Lat Kampung Boy Sebuah Muzikal

Salam,

I bet all of us know who Lat is. If you are 20+, you must have watched 'Kampung Boy' aired on Astro Ria sometime during your childhood. If not, what a sad childhood you had! OK I was joking. No hard feelings ya.

Last weekend, I went to see the Lat the musical. Oh boy, was it awesome! It's totally different from 'Terima Kasih Cinta'. TKC was more static, as in the props/settings didn't change much. In Lat, there are different settings for every events that took place in his life.  Almost like Mary Poppins Broadway show I went to last year. Good job Malaysians! We are definitely getting there! I'm not surprised if this musical will be staged internationally. 

The musical approach used by these two productions are also different. TKC used existing songs and just rearranged them to make them more catchy and whatnot while Lat, the actors/actresses are more like singing out the scripts. Get what I mean? 

Thumbs up to Hans Isaac and Harith Iskandar as the directors, as well as to the whole production team.

What I actually want to share here is the fact that all of us can relate to the story of Lat. 

Example #1: DWYL and LWYD 

It is portrayed in the musical that in his early days as a cartoonist, a lot of people made fun of him, saying that being a cartoonist won't guarantee him a good life. His English teacher, Mrs Hew (famous for her 'tall' hair) found the potential in him and that was when she started singing DWYL LWYD. 

Lat followed his passion and see where he's at now. 

Now that's something to learn my children *mother mode on*. No matter what people throw at us, we just have to believe ourselves and go chase that dream of ours. I used to 'kutuk' singers who have university degrees but end up singing their hearts out. Now that I am a degree holder, I understand how it feels. After all it's just a degree, it doesn't necessarily determine what your career life would be. Chef Wan was once an accountant, now he's known worldwide for his cookings. 

This is also a reminder to myself. Just when I thought I have found what I'm really passionate about, tomorrow it'll  change. So indecisive of me. Hi hi. So people, find your passion, follow your heart, DWYL and LWYD.

Example #2: Passion vs Money vs Family

Guess who wins?

That's for you to decide.

Lat had some issues with his career and family. At one point, he was too busy working, he spent less time with his family. That scenario is so typical in our society these days. The mother would say the father doesn't love the family. The father would claim he's working hard to provide everything to the family. Each party has its own reasoning. But in the end, balance is the key. 

Lat finally left his job in NST, went back to his hometown (Ipoh, yeay!) and became a freelancer.

Lat's family won.

How about yours?

Mrs Moira Hew, Lat's English teacher, played by Sandra Sodhy

Faezah, Lat's wife played by Atilia

Lat, played by Awie

Lat Junior (next to Atilia) played by Daniel Eezkandar

Harith Iskandar and Hans Isaac as The Directors

The Man of Honor was in-house that evening! Such an honor to see him in-person.

I went with Cik Zaf and her colleague (the photographer obviously)

Tonight is the last show. Well it's too late now, huh?

Pray there'll be a next time ya!

p/s: Sengaja left you guys wondering what DWYL LWYD is. Got it? Good. No? It stands for DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO.