Singapore Malay Heritage Center

Malay Heritage Centre

 Bangsawan: Mass Urban Entertainment

Popular during the first half of the 20^th century, bangsawan, sometimes called “Malay opera”, is asyncretic form of theatre bearing various cultural influences. Stories were not confined to the Malay classical canon and included adaptations from Indian legends, Middle Eastern folklore and Shakespearean plays. A bangsawan play could consist of so many acts that it would stretch over several nights and in between acts, there were the “extra turns” (song-and-dance routines or other variety acts) to keep the audiences entertained as the sets were being changed. Actors were required to master skills as diverse as singing, traditional and modern dance as well as martial arts. As a densely urban city,Singapore was the venue of choice of bangsawan troupes, both local and traveling, where their popularity extended beyond the local Malay audience. Regularly advertised in the English-language dailies and other newspapers were renowned local companies such as City Opera, Dean Star Opera and Norlia Opera.

A Community’s Theatre: Pondok Jawa

Pondok Jawa was located along Sultan Gate, near the Istana Kampong Gelam. Built approximately in the 1840s, Pondok Jawa functioned as a cultural hall for the Javanese community and a meeting point for new Javanese immigrants. Performances at Pondok Jawa drew from Javanese theatrical traditions including wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), wayang wong (masked drama) and ketoprak (Javanese Opera). Pondok Jawa also provided lodging for bachelors of community (rumah bujangan). As a cultural centre, its prominence declined in the latter half of the 20^th century when new entertainment options (such as cinema and amusement parks likeNew World and Happy World) arose, and public tastes shifted. Pondok Jawa then functioned as a community kitchen and market place forJavanese street hawkers selling primarily satay around Kampong Gelam and Beach Road. The building deteriorated and was ulled down during the mid-1990s.

From Moving Shadows to Images – Malay Film Industry

Local Malay film production can be divided into ywo phases with the first phase covering the late 1930s until the Japanese occupation. During its early years, the nascent film industry adapted Malay folktales as well as standard bangsawan plays and tapped on the bangsawan community for acting talents, ensuring a future for the actors as the Malay public taste switched to films. The 1950s and 1960s represented the zenith of the local Malay films industry which made household name of film personalitieso came from all over the Nusantara such as P.Ramlee and Maria Menado. By this time, films were often used as platforms to educate audiences on social issues of the day. It was also during this period that many Malay actors too up directing and other aspects of film production, and thus contributed to the prowing local Malay film industry in other ways. The golden age of Malay films lasted till 1966 when the last film stusion  closed in Singapore