This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 23, 2019

3 jazz performances

The Speakeasy Relived

Fancy yourself a trip to the past? Come and experience the roaring twenties first-hand at The Speakeasy Relived, a Kuala Lumpur staging of a critically acclaimed London production. It is an immersive theatrical performance complete with a red hot jazz band, so expect nothing less than to be bedazzled by drama, scandals and bittersweet romance. Audiences are invited to dress in their best flapper attire and party like it is 1927. The show is presented by Liver & Lung, a critically acclaimed and award-winning international theatre company. Stylistic and didactic, they have performed their plays, musicals and events in London, Edinburgh and Malaysia. Catch the show today and tomorrow at 8pm. The venue is a secret location in Bukit Damansara and will be revealed upon purchase of ticket. Tickets are priced at RM70 and can be purchased at liverandlung.com.

Publika Jazz 2019

Publika Jazz is Malaysia’s biggest weekend jazz festival and will feature a record line-up of 20 acts comprising over 150 local jazz talents and internationally acclaimed musicians. The event will be held today and tomorrow from 7pm onwards at The Square, Black Box, The Bee and The Social in Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Admission is free. For more details, check out their Facebook page @PublikaGallery.

If Music be the Food of Love, Jazz On!

In 2016, on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the WVC Malaysian Jazz Ensemble produced a swathe of musical pieces inspired by and in memory of the poet. WVC put out a highly acclaimed performance in KLPAC, transforming sonnets into symphonies and composing music with inspiration from scenes of some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. They are set to bring this back with their project If Music be the Food of Love, Jazz On! featuring Lim Soon Heng of Shakespeare Demystified and Aaron Teoh who is currently on a break from his stint with the London production of The King and I. Watch their performance on Sunday at either 3pm or 8pm at Blackbox, DPAC, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are priced at RM65 and can be purchased online at dpac.com.my.

2 Comedy shows

Storm Xu

If you are in the mood for some witty and informative comedy, Storm Xu is a must-see comedian coming all the way from Shanghai, China. He is a seasoned performer and has his own comedy club called Comedy UN. Storm recently performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and is looking to headline his very first show this weekend, bringing forth his signature wit, thoughtful observations and social commentary. The show will be held today and tomorrow at 8.30pm at The Joke Factory, Level G3, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are RM50 online and RM60 at the door. For more information, go to thejokefactory.com.my.

Sam Yarbs

Sam Yarbs is an American stand-up comedian based in Taipei and has headlined all across Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand. Sam is also the founder of Two Three Comedy in Taiwan as well as a writer for the smash hit Taiwan TV comedy The Night Night Show. This September he will be opening for Joe Wong on the Taipei leg of his Asia tour, so you do not want to miss out! He will be performing today and tomorrow at 9pm at the Crackhouse Comedy Club, 1st Floor, 24A, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are RM50 online, RM60 at the door and RM40 for students and senior citizens. For more information, go to their Facebook page @crackhousekl

1 exciting exhibition

Marvel Studios: 10 Years of Heroes Exhibition

Attention all Marvel fans: The first ever Marvel Studios exhibition in Malaysia is happening just in the heart of our city! The exhibition will take you head first into the blockbuster stories of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, showcasing original relics — costumes, props and concept art — from the films. You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in their multi-sensory experiences and intricate set recreations, such as Tony Stark’s lab, the Asgardian Bifrost and much more. Tickets cost RM28 (children) and RM48 (adult) for Malaysians and RM38 (children) and RM58 (adult) for non-Malaysians. The exhibition will be on from 10am to 10pm daily until Oct 27 at Level 10 Pavillion Elite, 168, Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, visit Disney.my.

2 bustling bands

Irama by Tarakucha!

Tarakucha! is a 12-piece band created by and starring Sean Ghazi led by musical director Nish Tham, featuring supporting vocals by Ida Mariana and the Kuchettes. This big band with a retro Malaysian twist celebrates Malaysia’s musical heritage with songs by our nation’s greatest musical artists like Tan Sri P Ramlee, Datuk Sudirman Arshad and more. They often take inspiration from global influences and also perform their own original compositions. Tarakucha! will be performing today and tomorrow at 9.30pm at BoboKL, 65-1, Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. The tickets cost RM150 and can be purchased at the box office by calling (03) 2092 5002. For more information, check out their Facebook page @BoboKualaLumpur.

French Portraits

The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will be performing concerts themed French Portraits, featuring classical masterpieces from the 19th and 20th century French composers with Jun Märkl as the conductor. The concerts will open with Faure’s poignant music titled Suite from Pelleas et Melisande followed by Pierne’s Conzertstuck starring Malaysian harpist Tan Keng Hong. The MPO will also perform Debussy’s Six Preludes and two of Ravel’s works. The concert will be held tomorrow at 8.30pm and on Sunday at 3pm at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Level 2, Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are priced from RM56 to RM141, and can be purchased online at mpo.com.my, or at the box office by calling (03) 2331 7007.

2 Engaging talks

Malaysian Media Awards and Conference 2019

To explore more about our Malaysian media landscape and listen to talks by a list of accomplished media legends, head to the inaugural Malaysian Media Awards and Conference. The theme for this prestigious event is “Game Changers”. Speakers include Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown, The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat and Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd CEO Henry Tan. This event, organised by The Media Specialists Association (MSA), celebrates the highlights and positive waves made in the media industry and comes to a close with the 15th Malaysian Media Awards. The event will be held today from 8am to 5.30pm at Nexus 3 Ballroom (Level 3A), Nexus, Bangsar South City, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are priced at RM1,000 for MSA members and RM1,200 for non-MSA members and can be purchased online at gamechangers.mymsa.org.

Melaka and the Middle East

Have you ever been curious about what travellers and navigators from the Middle East thought of our historic city, Melaka? In his talk “Melaka and the Middle East”, Dr Andrew Peacock addresses this topic. Peacock is a Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History at the University of St Andrews, and his book Ottoman-Southeast Asian Relations: Sources from the Ottoman Archives will be published by Brill publishing house this year. This talk is co-hosted by Melaka In Fact and Badan Warisan Malaysia. Admission is free. It will be held tomorrow from 3pm to 5pm at Badan Warisan Malaysia, 2, Jalan Stonor, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, check out their Facebook event page @MelakaInFact.