Laughing out of Control
Instant Café are truly a hilarious Malaysian institution that is here to stay - whether the KL City Hall likes it or not
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Shoots one journalist: “Ministers, what have you got to say to allegations that Malaysia does not have a very good human rights record?” Answers one of the impeccably dressed candidates with an air of disdain: “Yes, we know that we do not have a very good human rights record. That is why we are trying to have all the other records: the tallest buildings in the world, the longest outdoor buffet with the least amount of food...The foreign press - they only focus on the human rights record. That is very unfair.” Welcome to the world of the Instant Cafe Theatre, Malaysia’s very own political satire troupe. Set up in Kuala Lumpur in 1989, it quickly carved a niche for itself with its brand of irreverent humour and biting social and political satire, not seen before in the country. At a company’s annual dinner, the invited troupe whips through scripted skits, improvised sketches, and songs based on current affairs and news items. Indeed, attending one of Instant Café’s shows is like watching a news bulletin - only a great deal more hilarious. Little escapes Instant Café’s lampoons: the smog, power blackouts, politicians’ antics, bureaucratic bumbling…almost nothing is spared.
Beneath the sardonic humour, the group has touched a chord among Malaysians accustomed to the official version of news from the country’s tightly controlled mainstream media. Hearty laughter from the audience punctuates a typical performance - though there are other reactions. Jo Kukathas recalls a conversation with a fan after a show one night. “I had seen her attending a previous show and so I said to her. ‘You are back!’” relates Kukathas. “And she said, ‘I came the last time, and I cried. I found the show to be so horribly true.’” Audiences marvel at the group’s daring in their portrayal of officialdom in rather unflattering light. But how have the authorities themselves reacted in a country where dissent is closely monitored? “We haven’t heard anything, at least not directly,” says Kukathas. (That was in 1997 - they have obviously heard from Kuala Lumpur City Hall now! - editor) The bad news is that it’s almost impossible for the group to get funding from local bodies promoting the arts. ”People think we are very comfortable because of our success, but we have to pay our performers,” she adds. The group, she points out, also stages performances “which we feel are important to support artistes.” These include half a dozen successful full-length plays, some in collaboration with other local drama and dance groups. Among them were Peter Schaffer’s ‘Black Comedy’, Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Joanna Murray Smith’s ‘Love Child’, and John Aubrey’s ‘Brief Lives’. The lack of financial resources forced the troupe to give up its 140-seat theatre bar in Kuala Lumpur. “We can’t afford a new place without corporate support, but then we have never tried to market ourselves,’ says Kukathas. “People hear about us through word of mouth.” “I’m so proud that we have such talented artistes in Malaysia,” says a new fan, after watching them perform for the first time. Indeed, the word down the grapevine even reached CNN, which featured a clip about the troupe. Not bad for a small band of artistes treading where no one else has dared to go in Malaysia. Instant Cafe has been hitting the road and staging shows at many of Malaysia’s leading hotels and halls for the last 14 years. Today, Kukathas says they are catching a flight to Kuantan, 600 kilometres from here, to perform at a dinner organised by lawyers in Pahang state. Back to our press conference... “Now what about allegations by international trade union bodies that Malaysia’s refusal to implement a minimum wage system is a violation of workers’ rights?” fires another journalist, with a noticeable western accent, “That is not true. It’s not true. It makes me very, very angry - because Malaysia HAS a minimum wage,” answers one of the two candidates, indignantly, looking rather ruffled. “We always make sure we pay the workers the absolute minimum.” For now, the show is back on the road, with or without the resources, and the DBKL uproar notwithstanding. No doubt, legions of Instant Café fans across the country are heaving a collective sigh of relief.
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I had seen her (a fan) attending a previous show and so I said to her. 'You are back!' And she said, ‘I came the last time, and I cried. I found the show to be so horribly true.'
