Painted faces

Was taking a leisurely walk around my place when I spotted a wayang being staged near the MRT station. Strange I never noticed the erected makeshift stage there earlier.

It's been such a long time since I saw one! These days, even during the Hungry Ghost Festival, we hardly see one as they've been replaced by the more popular getais.


The guy on the left is a protagonist and the lady on the right, his bride.

Although I could hardly understand what they were singing (it's performed in one of the dialects) I enjoyed the experience tremendously. The actors' expressive facial expressions and body language speak of sorrow, regrets and joy.


An enraptured audience

I'm surprised I've never taken notice of wayangs growing up. I always think of them as noisy, meaningless and way too garish for my liking. Maybe it was this chance spotting, or perhaps it was the setup and atmosphere. Nostalgia hits me as I'm reminded of the good ole 80-90s where wayang shows were more accessible.

Just as serendipitously as I came across the wayang, the next night when I went back to the same spot, all traces of the previous night's performance was gone. I'm glad to have caught it when I did.