Amberjade Arts is delighted to present Opium by Any Other Name, an original Malaysian work written and directed by Tarrant Kwok. It is set to premiere on the 27th of July 2023, with nine shows playing until August 6th, 2023, at Black Box, Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC), Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

A classic tale of betrayal, romance and tragedy, Opium by Any Other Name stars Shi Hoong, Celeste Low, Veronica Boh, Adry Nasution, Charles Roberts, and Dennis Lim in a gritty, original Malayan tragedy.

In the shadows of British Malaya, the Ghee Hin and Hai San wage their decades old grudge. Two families face off in 1890s Taiping, pit against each other amongst economic uncertainty and existential threats. In this chaos, two lovers find that their passion could make for the foundation of peace in Perak- but at what cost?

Supported by The Tiger Archives – The Uncage Fund, Opium by Any Other Name seeks to deepen the national repertoire of historical plays -interrogating the colonial period and the many grey areas Malayans of the time had to navigate. Star crossed lovers slow dance in search of forbidden love, hiding in Chinese poetry, with English surtitles for accessibility.

Inspired this time by the tragic and romantic beats of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this entry in Tarrant Kwok’s “Opium” thematic series of plays seeks to fill between the lines of written history, juxtaposing inescapable human nature, a love that knows no bounds, and a volatile Malayan landscape in a single evening of seat gripping tragedy.

Auteur, Tarrant Kwok adds, “I feel we don’t have enough work exploring our multicultural legacy. Exploring dialect, status and family allows us to create a unique, varied, diasporan snapshot. Our take on life back then. This establishes the basis of a believable world, and thus, the inevitability of each character’s tragedy. In doing this kind of vulnerable work it is important that actor safety is kept foremost – the challenge is to do compelling, dangerous and intimate work as safely as possible. All this, I believe, pushes our craft forward sustainably.”

Amberjade Arts presents Opium by Any Other Name, to be staged at Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) in Empire Damansara, from July 27 to 29 and August 2 to 5 at 8.30pm, and July 30 and August 6 at 3pm. Ticket prices are RM58. Concession prices are available for students, senior citizens and the differently-abled at RM48. To purchase tickets, visit this link. For group bookings and enquiries, please e-mail amberjadearts@gmail.com.

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