When was the last time you felt like a child?
For me, it was the Sunday, August 16th when I attended The Wolf, The Emperor & The Ensemble, a GTLF+ (an extension of the George Town Literary Festival) event at Penang Institute.
It’s been decades since I read fairy tales, and classical music isn't exactly my cup of tea. So, when I saw a dozen schoolkids sitting on the floor in the front row, I wondered what I could possibly have in common with them.
Then the guest narrators walked into the hall in costume.
The wolf, with his huge furry ears and paws, immediately caught everyone's attention. The children could not help but side-eye the big bad wolf, and their reactions were hilarious.
I found myself smiling - maybe I did have something in common with them after all.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute and Festival Director of the GTLF, before the five-piece ensemble, The Tarts, took the stage.
The Tarts may be a new name, but the musicians are familiar faces on Penang’s concert stages. The five musicians — Lee Chun Howe on oboe, Peter Lo on violin, Jeremy Tan on clarinet, Katie Coolbaugh on cello and Alyssa Khong on piano — brought the musical scores to life with plenty of energy and finesse.
The show kicked off with a lovely overture (which means musical introduction to a performance – I had to Google that) featuring music inspired by fairy tales by Bertrand Moren — The Poor Beautiful Lady, The Majestic Prince on His White Horse, The Wicked Witch — Her Rise and Fall, The Fight, The Death of the Witch, and The Wedding.
I must say, there was something fascinating about hearing orchestral music accompanying fairy tales.
According to writer-director Fa Abdul, who directed the guest narrators, this was how fairy tales were often presented during her childhood, when orchestral music was as much a part of the experience as the story itself.
I imagine this was a new experience for the children, as they’re probably used to getting their stories from digital media. It certainly was new to me, since I learned these fables through illustrated storybooks from silent reading sessions.
Classic stories for a modern audience
This was followed by a lively rendition of Little Red Riding Hood, with music by Bruce Adolphe.
The story was presented through narration and live music, with each character assigned a musical motif.
Imagine a stage play for your ears. A radio show, but live.
The familiar tale of Little Red Riding Hood's journey through the kampong and her encounter with a hungry wolf was given a playful Malaysian twist, with cultural references and modifications that added some humour.
Some of the slang felt a tad forced, but for the most part, the adaptation made a centuries-old story feel closer to home.
Fairy tales have been around for centuries, passed down from one generation to another through word of mouth, changing with each telling before eventually being written down, collected and published.
But they never really stopped evolving.
Little Red Riding Hood, for example, originated as a European folk tale and was first published in 1697 by French author Charles Perrault. Today, Adolphe gives the familiar story his own humorous musical retelling.
The performance continued that tradition.
It took stories that many of us already know and gave us another way to experience them — through live music, narration, humour and, of course, a rather intimidating wolf.
The second half brought us The Emperor’s New Clothes, narrated by Christopher Miley, with music by Peter Schickele.
The story has roots in older tales from Europe and India, before Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen transformed it into the version most of us know today, which was published in 1837.
Schickele brings his own wit and musical imagination to the classic, although I felt this story went on for a little too long.
Strong performances made the show more immersive
What impressed me most about The Tarts, though, was how passionate they were about playing their instruments.
One of the numbers even earned an audible “wow” from the kids, earning a good laugh from the audience.
I liked how the arrangement allowed each of the Tarts to shine. Aside from ensemble numbers, there were plenty of solos and duets.
I know about pianos, violins and cellos, but that day I also learned what a clarinet and an oboe sound like.
More importantly, I loved how passionate they were about playing their instruments.
Seeing grown adults so immersed in playing music for fairy tales, as if they had entered a child-like state of play, allowed us to become children once again and get swept up in the performances.
One of the highlights of the show, for me, was watching clarinettist Jeremy Tan throwing his whole body — and face — into his playing.
You could see that he was having a really good time — and somehow, that made me want to have a really good time too.
The guest narrators also did a wonderful job bringing the stories to life. Especially the wolf, Donovan Ng, who consistently got reactions out of the children. Little Red Riding Hood, portrayed by Maryam Richardson, and Grandma, portrayed by Alison Stevens, were adorable, while Garu and Christopher Miley’s comedic delivery as narrators worked particularly well with the adults.
There was something lovely about watching the narrators and musicians feed off each other. The music gave the stories movement, while the performances gave the music character.
It drew you into the stories without needing elaborate sets or digital effects.
Just people, music, voices and imagination.
Let your children enjoy the arts
I think this show is best enjoyed when we imagine ourselves as children.
And I believe we need this — to revisit our earlier passions, reconnect with our younger selves, and remember what it felt like to be curious about something simply because it was fun.
We often hear Malaysian parents question the point of arts and literature.
“How to make money like that?”
“No use learning arts.”
Or worse… “Just ask AI to draw/sing/write stories-lah.”
Art isn't just something to score or monetise. It is one of the purest ways of expressing ourselves. It helps children build character and humanity, while giving them a healthy way to understand and express their thoughts and feelings.
I believe every child deserves decent exposure to the arts, and a continuous and friendly relationship with the arts as they grow. (No, being tiger-parented into chasing competitions and exams doesn't count.)
Penang is lucky to have a vibrant arts scene, where children can grow up in an environment where art is alive, inventive and not looked down upon. This is something I have always envied about the children of Penang.
And every adult should also be allowed to take time out of their busy lives to revisit their inner child. Sometimes life is brighter and happier when you know how to return to your childhood.
The Wolf, The Emperor & The Ensemble was well crafted and performed, successfully charming audiences young and old.
It reminded me that being an adult doesn't mean we have to leave childhood completely behind.
Sometimes, all we need is a little music, a familiar fairy tale and a big bad wolf to remind us how to be a kid again.
About the writer:
Felina is new to the arts scene, young, curious, and hungry. She wants to sink her paws into as many facets of the performing arts as she can, as she believes practical experience is more nutritious than theory. Find her on, behind, or seated in front of the stage, as she is ready to pounce at any given moment.
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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