatly against the supermom and motherhood, where free love and individuality warred against conformity.

If anything, the two women actors played their parts superbly and effortlessly. Amil Khan’s Don, began as a rather stiff and stuffy visually impaired young man. Twenty minutes into the play, Amil relaxed into his role. This was a pity as there was chemistry between Don and Jill (Amil and Tasha). If only this chemistry had been harnessed and released earlier, we would have had young passion sizzling the stage.

Sanjiv Gnaneswaran gave a fleeting performance as Ralph, the film director. It wouldn’t be fair to judge him as his moments on stage were too short to make an impact on the audience.

It’s great to see young people tackling adult themes and issues, but as my friend who accompanied me to the show remarked: it would be a pity if we kept on adapting or staging American (foreign) plays, for surely the Malaysian blind, or anyone Malaysian have stories to tell. We’ve seen a lot more Malaysianised plays in the years past than a production that is truly Malaysian. Hopefully our young will turn back to their personal histories and take Malaysian theatre a thousand steps to the fore.

Should you watch Butterflies? Yes.

First Published on Kakiseni on 12.09.2001