Puteri Gunung Ledang (musical)

Tiara Jacquelina and Pat Ibrahim began discussing the idea of a musical version of the Princess of Gunung Ledang story during the development of the film, during which Pat began having meetings with Singaporean composer Dick Lee to discuss the idea. The critical and commercial success of the film became the deciding factor for pursuing a stage version. It was decided that the musical version would follow the storyline established by the film, due to audience's familiarity with it, but with a more contemporary feel in order to appeal to younger audience members.[1] Accordingly, the character of Gusti Putri, who was sombre and philosophical in the film, was reinterpreted as being younger and more playful in the stage version. Tiara said that the reinterpretation of the character was in part inspired by the success of her music single "Asmaradana", which was recorded for the film and became a hit among young Malaysian music fans, drawing their attention to the film itself.[1]

Saw Teong Hin, who directed the film, was invited to write the book. He was later joined by Zahim Albakri and Adlin Aman Ramlie as co-writers. Together with composer Dick Lee, conductor and musician Jason Voo, music producer Roslan Aziz and arts students from the Universiti Teknologi MARA, they held a 10-day workshop for the musical, working on the script and songs.[1] Following the workshop, Saw, who had been invited to direct the production, bowed out due a conflicting project. Writers Zahim and Adlin became the director and co-director respectively.

Raja Malek's stupas forming the peak of Mount Ledang, upon which Gusti Putri (Tiara Jacquelina) and Tuah (Stephen Rahman-Hughes) are reunited. Photo by Wan Izhar.

Production designer Raja Malek obtained inspiration from museum exhibits for the look of period Majapahit and Malacca. Raja Malek developed the idea of using stupas that could be rotated and rearranged to form various parts of the set. The stupas were inspired by the "Pintu Gerbang", the oldest remains of Majapahit civilisation that consist of two large pillars on either side of a gateway.[1] The pillars represent the two Javanese mountains Gunung Agung and Gunung Merapi.

Tiara Jacquelina and Adlin Aman Ramlie, who had portrayed Gusti Putri and Sultan Mahmud in the film, were quickly signed on to reprise their roles in the stage version. A. C. Mizal, actor and former member of boyband 4U2C, was cast late into pre-production as Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat.

For the other lead role of Hang Tuah, established actor and singer M. Nasir, who had portrayed the character in the film, could not commit to the musical due to other projects. Even with rehearsals in full swing and a confirmed date at the Istana Budaya, a replacement had not been found. Eventually, Stephen Rahman-Hughes, a Malaysian-born West End actor was chosen on the recommendations of TV3 chairman Farid Ridzuwan CEO of TV station and Kavita Kaur to the production team. Rahman-Hughes signed on to the project in December 2005, barely two months before opening night.[1] The challenge lay in coaching Rahman-Hughes in Malay, a language he was not fluent in.

In the original story, the Princess is mysterious and magical, hinting that she is supernatural in origin. In contrast, the stage musical followed the precedent set by the film by making the Princess a mortal human being, and uses the unique creation of the love affair between her and Tuah as the reason she decides to live on Mount Ledang. In order to set up the Princess as a mortal princess, the Majapahit empire was chosen as her kingdom of origin. At the time of Sultan Mahmud’s rule, the Majapahit empire was a powerful neighbour of Malacca. The Princess was set up as the younger sister of the Adipati (King) of Majapahit at that time.

Hang Tuah is an actual Malaccan historical figure, but his career as a Laksamana (Admiral) began during the reign of Sultan Mansur, who was Sultan Mahmud’s grandfather. By the time Sultan Mahmud became ruler of Malacca, Hang Tuah was an old man at the end of his life. However, the musical opts to show Tuah as still being in his prime of his career, though the age gap between him and the Princess is acknowledged by a line in the show when the Princess remarks that she was a child when she saw the famous Admiral Tuah for the first time.

The original legend centres on the Princess’ response to Sultan Mahmud's proposal. During the time of the old Malay Sultanates the Sultans were believed to have ‘daulat’, a divine right bestowed from God that gives them absolute power over the land and its people. It is because of this that the Princess, though she was not interested in his proposal, did not refuse him outright. Instead she set for him seven impossible tasks for him to fulfil, but Sultan Mahmud was either too proud or too blind to realize that the tasks were her way of turning him down, and when he attempted to fulfil them Malacca fell into ruin.

The musical instead focuses on the love story between the mortal characters of the Princess and Tuah. The seven impossible tasks are only briefly mentioned towards the end of Act 2, near the finale.

Due to the romantic nature of the reinterpreted story, the finale was made bittersweet, with Sultan Mahmud cursing the Princess to live forever on Mount Ledang alone. In the original legend, the Princess was never condemned by a curse as she was beyond the Sultan's jurisdiction, and it is Sultan Mahmud who ultimately suffered by trying to fulfil her seven conditions. Historically, Sultan Mahmud was the last Sultan of Malacca, and at the end of his reign had to flee from his city, thus ending the Malaccan Sultanate. This Sultan Mahmud is sometimes confused with his great-grandson, Sultan Mahmud II, who was assassinated on his royal dais.

The musical's reinterpreted love story of Tuah and the Puteri bears similarity to the love story between Tuah and Tun Teja. As chronicled in Hikayat Hang Tuah and other sources, Tun Teja was a beautiful princess from Pahang. Sultan Mahmud heard of her beauty and sent Tuah as his emissary to present to her his royal proposal of marriage. Upon meeting Tuah, Tun Teja fell in love with him, and in some versions Tuah reciprocated her feelings. Ultimately, Tuah placed his loyalty to Sultan Mahmud above his personal emotions.

The Puteri Gunung Ledang film acknowledges the existence of Tun Teja, who in that version is already Sultan Mahmud's wife and the mother of the crown prince Raja Ahmad. The musical omits Tun Teja completely.

Main cast

• Tiara Jacquelina as Gusti Puteri Retno Dumilah
• Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Hang Tuah
• Adlin Aman Ramlie as Sultan Mahmud
• AC Mizal as Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat
• Sukania Venugopal as Bayan
• Hamzah Tahir as Bendahara
• Yalal Chin (BCM) as Patih
• Mohammed Afif Halim as Raja Ahmad

• Tiara Jacquelina as Gusti Puteri Retno Dumilah
• Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Hang Tuah
• Adlin Aman Ramlie as Sultan Mahmud
• AC Mizal as Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat
• Ida Mariana as Bayan

Main cast

• Tiara Jacquelina as Gusti Puteri Retno Dumilah
• Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Hang Tuah
• Adlin Aman Ramlie as Sultan Mahmud
• AC Mizal as Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat
• Ida Mariana as Bayan
• Chedd Eddie Yusoff as Bendahara
• Yalal Chin as Patih
• Mohammed Afif Halim and Muhammad Haziq Fitrie as Raja Ahmad