#SHOWBIZ: Visiting stories within stories
WITH only three actors and an unchanging set, "Visits" unfolds through the stories its characters tell.
Each character takes turns delivering sprawling monologues about themselves and others, that spill into one another's narratives, culminating in the reveal of The Woman's past.
It was my first Jit Murad play, so I googled his biography while waiting for it to begin.
By the end of the performance, I'd become a fan.
JitFest 2025, which staged this production of "Visits", seeks to introduce the literary legacy of Jit Murad to a new audience and to popularise the theatre as an art form.
Told in the language of gossip, "Visits" is effective in this regard, being entertaining and simultaneously layered in its commentary on societal issues.
Through the women, trapped by patriarchy and class, stories become a means of escape and liberation. Stories are a means of identity.
"Good story, kan?" The Nurse asks The Woman at the end of her soliloquy about the death of her great-grandmother's friend.
The Woman doesn't respond to this question with a response, but the audience just might.
This is the third time Ida Nerina has directed a production of "Visits".
When people congratulate her for this incredible feat, she jokes there's no need, no growth in doing the same thing three times.
She points out what sets this production apart.
Other than its subtle reinterpretation of the play's triad of characters, one of this production's key innovations is its use of multimedia projections, possibly to appeal to a younger audience.
Of Ida's three productions, this is the only one staged in my lifetime, and the first to incorporate such projections as part of its set.
Most theatre-goers my age are only familiar with productions that employ technological gimmicks, but there's something uniquely intentional about the staging of this one.
The minimalist lighting casts three shadows from each woman, the projections are artistic but never overpowering, and each choice enhances the storytelling.
In the original script of "Visits", the bathroom is an off-stage setting from which the characters would speak.
Now, a video feed livestreams the action to a large, overhead screen so that the faces of The Nurse and The Sister-In-Law, who might be read as the play's antagonists, appear, zoomed in and as menacing as Big Brotherly spectres.
Ultimately, it was neither the flashing lights nor the screens that held my attention, but the actors' performances.
The women begin as nameless, blank slates.
As they speak, unravelling the stories with which they define themselves, their identities begin to take shape.
"Visits" makes the case for storytelling. It's proof that good stories are worth revisiting, whether to share them with fresh audiences, then for ourselves, our identities, and our liberation.
"Visits" will be staged at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre until Sunday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
JitFest 2025 spotlights 'Visits', a darkly comic take on three women's stories
After 22 years, the late Jit Murad's morbidly witty and emotionally layered play Visits returns to the stage with renewed force. This bold revival features a striking cast – Sofia Jane, Nabila Huda and Nadia Aqilah – breathing new life into a work that remains as sharp, unsettling, and relevant as ever. Presented by Dramalab and directed by Ida Nerina, the play is part of the year-long JitFest 2025, held in memory of the beloved Malaysian theatre icon, who died of a heart attack in 2022 at the age of 62. Visits will be performed at the Nero theatre space, Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPac), 1 Utama Shopping Centre from June 20-29. Originally staged at The Actors Studio Box, Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka in KL in January 2002, this upcoming revival revisits the psychological and surreal layers of Jit's text while preserving his signature razor-sharp wit. 'Visits holds a mirror to everything we're almost afraid to admit – and makes us laugh through it. Jit wrote women like no one else: layered, contradictory, loving, cruel, and heartbreakingly human, perhaps even stronger than his male characters,' says Ida, who first stepped into directing for the stage with Visits all those years ago. The inaugural JitFest 2025, organised by Dramalab, honours the legacy of Jit Murad and keeps his memory alive through stage, storytelling, and celebration. Photo: The Star/Filepic It was part of the "Director's Workshop" series in 2001 organised by Five Arts Centre and The Actors Studio, with Ida participating as one of the directors. Back in February 2003, Ida also directed Visits at The Actors Studio Bangsar, as part of Dramalab's 10th anniversary celebrations. For Ida, Visits holds a special place – both as an actor and director – having been involved since its earliest iteration. She was part of the initial reading when Jit first presented the work as three short monologues at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur in 1994, alongside Liza Othman and Sukania Venugopal. The Visits story unfolds in a room at a high-end mental wellness facility, where the recovering Woman (Nabila), her relentless Sister-in-Law (Nadia), and the enigmatic Nurse (Sofia) engage in a tightly-wound power play. Together, they confront themes of mental health, class, motherhood, and the delicate balance between care and this new iteration, however, Ida hints that she's giving it 'a slightly different twist'. Sofia steps into the role of the Nurse in the upcoming staging of Jit Murad's 'Visits', bringing her own presence and perspective to one of the play's most emotionally grounded characters. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan 'The first couple of times I directed it, I kept it safe and stuck to the surface. So this time, I wanted to go deeper on the subject of mental health and mental well-being," says Ida. 'The humour is still very much there, there's no escaping it in a Jit Murad production, but I think the deeper layers of his intentions are also there now,' she adds. Even if Jit once called it a straightforward work, there's no such thing as a truly straightforward play in his world – only layers hidden in plain sight, waiting to be felt between the lines. "This is perhaps the simplest play I've written. Which isn't to say I don't love it as much as all the other plays I've have spawned. Let me try to explain what I mean by 'simple': I wasn't driven by too large a theme," wrote Jit in his playwright notes in the Jit Murad Plays drama anthology (2017). The weight we carry For Nabila, who's more often seen on screen in films and TV dramas, theatre offers a unique challenge – one she finds herself continually drawn back to. 'One of the things I love about theatre is that I can play multiple characters that I might not get to on screen. The vibe is totally different," says Nabila. 'In Visits, there's a lot of layers to 'Woman' – she's raw and wild and outspoken. But she also kept a lot of things to herself, which weighed her down. Portraying her highlighted to me the importance of speaking out,' she adds. For Nadia, Visits marks her return to the stage after a five-year hiatus, and stepping into the role of the Sister-in-Law carries added significance. Nabila plays The Woman in a restaging of Jit Murad's 'Visits', a sharp, surreal take on mental health, class, and the fine line between care and control. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan As a new mother, she feels a deeper connection to the emotional complexities of the character, and is grateful for the chance to re-enter theatre through a role that mirrors the contradictions and intensity of care, identity, and womanhood. 'Becoming a mother has changed my perspective on things, which influences how I take on my roles. I think I'm more empathetic now," says Nadia. 'In this version, we're trying to put a different spin on each character – humanise them and give them more nuance. So for Sister-in-Law, things aren't as they seem on the surface,' she adds. For Sofia, Visits is both familiar ground and fresh terrain. She first inhabited the role of the Sister-in-Law in the original 2002 staging, but returns now as the Nurse – an enigmatic presence in the play's psychological triangle. 'Before, Liza Othman's take was very motherly, like your typical 'makcik' next door. But when we read the script again, we realised that there's a darkness to the character that hasn't been fully explored yet in previous stagings," says Sofia. 'So hopefully we'll bring a fresh take that surprises those who saw the previous productions. And for first-time audiences, I think there'll be plenty that resonates –things that will feel relatable and spark conversations afterward,' she adds. For Nadia, 'Visits' marks her return to the stage after a five-year hiatus, and stepping into the role of the Sister-in-Law carries added significance. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan In her director's notes for Visits in the Jit Murad Plays collection, Ida penned an insightful reflection on character work and Jit's writing: 'I learned relatively early on in my own acting career that a good character causes you to dig deep and find layers and layers, much like an onion. For me, Jit's women are always so interesting, to say the least. I believe he bases them on his own beloveds – his mother, aunts, sisters and friends – as they're all so perfectly imperfect.' On stage at PJPac this week, these roles will once again come alive – complex, flawed, and deeply human – a testament to how vividly Jit wrote the women in his life into his plays. Reaching out To support mental health awareness, organisers Dramalab will also hold a charity matinee on June 22. All the proceeds for the show will go towards the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) in support of its work in helping women and children in mental crisis. 'Even though we often struggle in securing funding for our shows, I felt that it was really important to give to those who might need it even more," says Ida. 'The play talks about different backgrounds, the dynamics of social class, of power play, of control, and also, for me, it's the mental health and child separation, which is why I thought MMHA would be a great beneficiary,' she adds. After the special matinee show, a short discussion will be held in collaboration with MMHA, exploring the experiences of living with mental illness as well as the perspective of a caregiver. Visits will be staged at Nero, PJPac, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya from June 20-29, with a special charity matinee show on June 22. More info here.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Visiting stories within stories
WITH only three actors and an unchanging set, "Visits" unfolds through the stories its characters tell. Each character takes turns delivering sprawling monologues about themselves and others, that spill into one another's narratives, culminating in the reveal of The Woman's past. It was my first Jit Murad play, so I googled his biography while waiting for it to begin. By the end of the performance, I'd become a fan. JitFest 2025, which staged this production of "Visits", seeks to introduce the literary legacy of Jit Murad to a new audience and to popularise the theatre as an art form. Told in the language of gossip, "Visits" is effective in this regard, being entertaining and simultaneously layered in its commentary on societal issues. Through the women, trapped by patriarchy and class, stories become a means of escape and liberation. Stories are a means of identity. "Good story, kan?" The Nurse asks The Woman at the end of her soliloquy about the death of her great-grandmother's friend. The Woman doesn't respond to this question with a response, but the audience just might. This is the third time Ida Nerina has directed a production of "Visits". When people congratulate her for this incredible feat, she jokes there's no need, no growth in doing the same thing three times. She points out what sets this production apart. Other than its subtle reinterpretation of the play's triad of characters, one of this production's key innovations is its use of multimedia projections, possibly to appeal to a younger audience. Of Ida's three productions, this is the only one staged in my lifetime, and the first to incorporate such projections as part of its set. Most theatre-goers my age are only familiar with productions that employ technological gimmicks, but there's something uniquely intentional about the staging of this one. The minimalist lighting casts three shadows from each woman, the projections are artistic but never overpowering, and each choice enhances the storytelling. In the original script of "Visits", the bathroom is an off-stage setting from which the characters would speak. Now, a video feed livestreams the action to a large, overhead screen so that the faces of The Nurse and The Sister-In-Law, who might be read as the play's antagonists, appear, zoomed in and as menacing as Big Brotherly spectres. Ultimately, it was neither the flashing lights nor the screens that held my attention, but the actors' performances. The women begin as nameless, blank slates. As they speak, unravelling the stories with which they define themselves, their identities begin to take shape. "Visits" makes the case for storytelling. It's proof that good stories are worth revisiting, whether to share them with fresh audiences, then for ourselves, our identities, and our liberation. "Visits" will be staged at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre until Sunday.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Tackling mental health issues, from women's point of view
THE late playwright Jit Murad's acclaimed three-woman play about mental health issues, 'VISITS', made a triumphant return to the big stage at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC) in 1 Utama, Petaling Jaya recently. Staged there on June 20 and 21, and from June 24 to 29, this darkly witty play was in aid of the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) and its initiatives to support women and children in mental health crises. A production of Dramalab, first staged in 2002, it was part of the Jit Murad Festival 2025, PJPAC and Dramalab's on-going celebration of the late artiste's greatest plays. LAYERS Directed by award-winning actress Ida Nerina, the play had a star-studded cast comprising award-winning actresses Datin Sofia Jane, Nabila Huda Suhaimi and Nadia Aqilah. Set in a high-end mental wellness facility, it sees the lives of three women intersect in a single, emotionally charged hospital room. The narrative orbits around three female characters — The Patient, The Sister-In-Law, and The Nurse — portrayed by Nabila, Nadia and Sofia respectively. What unfolds among the three of them in an hour and 40 minutes, is a compelling struggle laced with maternal guilt, class disparity and the fragile line between healing and control. ENGLISH Nabila, a first timer in English theatre, said playing The Patient recovering from mental distress was "out of the ordinary". "One thing I love about theatre is that I can play multiple characters that I might not get on screen," she said. Nadia said it was the first big stage collaboration between the three actresses. "I've always wanted to work with Sofia and Ida. "They're among my idols whose movies I grew up watching," she said, adding that she and Nabila had collaborated in television dramas. CHEMISTRY Nabila said: "It's great that the three of us had almost instant chemistry. We shared a lot and bonded beautifully." Sofia said that she had long admired Nadia, especially as Puan Sri Saloma in 'P. Ramlee The Musical' and Zaiton Sameon in 'Zaiton, Ceritaku'. "It's great to work with Nabila, too, as she's one of our most versatile stars," she said. Nabila said working with Ida was a dream come true. "Ida is a brilliant director, she's friendly, always engaging." SUPPRESSED Nadia said The Patient, The Sister-In-Law and The Nurse each had "suppressed issues". "At the end of the day, all three of them are 'unwell' and want to heal themselves and fulfil their dreams," she said. Nabila added: "You get to delve deep into their minds, and relate to them with their interesting back stories." SAD Nadia said The Sister-In-Law appeared materialistic, but she had a sad family history. Sofia said: "Likewise The Nurse, who appears harsh, but this is a mask to hide her innermost demons." Nabila said: "The Patient tells audiences about how she ended up in hospital, and immerses them in her life story, until they come out of the theatre rooting for her. "What they have in common is they are strong, independent, human and gradually learn to be the best versions of themselves, through their chance meeting in the luxury room." ADMIRED The three actresses have never worked with Jit but have admired him from afar. Nadia said: "He was one of the greatest entertainers Malaysia has ever produced." Sofia said: "There are many great plays Jit came up with. If he were here today, he would be very proud to see 'VISITS' restaged." THEME Nabila said the main theme of 'VISITS 'was the need for mental health issues to be openly discussed. "People with mental health issues are pretty common. It is wholly normal, they are not crazy," she said. Nabila added: "Many people go through the same thing as The Patient." Sofia said Malaysians would have treated mental health differently years ago, but they now realised that it was normal and could be the result of trauma or the genes. "More people should talk about it, and we should all be more compassionate towards people who suffer from mental health problems, too." THOROUGH Nadia said it was a challenge for all of them to play such layered characters. "We had to get into character thoroughly, and at the same time, put a bit of themselves into their characters," she said. FOCUS Nabila said Malaysian theatre should have more plays which focus on issues from women's point of view, such as 'VISITS'. "Women should be portrayed as multi-faceted. They can be happy, strong, vulnerable and neurotic, in the same story. "Most importantly, it has to be their story," she said. Nadia said after the Covid-19 pandemic and the mental health issues that resulted from the lockdown, Malaysians gradually became more open about mental health in film, television and plays. "There are many methods to tackle this hot topic, and doing so through the creative medium gets audiences thinking about people with mental health issues, and seeing what they go through," she said.
