The Penang Players Music and Drama Society’s new production, A Couple of Secrets, is an adult comedy on life and love, which will be staged at Wawasan Open University. After the unfortunate closure of Penang Performing Art Centre, the drama society had to quickly source another suitable venue for their show which had been on the back burner since October 2019 due to the pandemic.
In this play, adapted from David Tristram ‘s The Opposite Sex, the pasts of couples Mark and Vicky and Judith and Eric come crashing back to haunt them. Fate intervenes at a chance meeting between the characters, on which could have made for a pleasant evening. But it is not long before what should have been a friendly dinner party turns into a social nightmare. As it starts to become clear what the common denominator between them is, the air soon becomes thick with insults, black eyes, and broken china. A Pandora’s box unfolds, that once opened does not want to be closed, and the plot must run its hilarious course to its inevitable ending.
David Tristram is an English comic playwright. He has published 29 plays and comedy novels and produced and directed three films. Widely performed by amateur and professional groups, his plays have parodied such pop-culture genres as soap operas and detective stories. Tristram’s plays take a farcical view of sex, alcohol, drugs, crime, and theatre itself. His plays have been performed in South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, and Europe among other locations.
The show is directed by Director, Actor and Playwright Lawrence Chin. Lawrence has written and directed: Through the eye of faith, Never give up, It’s Okay, Perfect Match, C(LOVE), The Prayer, The Frontliner, The Space, Have/Had. He has acted in: The tale of Malaysia Baru ,Twisted and Entropy (by Fa Abdul) among others, at Penang Performing Art Centre.
The cast is made of experienced actors Rachel Yeoh, Ian Lee, Fariza Ariffin and Adrian Chang. It has been two years since this project of staging A COUPLE OF SECRETS began. In between, Ian Lee and Fariza Ariffin acted in Liberation Party, a Short and Sweet Festival play, written by Rachel Yeoh, and directed by Adrian Chang that won Best Audience Choice Award in December 2021. Two long suspenseful years that suspended shows across the globe. Two long years during which their energy never failed, and their artistic focus helped create a strong bond between the team of actors and crew members.
Performances are on Friday, 13th May 2022 at 8.00pm, Saturday, 14th May 2022 at 8.00 pm and Sunday, 15th May 2022 at 3 pm. Tickets are priced RM 45 (RM 35 until 22nd April). They can be purchased here. Wawasan Open University is at 54 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, George Town.
More information about the Penang Players Music and Drama Society can be found here and on their Facebook and Instagram pages.