Directing a play comprising an all- senior cast – an octogenarian and two septuagenarians – is a highly stressful affair.
Joe Hasham can attest to that.
“Working with three geriatrics is so frightening, one minute they’ve got their lines down to a pat, then you ask them to repeat and they’re like ‘Huh, what are we doing?’ It’s the most stressful play I have ever directed! Fortunately, my blood pressure is fine,” says the 77-year-old theatre icon, cracking up.
Joe’s referring to his latest work, God’s Waiting Room, which brings together three Malaysian performing arts stalwarts for the very first time on the same stage – Datuk Faridah Merican (Joe’s wife), 86, Patrick Teoh, 78, and Anne James, 70.
Staged by The Actors Studio Foundation and The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat, the play debuts at Pentas 2, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) on Jan 22. There are 10 shows, with evening and matinee performances, playing through Feb 1.
A theatrical love letter
Set in a retirement home, Joe’s script follows Miss Effie (Faridah), Miss Pansy (James) and Mr Chong (Teoh) as they navig
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