Nyonya Memoirs @ Dataran Pahlawan, Malacca

A Peranakan Love Story

A truly first in Malaysia, Hatten Group presents its fully-interactive live environmental theatre production of Nyonya Memoirs. Featuring a revolutionary new concept of 360 degree Live Peranakan Experience, Nyonya Memoirs is set in the historical city of Malacca at Dataran Pahlawan.

Premiered in May 2015, the theatre production of Nyonya Memoirs runs till 19 July 2015. Hatten Group spared no expense at this RM8million investment, taking on the very best of the production team, the star-studded cast, the theatre set and the costumes. The inspiration for this project is in line with the State Government’s goals to highlight local culture with the main objective of promoting a deeper appreciation for our city’s Peranakan heritage.

It is truly a wondrous theatrical show with musical and dance performances injected into Nyonya Memoirs. The concept centers on the traditions and customs of the Peranakan culture where everything goes by the Baba Nyonya beliefs. Located on Level 3 of Dataran Pahlawan, the Nyonya Memoirs production is amazingly gorgeous. The show is available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with two show times of 4pm and 8pm respectively.

Boasting of a A-list production team of Atlantic Theatre and Production with renowned director, James Lee, winner of the Best ASEAN Film Award with the musical score directed by Tan Yue Hue, who has worked with international artistes while the cast is coached by Pearly Chua, nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the 43^rd Golden Horse Film Festival and the costumes are designed by Beatrice Looi, Malaysia’s top international fashion designer.

My family and I caught a Saturday show in the afternoon at 4pm one weekend. I was really excited when I walked into the theatre. To my surprise, I even met a very good friend, Merryn and her family there too that same day. We were ushered into a long hall decorated with Peranakan heritage.

Showcase displaying Nyonya kebayas with gorgeous embroidery works, hand beaded shoes and intricate jewelry pieces together with a typical Nyonya kitchen and its utensils, intricate wood carvings and finally a typical Nyonya cuisine of Nyonya Kuih had everyone busy clicking their phones and cameras while waiting for the show to start.

We were suddenly greeted by the housekeeper, Tao Jie who boisterously warmed us up with a few information about the cultures of the Peranakan and proceeded to guide us into the set.

Nyonya Memoirs is about a lover’s tale between a wealthy Nyonya girl by the name of Bao Zhu, played by Dorothy Foo and her love for a poor common Baba, Zhang Min, played by Evan Siau. The couple faces the obstacles of the family’s disagreement of their union due to the social differences of their respective lives. Immerse yourselves as the story unfolds through its own magical and musical production through the unusual concept of having viewers watch the show through a moving production set.

Nyonya Memoirs is performed in Mandarin mostly together with a mixture of Peranakan dialect thrown in such as Bahasa Melayu and some local languages. For those who are not well-versed with Mandarin, fear not as there are screen displays all over translating the conversation to English.

As soon as we step into the set, all 600 meters of it cleverly designed to echo the era of a typical Peranakan location, we were drawn to the main area of a garden right in the center of the room. Flanked with a green lawn and trees surrounding the garden, it is the main area of where the show starts off. Surrounding the garden are shops of yesteryears, typical Nyonya household and streets of those good old Peranakan days.

The theatre set is a sight to behold as there were just so many things that really reminded me of my own heritage as my father is a northern Baba himself, whom also just so happen to marry my mother who is actually a  non-Nyonya.

An energetic and smiley storykeeper played by Li Qiang proceeded to gather everyone’s’ attention and rolled out the storytelling of the lovers.

The story kicks off with Zhang Min getting all excited to propose his love and hand in marriage to his beloved Bao Zhu where he even gets the viewer involve by asking them their opinions. As mentioned, this is an interactive production so one may never know if you may just be included in the show!

Here are scenes of the lovers enjoying a serene and happy moment of themselves.

In every family, there will always be a few black sheep of the family whose intent are purely mischievous and malicious. In Nyonya Memoirs, there, they are the uncle and aunt of Bao Zhu, who simply cannot resist to inject their slandering of the couple at every chance they get.

I do have to admire both of Bao Zhu's uncle and aunt, seen here with Bao Zhu's father as they really played their part so well and both are really full of expressions and emotions.

Zhang Min meeting the family for the first time.

A solemn meeting between the lovers...

A scene from a typical Nyonya Tok Panjang in the dining room where Baba Nyonya dines on a feast of sumptuous Peranakan cuisine. This is also where family times were once a must in every household as everyone would gather together for family time. Here it is to celebrate Bao Zhu's mother's birthday.

Here are more scenes of Nyonya Memoirs but there will be no spoilers as one should really go and enjoy the experience yourselves!

Moments of despair from the couples as their family feuds continues with Bao Zhu’s mother, Yue Niang who objects while her father is left with heartache as he see his daughter suffers through the Peranakan beliefs.

The dashing Zhang Min is also left heartbroken…

Moment of hope as the couple tries to elope...

Unfortunately they were caught...

Viewers will be glad to know though that the couple did get their happy ending but you have to watch how they got it yourselves… there are quite a few touching scenes which I omitted here as I was too touch and busy enjoying those moments.

Go with an open mind and soak in the story whole heartedly for an unforgettable experience!

The show ended with the parade of Zhang Min and Bao Zhu’s grand wedding together with all the cast dressed in traditional wedding costumes at the Lover’s Bridge in the mall.

The Cast of Nyonya Memoirs

The 360 degree theatre experience is a lovely and fascinating experience while the cast and costumes are equally amazing. Together with the musical and dance performances plus the interactive parts, Nyonya Memoirs is a theatrical production unlike any others we have here in Malaysia. Don’t miss this truly heart-warming and delightful Nyonya Memoirs by Hatten Group!

NYONYA MEMOIRS

Showtime: Every Friday - Sunday, 4pm & 8pm

Venue: Level 3, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall @ Melaka

Ticket pricing*

ADULT

RM52 (mykad holder)

RM66 (non-mykad holder)

CHILD (7 - 15 years old) or SENIOR CITIZEN (60 years old and above)

RM26 (mykad holder)

RM33 (non-mykad holder)

* Terms and conditions apply.

For more information or to book your tickets, please log on to www.nyonyamemoirs.com or visit the Nyonya Memoirs ticketing counter at Level 3, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall or call hotline at + 6018 663 9696. Tickets can also be purchase online or at the concierge of Hatten Hotel & Estadia by Hatten Hotel.

A Southern Peranakan Wedding Affair… Timeless Heritage and Cuisine! (Part 2)

Passing on a Timeless Heritage and its Cuisine with Peranakan Culture Consultant Cedric Tan and Peranakan Chef Debbie Teoh !

…Continued from Part 1

Arrival of the Groom and Chim Pang (Unveiling Ceremony)

The arrival of the groom is a noisy affair. He is led by a procession of musicians, men carrying lanterns, best man Puah Kiah and young boys making loud noise on gongs. The groom is also dressed in a fully embroidered two piece suit and a grand gold embroidered cap with a glittery brooch. He carries a fan and wears heavily embroidered shoes with thick soles. He is greeted by the relatives of the bride and proceeds to move on to the Chim Pang ceremony.

The groom has to walk with his hands paying respect like this throughout his journey to meet his wife!

His best man called Puah Kiah will usually follow him everywhere likewise for the bride!

Waiting with a grin for his bride!

This will be the first time he meets his new wife. As they face each other and he unveils her, all eyes are focus on both their reaction.

Here comes the unveiling ceremony where he sees his wife for the first time!

They will then sit on the prepared wedding altar or in the confinements of the wedding bedroom. To denote a sweet and long beginning for the new couple, they will both savor Kueh Ee, glutinous rice balls soaked in sweet syrup, and a cup of tea.

She must remain lady like and shy...

Sohjah 3 Hari (Third Day Ceremony)

This ritual is all about paying respect to the elders. The ceremony requires both bride and groom to kneel and pay respect to all elders in accordance to their ranking in the family hierarchy.

Respecting all elders and guest by serving sweet tea while in return, the bride and groom is blessed with a monetary red packet.

After the 12 days of the wedding ceremony, the Bride & Groom is now officially married!

Nasi Kemuli Tok Panjang Luncheon

Guests that day were treated to a special Nasi Kemuli Tok Panjang luncheon as what a Peranakan wedding would showcase. The lunch is served on long tables and everyone would gather to savor a feast that usually takes days to prepare in a typical Nyonya household. In olden days, all relatives would chip in to help as there is so much preparation to be done for this feast alone.

Chef Debbie Teoh has been busy preparing a sumptuous list of the menu for the feast. Everything is prepared from scratch and no expense is spare in using the best quality ingredients to produce authentic flavors. A lot of effort goes into this luncheon and I can definitely feel it through the taste of the feast!

Menu of the day:

Nasi Kemuli

Deemed the Malacca Nyonya spiced wedding rice, Nasi Kemuli is gorgeously fragrant and spiced up. The fluffy rice is cooked with a spiced stock and crowned with lots of fried shallots. It is so flavorful, one can even enjoy this on its own.

Kuah Hee Peoh

Hee Peoh or Fish Maw is a much sorted ingredient in many household. Chef Debbie uses high quality fish maw in this special soup. I spied prawns balls, carrot, jicama, cabbage being placed in the bowl before hot stock with fish maw is ladled into the bowls. Served piping hot with a dash of fried garlic oil, this is soothing, sweet and delicious!

Paceri Terung

A robust vegetable dish, eggplant is cooked in a thick spicy robust curry till soft. The eggplant acts as a sponge, soaking up the flavorful curry. Savoring this with the rice is satisfying as it has an abundance of flavors.

Lobak Puteh Masak Lemak

Radish cooked in coconut milk, this one is creamy and renders a distinctive white radish aroma.

Kari Ayam

Nyonya are famous for their curries. Chef Debbie’s version is perfectly flavored to my taste. I adored the creamy and well balanced of spices in the rich luscious curry filled with soft braised chicken and potatoes. It has a good note of heat while one gets a lovely savory spicy note overall. I was very pleased with this curry and heap on lots of curry gravy to my rice.

Sambal Timun

Crunchy sliced cucumber is laced with a spicy pungent sambal sauce. This one has a lot of kick in flavors and provides a nice crunch factor to the meal.

Ayam Goreng

Using spices again, chicken pieces are marinated and fried to golden brown. It’s a dish that really hard to say no too…

Udang Goreng Asam

Big prawns are seasoned with tamarind and fried till cooked. A bite of this lends tangy savory sweet flavors to the senses. One gets to suck all the sweet juices of the prawns with shells and it was clearly a favorite among the guests that day.

Telor Rebus

Telor Rebus is simply hard boiled eggs to accompany the Sambal and rice.

Sambal Belachan

The southern sambal belachan has a lighter hue compared to the northern one simply because the south belachan or shrimp paste is lighted in color due to a different processing method. Bright red, the pungent sambal has an instant kick to the taste bud with its fiery chilies, toasted shrimp paste and lime juice. A little goes a long way and it is simply a must-have in every Nyonya household… including mine!

Nyonya Kueh

Nyonyas are also well-known for their kuehs and cookies. There was a lovely array of Nyonya Kueh like Onde-Onde, Pulut Tekan with homemade Kaya, Apom Bakwa, Kueh Lapis and Tat Nenas.

Ang Choe Teh

The feast was washed down with warm sweet red date tea.

After the feast, the bride and groom walked around to present the tea drinking ceremony to guests and guests would present the newlyweds with a prosperous red packet. Guests were also entertained with singing of local folks, Dondang Sayang and some fun joget dancing.

It is with much salute to both Cedric and Debbie for their effort in sharing the knowledge and experience of a Peranakan wedding and feast. Though the event had ended few weeks ago, I am pretty sure I will always remember this awesome experience for the rest of my life!

For anyone who is interested, there is a Peranakan Convention in Kuala Lumpur

from Nov 29 to Dec 1. Do contact Cedric or Debbie for more information.

*More photos of the event at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

**All information on the Peranakan Wedding is obtained from the event and some research from various websites.