Dull and boring. That is how we always feel about the city where we live. What if we give ourselves one day to explore the city we call home and to crawl out of our comfort zone? I did give myself a chance to explore Kuala Lumpur. I did crawl out from my bed early morning on Saturday and found myself having breakfast at Arch Cafe, Kuala Lumpur City Gallery.
Kuala Lumpur City Gallery is a good starting point to begin your exploration of the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. I’d leave you at that for now because Kuala Lumpur City Gallery deserves a post on its own.
Having heard good reviews on Mud The Story of Kuala Lumpur, I was finally able to watch the musical myself. It is based on the events that took place in Kuala Lumpur from 1857. Mud Our Story of Kuala Lumpur is shown twice daily (3.00pm and 8.30pm) at Panggung Bandaraya, which was designed by A.B. Hubback in 1901. Similar to the surrounding buildings, Panggung Bandaraya is an example of Neo Morrish architecture with a unique curved facade and a copper dome. Panggung Bandaraya has weathered its fair share of Kuala Lumpur history, for example, the November flood in 1925 interrupted the construction of Panggung Bandaraya.
MUD The Story of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur comprises of two Malay words which mean “mud” and “confluence”. Together, they bring the meaning of muddy confluence. As a cultural melting pot of Malay, Chinese and Indian, Mud The Story of Kuala Lumpur highlights the colorful cultures, inter-racial relationship, friendship and harmony of the people living in Kuala Lumpur circa 1800.
The story began with Mamat, Meng and Muthiah who were in search for opportunities in at the muddy junction of the two rivers, Sungai Lumpur (now Sungai Gombak) and Sungai Klang. An encounter with Mamat and also a mine manager who happened to have a teh tarik (famous Indian tea) at a tea stall landed Meng with as a miner in the tin mine in Ampang. Muthiah had different priority in life. He wanted to wait for the promised railway line; he was lost and confused. You’ve got to see the beautiful dance by Muthiah and how it blends into the background.
The main cast of MUD The Story of Kuala Lumpur – Meng, Muthiah and Mamat.
Muthiah pulling the milk tea to cool it off.
All time Malaysia favourite hang-out place called mamak used to be a stall by street.
The show is quipped with melodious song and beautifully choreographed dances. There was one instance where a song was sang in three major languages spoken in Malaysia.
The scene when Kuala Lumpur was ravaged by one of the biggest flood ever leaving the people of Kuala Lumpur nothing but courage to rebuild the city again.
Hey, I am not here to tell the whole story of MUD The Story of Kuala Lumpur. So, I am saving the rest for you to watch. It would be bad of me if I were to spill you the spoilers. What I love most about MUD The Story of Kuala Lumpur is how the performers interact with the audience in many way you least expect. The humble storyline reminds us the history of the place we call home, Malaysians. For foreign travellers, this is an interactive way to learn about the history if you are not museum junkie.
The visit to watch MUD The Story of Kuala Lumpur is part of the Eat Travel Doodle, which is a joint collaboration between Gaya Travel Magazine and Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.