KUCHING: Thousands of people at the Sarawak Youth Conference 2010 sat enthralled Saturday, watching a moving musical that was a tribute to Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Laila Taib, the late wife of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
SUPERB PERFORMANCE: Cast members give their best pose at the encore.
A production of a talented team from Limkokwing Perunding Majujaya, the ‘Make a Difference’ (MAD) musical wowed everyone as the cast gave the performance their all.
The performance was requested by the Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation for the launch of the Sarawak Youth Conference 2010, where Limkokwing played an important role as Partner.
Auditions for the musical were held at the Limkokwing Borneo campus and 25 students from various schools in Kuching, Tunku Putra International School, SMK St Teresa, SMK St Joseph, SMK St Mary, SMK Batu Lintang and SMK Green Road made the final cut with the addition of a strong cast of talented Limkokwing students.
Vocal and dance training sessions followed, and the students rehearsed without fail for over three months, perfecting every bit of their stage performance before they ran through the entire musical for the final time during the ‘Perhimpunan Belia 2010’.
The musical, which was told from the viewpoint of Professor Datin Hanifah Taib- Alsree, the daughter of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and the late Laila, aimed at inspiring the youths of today to not be afraid of the unknown and to take on every challenge that comes with courage, faith and prayer, which were the Laila’s enduring traits.
“Flashbacks and dialogue in both English and Bahasa Sarawak portrayed the young couple and their early romance in Australia followed by scenes of the young Laila as a teacher at a village school with the rest of the students of the school as it rained and flood set in, proving that she took everything in stride and made the best out of whatever was presented to her.
“The musical also reminded the granddaughter of Datuk Patinggi Laila of her numerous achievements and her determination to make a difference in the world.
The underlying message served to inspire her to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and face whatever challenges lay ahead of her,” said a press release from Limkokwing.
The roles of the young Taib and young Laila were played by Hariez Fadzillah Ahmadi and Sharon Lugun, while Uding Luhat and Ixora Kaylyn took on the roles of Hanifah and her daughter.
Tristan Allen Teo, a Diploma in Architecture Technology student at Limkokwing Borneo said that being part of the musical was a great and valuable experience for him and the rest of the cast members.
“Not only did we learn about the technicalities of writing, directing and producing a musical, we also learnt that everyone had to work together in order to make this a success.
“There were times that we felt like it was so impossible to pull it through, but we stood by each other and motivated each other to keep on going, and in the end we were a complete success,” he said in the release.
Apart from the musical, Limkokwing students also executed the launch gimmick by performing a Flash Mob Dance where they led more than 600 students in an energetic display of synchronized movements.
Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datin Fatimah Abdullah (who represented Taib), Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation Dato Sri William Mawan, and Assistant Minister of Youth Affairs and Training Larry Sng also attended the show.