Sasterawan Negara Dato Noordin Hassan’s play was to launch the new National Theatre, Istana Budaya in 1999, in a Royal Command performance.The play is inspired by the Koran and set in ancient times. It is an apocalyptic tale, in which a corrupt, evil ruling class defiles the balance of a peaceful, ordered society. The title roughly translates into “Where is the smell of the incense?” Against the backdrop of Refomasi, the play, written in 1997, took on a new urgency, and meaning. Whilst in rehearsals, a senior theatre critic wrote an article saying the play should not be staged. “…Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism requested that Noordin amend the play … to emphasize nationalism…” (Utusan Online, 1999) but Dato Noordin declined, saying that to do so, would change the work, and the theme would be different. Rather, he chose to cancel the production (Dato Noordin has clarified that the play was never banned). 10 years later, in 2009, ‘Mana Setangginya?’ was finally staged, in 2009, in a lavish production at Istana Budaya. In an interview, Noordin expressed his happiness that he had not given in to the censorship, as it would have robbed the play of its power. “My friends said that it was a good thing ‘Mana Setangginya?’ was not staged (in 1999), as it would most likely have not ‘smelled’ at all.” (Utusan, 2009).