The Theater of Saloma

Last night I went to dine at Saloma Theater Restaurant. After years of pondering the possibility, the opportunity finally presented itself. My mother was to entertain dignitaries from WHO on behalf of the Health Ministry. As so, she decided to bring along her two sons to keep her company. So, there we were, my brother and me, along with Kak Cahaya, sitting a few tables away from where my mother and her entourage were.

Ambience wise, Saloma does look and feel nice. It does well combining 1950s design and modern day comfort. We booked dinner for the international buffet with the cultural show by the Saloma dancers.

The dinner was satisfactory to say the least. It is better than Seri Angkasa at Menara KL, if I may say so. It is coined ‘international’ but it was more of a Malaysian variety. Apart from the spaghetti and French pastries, you have your usual rendang, satay and 4 different types of kerabu. But the main attraction, of course, is the cultural show.

For me, as a Malaysian, it wasn’t really something to shout about but the foreigners were absolutely loving it. Video cameras, digital cameras, camera phones, you name it. They were all snapping and recording. The show is to go on while the patrons were enjoying the meal so since people normally are unlikely to spend more than a half hour having dinner, they have a tight schedule because they have to finish by the time the people are done eating. So it was a quick show. They were all sorts of dances. From Kuda Kepang to Zapin, from Indian dances to Portuguese. It was towards the end of the show, when most people had already finished their meal, that the performers invite participation from the crowd. I have to admit it was quite clever. Not new but certainly clever. All in the name of promoting Malaysia. So after a few rounds of sumpit-ing and quick lessons on the Buluh dance, the Saloma dancers topped it all off with the now customary Malaysia, Truly Asia song. The show ended at around 9.30 and with it the dinner and the event. Everybody started to leave and that was it. From my experience tonight, I can tell you two different views. One, if you’re Malaysian, Saloma would not offer anything new or different. It’s just another fancy restaurant. It could serve as a good family outing but for a date, it would spell disaster. Unless your partner really does enjoy cultural shows. That would mean she or he, is not Malaysian and that would be really impressive. Which brings me to my second view. If you have some foreigner friend coming from the States or Japan, then Saloma would be a very good choice. To them, it is something new and different rather than taking them to a fancy meal of truffles and foie gras which they could get them back home anyway. Just like what my mother did with those WHO people.

Now, I want to talk about When Harry Met Sally. It’s a classic and it’s been around for maybe more than ten years but I only managed to watch just right now. And they were right, it is a classic. It is probably the first movie that successfully tackled the romantic comedy genre and it did it by raising one of the most discerning issues between a man and a woman can have to this day – the platonic relationship. Billy Crystal quoted the final line from Casablanca as one of the best movie lines ever. But in the movie, he too said a memorable line too. “A man can never be friends with an attractive woman because sex always gets in the way”. It could not be said any better. Women would disagree with this and find it difficult to understand but ask any men and they would acknowledge some truth in that. And you just have the see the classic scene at the diner where Meg Ryan demonstrated to Billy Crystal how easy it is for a woman to fake an orgasm. By the time she finished moaning, a waiter was ready to take an order from the lady at the next table and she said, “I’ll have what she’s having,” Find the time and effort for it. It’s up there alongside Sleepless in Seattle. It’s one of those philosophical love stories. It’ll be worth it.

Now, Jessica Alba. 2.5 million people voted on Askmen.com and it’s a majority opinion that Jessica Alba is the most desirable girlfriend material out in the world there today. I couldn’t agree more. If money was no reason and in some cataclysmic way I could wish for anything in the world, I would love and be eternally grateful to even have a date with Ms. Alba, let alone have her as a girlfriend. And she beat some stiff competition. Anjelina Jolie, Sienna Miller and Eva Longoria to name a few. Even Anna Kournikova got bumped way down to number 99. One thing I do hope though for her, that she gets better movie roles because her debut film, Honey, was so terrible. It belongs there in the group along with You Got Served, Drumline and Bring It On. Pointless movies. The only movie that was worse is Yamakasi but that’s French so that doesn’t count. Thank goodness there’s Fantastic Four and Into The Blue. To Jessica Alba, the only thing that would go well with whipped cream apart from ice-cream.

Now, about Richard Quest. Quest is a CNN correspondent and is the only man working at the network that I like. He hosts the show Quest and Talking Movies. I managed to catch him on television on two occasions. One when he was interviewing Hugh Hefner, celebrating his 75th anniversary of his Playboy magazine, I think and he asked the most interesting of questions. My favorite was, “Do you have as much sex as people has perceived you do?”. Hefner gave out a small laugh. He didn’t actually answer the question but he did point out that he currently has 3 girlfriends, all Playmates, and they all live happily in the Playboy mansion. And that’s the toned down version of Hugh Hefner because he added that at one point he had 7 girlfriends and he admitted that it was a tough job. Towards the end Quest made it known that Mr. Hefner is probably the luckiest man alive and every man in the world is envy of his position. I’m one of them.

The second time I saw Quest was when he did a piece on the current state of theater. In that he met with Kevin Spacey. A brilliant actor and the reason you’re seeing less of him in Hollywood movies because he’s doing what he feels gives him more purpose and personal growth – become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of the oldest theaters in London. He would still do movies here and there but between theater work and not the other way around, as the popular choice would normally be. Then Quest went on and interviewed theater critics from London and New York, talked to Andrew Lloyd Webber and his phenomenal Phantom, and the Blue Man group and Broadway legend Chita Rivera.

The tone of the ‘quest’ is that the theater scene is dying. Problem is, it’s always been like that. The theater is always dying but never did. People say that going to the theater is a fading trend. But the truth is things have been quite well. Broadway and places like the Old Vic and the Palladium have been receiving a good stream of crowds. And despite people believing otherwise, the theater scene is alive and well. Which brings me to our local theater scene.

People are concerned about the supposedly declining state of theater in places like New York and London, which have been the home of plays and musicals ever since theater began. Compare to the Malaysian scene, I have to admit, we are still in its infancy. Not until a few years ago, going to the theater is becoming a cool trend. Just a few days ago, a lecturer of mine asked his students for suggestions for his Valentine’s Day date. He thought about taking her to dinner but since she’s a vegetarian, the night could turn out to be a distasteful one. So I gave the suggestion of taking her to the theater and he said, “Why didn’t I though of that?”. He was pleased with the idea. I was particularly pleased with myself because in line with Chita Rivera’s motto, I have inspired another into the world of theater. Chita Rivera had said that one of her most powerful motivations to perform on stage for the past decades is that in every show, there is that one person who is a first-time visitor and if she could inspire that one person to enjoy the show that night and make him come back for another, her mission was accomplished. Which is what happened to me when watching But That’s Another Story. I know it’s a stand up comedy rather than a proper theater presentation but nevertheless the experience has inspired me to come for more. Although financial constraints has come into consideration in more times than one. Which made me having serious thoughts about PGL The Musical lately. I would like to ask my mother but she has this personal dislike towards Tiara Jacquelina ever since she stole laki orang. So, interesting developments awaits in the next few days. Watch this space.

Cheers.