KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Madmud was entertained on Sunday night (Oct 10) with a P. Ramlee-themed musical theatre entitled, ‘Irama dan Lagu’ in celebration of his 85th birthday.
Taib was accompanied by his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Ragad Kurdi Taib, and among the VVIPs present were Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari; Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Native Laws and Customs) Datuk John Sikie Tayai (representing Utilities Minister and minister in charge of the Taib’s birthday celebration Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom).
The event organised by TV Sarawak (TVS) for the first time, saw the main highlight of the night which was the ‘Kisah Aku dan Dia’ event featuring performances from Sarawak-born singers Dayang Nurfaizah, Hafiz Suip, local P. Ramlee impersonator Fairuz Misran, and other local singers namely Mal Imran, Ningkan Norman, Chien Ng, Afif Tenor and Nur Hijrah Yahya.
Guests were also seen enjoying the performances by the artists from Sarawak State Orchestra Symphony (SONS) and Tini Tyrani Event Management.
The musical theatre held at Pullman Hotel, was broadcasted live from 8.45pm to 10.15pm on TVS channel 122 Astro, MYTV, and also simultaneously on TVS and Sarawak Public Communication Unit’s (Ukas) Facebook channel.
Meanwhile, early on, Sarawak Media Group (SMG) chairperson Datuk Norhyati Mohd Ismail said that Taib’s interest for Sarawak to have its own TV station when he was the Minister of Information and Malaysia Special Duties then in 1975 has now become a reality thanks to Abang Johari.
“Today, despite facing the challenges in this pandemic, it is a pride for TVS because the production staff is able to produce a musical show highlighting the artwork of the legendary P. Ramlee which not only can entertain the hearts of people from various ages but also instilled various philosophies of art and intricacies of the community,” he said.
She also shared that the musical theatre will meet the audience through its continuation, Getaran Jiwa, a singing competition reality show themed on the classic artwork of P. Ramlee and Saloma.
“The show will meet the viewers exclusively on TVS every Friday, at 8.45pm starting Oct 15, 2021,” she said.
With that, she hoped with the existence of such events, it is hoped to encourage and develop the creative media industry in Sarawak to a higher level as well as open space and opportunities for production companies and local theatre groups to produce interesting and quality content.
Taib’s birthday celebration began last Friday (Oct 8) with a thanksgiving ceremony at Masjid Jamek.
The next day, three events were held — the official ceremony at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) parade ground; an investiture ceremony where Taib gave state awards and medals; and a state dinner at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).
On Sunday, a high-tea reception was held at the DUN dining hall followed with the musical theatre.
