The cavernous dance club, Atmosphere at 12SI, was SRO for ICT’s latest outing 23-24 July. It would appear that political satire is catching on beyond theatre and corporate dinner circles. With special guest star Afdlin Shauki on the bill, along with resident hostess-with-the-mostest Joanne Kam Po Po, and an impromptu contribution from a very talented “Cockasian” (fished right out of the audience, believe it or not), the two-hour programme was solid entertainment value for money. There was a nice blend of new and old material, and it was especially delightful to see Sukania back in action with her sister Shanthini, reunited once more as the Versatile Venugopals.
The mystery guest seemed astonishingly familiar with the ICT repertoire. He did a damn good job playing Barry Cliche to Jo Kukathas’s local TV host, Wan Radish Wan Lettuce Please, in a clever skit debunking the violent game of geopolitical football. As we later found out the talented Mat Salleh happens to be Andrew Leci who co- founded the Instant Cafe Theatre in 1989. Just our luck he dropped by at 12SI to see his chums in action – and got roped in!
Maya Arissa Abdullah revived an old favourite, the Bangsar Barbie, with updated lyrics. It was one of the sauciest skits on the evening’s menu and went down deliciously indeed.
The fabulous Afdlin Shauki did a 180° turn as Korporal Kassim of the PDRM. His body language alone was commentary enough on the flabby state of law enforcement in the country. But his most memorable, award-winning performance was when he donned a songkok and addressed the UMNO general assembly as the prime minister who must always have it his way. Afdlin was hairy indeed as a Kutu Rocker on hormonal overdrive, outraging the modesty of two delectable Japanese tourists with his lewd lyrics and infested dreads.
No ICT show would be complete without a session in court with Judge Mental Singh Gall who wields his gavel of justice like a professional auctioneer. Jo Kukathas obviously relishes the occasional wig out.
The unfortunate Encik Baldev (played by Ghafir Akbar, making his debut with ICT), arraigned in court for a traffic offence, finds himself charged with sodomy and sentenced to life imprisonment. Even the best efforts of his defence counsel (played by Nell Ng) prove in vain despite her enormous appeal.
One of the earthier skits had Nell Ng as an impassioned lavatory assistant in a privatized public toilet, giving Hong Kong tourist (Patrick Teoh) a hard time at a totally inopportune moment. As you can tell from the pix, the interaction was bellyachingly funny. But, then, Intestinally Convulsive Therapy is what audiences have come to expect from ICT.
First Published: 30.07.2002 on Kakiseni