“The eagle has landed; the chicks have flown!”
— A Year to Love, The Musical.
A Year to Love is a musical performance that is a warm-hearted dramatic comedy about love, reinvention, and living fully, crafted for “empty-nesters” stepping into a new chapter of life.
Six and a half years in the making, producer Dr. Nancy Jenster describes A Year to Love as a work of passion—a real-life story dedicated to three real women in her life. Nancy has shaped this production with remarkable care; every layer, from script to lyrics to musical arrangements, has undergone meticulous and repeated refinement. In the hands of director Jackson Gleeson, her vision finds its rhythm on stage.
Carried by a richly talented Penang cast, lead duo Donovan Ng and Lauren Tan form the beating heart of the production. The story opens with a middle-aged couple bidding farewell to their youngest child as he leaves home, ushering them into the terrain of an empty nest—excitedly, until drama ensues.
The humour unfolds through their shared history: the bickering, the inside jokes, and the hard-earned “we survived the kids” camaraderie. And of course, the all-too-familiar tensions when one thing is a “something” to one can simply be “nothing” to the other. Their on-stage chemistry becomes a compelling portrayal of living in the moment, a reminder that we must laugh loudly and love fully while the music still plays.
The play features 15 original toe-tapping tunes and several heart-tugging ballads, brought to life by a truly wonderful live ensemble—an exclusivity that deserves to live beyond the stage as a full soundtrack. Each song emerges organically from scenes, adding a layer of energy and unpredictability, revealing what is unsaid from what is said, what is truly felt from what slips through the filters of fear and ego.
At the centre of it, Donovan and Lauren as Joe and Helen embody the songs with ease, moving fluidly through shifts of lightness and drama. What emerges is a crafted musical that holds humour and heart in tension—tender, familiar, and disarmingly honest.
In the press preview night of the premiere, this was a stripped-back version of the production, where only its essence was presented—through dialogues and songs with a live ensemble. Its full staging, set design, choreography, and visual atmosphere will only be unveiled on opening night.
In this scaled-down version, A Year to Love unfolds in two parts, each carrying its own distinct energy—so contrasting that their convergence can feel disorienting. At times, I found myself questioning if I was still within the same story.
This shift presents a challenge for the supporting cast, who must navigate the pivot from comedy to drama while holding on to their characters. Unlike the leads, they are given fewer scenes and songs in the second part to settle into this emotional landscape. While they excel in the first act, the continuity of their characters feels less assured as the season changes. There were moments where I found myself actively shifting between two very different emotions as the play progressed.
In real life, such transitions are given time to settle, to be felt and integrated. Here, the dramatic-comedy form asks for that adjustment to happen in real time. It becomes a delicate balance: accept it as part of the form, or risk emotional shifts that feel too abrupt, pulling the audience out of where their feelings were led.
Nevertheless, A Year to Love is a celebration of a complete life—a soul-stirring, honest look at long-term devotion. A reminder that love can be difficult in the many ways it presents itself and transforms over time. This is a story that honours every season of a relationship—what happens when “summer is set” and the colder months begin. The show is not afraid to lean into the “winter” of a life well-lived, and true love is a full circle.
A Year to Love is produced by MYTH Productions and supported by the Penang Arts Council (PAC) through its arts funding initiatives. It will be staged at One Theatre Hall Penang (formerly known as Penangpac) from 24 to 25 April 2026. Get your tickets here: bit.ly/a-year-to-love
Disclaimer: Come prepared—with chocolates…or a hankie, just in case.
About the writer:
Azida, a true lover of the arts, is on a self-declared break from the corporate world. Based in Penang, she spends her days hopping from one performance to another in search of stories that move and entertain. Offstage, she finds herself in unscripted adventures - collecting mangoes and coconuts or occasionally being chased by monkeys. Equal parts observer and participant, she writes with curiosity, insight, and a love for life’s unpredictability.
Seni:Kita (pentaspena.pg@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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