OPERATIC GENRES
Opera is a Western term used to describe sung and spoken drama primarily based upon romantic and melodramatic themes. The term has also come to be loosely applied to several Asian theatre genres even if these do not exactly parallel the concept of opera in the West.
Two major strands of the opera are found in Malaysia: the Malaysian and the Chinese. The Malaysian tradition which finally found its form as Bangsawan developed through a circuitous route from the Urdu or Hindustani Parsi theatre, this genre itself having been inspired, in the first place, by the Italian Commedia Del'arte and Renaissance theatre.
The characteristic features of the opera—scenarios rather than scripts for its extensive and highly varied repertoire of stories borrowed from Asia and Europe, eclectic music, painted scenery, wings and borders, improvised dialogue, stereotyped characters and stylized acting—may also be encountered in several other forms stylistically similar to Bangsawan. Some of these, such as Hamdolok performed in Johor or Hadrah Noge active in Kedah, have obvious Middle East origins; on the other hand Jikey, active in Kedah, reflects a stronger Thai influence. Jikey, in fact, may be a linking or transitional form between Bangsawan and Likay, the Thai opera. In the local Malaysian context, however, the various manifestations of the opera have been reshaped in varying degrees to suit the Malay ethos. Of all these, Bangsawan remains the most important for cultural and nationalistic reasons.
The second example of the opera genre, the Chinese opera, is performed primarily during Chinese religious festivals, on temporary stages built to face the entrances to temples or in open spaces. The performances are much reduced in duration, with opera being staged for only a day or two, before giving way to concerts of popular music. There are no real commercial performances of Chinese opera, and neither have efforts been made in its Malaysian history to perform this genre in any other way than the traditional. Despite its existence for more than a century, there has been no localization or adaptation to make Chinese opera more Malaysian in character.
Although several of the operatic genres continue to be performed in the country, this theatre style, despite its past importance, is struggling to find a place in contemporary Malaysia. Its future lies only in its revival, and may eventually be taken over by musical drama, possibly based on the same romantic themes that in the past made opera attractive. For this kind of performances, made contemporary by increasingly sophisticated staging possibilities, there may still be an audience.
Chinese opera and the lesser genres of Malay opera have their own problems, with the Malay genres in fact facing potential extinction. The situation is slightly different for Bangsawan. Given its current state, it is clear that serious, timely efforts at preservation and popularization with some adaptation of this genre have a chance of success, particularly in view of the status of Bangsawan as a form of 'national' theatre in Malaysia.
