Encore Melaka — Attraction in Malacca

I brought along 2 foreigners with me and I don’t think I’ve ever been this embarrassed as a Malaysian as well as someone who is deeply passionate about performing arts.

I thought about giving at least 2-3 stars but I’ve decided to go with one. I’ll explain why in the end.

The good: The entire space, stage, and technology is awesome. Unfortunately it stops there. It’s so frustrating that these elements are not utilized to their full potential. And why is this not advertised enough?

The bad: It’s pretty obvious some of the performers don’t even want to be there. Half-baked movements, “sien” faces, and lack of synchronization were all very frustrating to witness. For example, when you looked at some performers, they would go 100% full out with their movements and then those at the back or the sides did not go full out. Um the audience can see EVERYONE.

The choreography and staging for the nyonya dance, drumming, and water dance were severely lacking. The unnecessary and excessive screaming during the latter two did not make sense at all and it was a bit comical to watch. The water dance choreography couldve been a lot more creative too. Your dancers looked capable, the choreographer needs to step it up.

The cringeworthy narration and speaking style. No I’m not saying the English narration needs to be done in a perfect british RP accent but when you make it so flowery and over the top, it is borderline laughable. The same with the Malay narration. I understand the operatic and poetic nature of the Chinese language but you can’t apply that to Malay or English. Some narrators’ English pronunciation was so bad you could barely understand what they were saying. Again, not expecting people to speak with a Western accent (and we shouldn’t!) but it should at least be clear and natural.

The ugly: The storyline…or the lack thereof. You guys missed out on the opportunity to present Melaka’s rich and important history. Yea the boats arrived…and then we have a bunch of dancing nyonyas…and then a guy with 6 mothers…and then a rain dance…and then a parade of pregnant Malay ladies? Make it make sense.

As some other reviewers pointed out, way too many tourists were recording the whole show with their phones out. So disrespectful to the performers and the entire production team. This should be strictly enforced.

And lo and behold, I decided to give this a 1 star because after watching the show, it left a sour taste in my mouth and I was trying to figure out why. I’ve come to the conclusion that this show was not made for Malaysians by Malaysians. Rather, it was made for Mainland Chinese tourists + it was an ad for the development of that area Encore Melaka is in to attract more Chinese tourists. The director is not even Malaysian. No this isn’t an attack on mainlanders nor is it some conspiracy theory. It’s pretty obvious this was the case and if you watch the show you’ll know what I mean.

A super...

Such an awful performance. Awful to the extent that I need to spend my time writing a long winded review. Whoever script or plan the performance really deserve a beating. My jaw drop until gonna dislocate I feel. 1st scene talking about year 1400, kancil and pokok melaka followed by laksama cheng ho sailing to Melaka is what I feel acceptable. The rest really kenot. Out of a sudden they jump 400yrs to a Chinese wedding which they call it baba nyonya wedding. This part is the starting point of the JAM ..what JAM? My brain jam, mouth jam whole body jam...I was wondering wtX they are doing.. there is no linkage to the story. My imagination as a normal human being can script or make a better story whole lot better than this.. UNACCEPTABLE...Melaka history okay...it feels like lari tajuk until Donno how far.. mebbe I too harsh, this baba nyonya i still can kesian I force myself to say ok nvm. Next baba nyonya come out ...a group of nyonya sitting on the chair extending their legs n raise hands... walaoooooehhhh walanehhh do stretching meh?? Can please put some heart into this or not? I cannot accept this part..u can juz do a simple traditional dance la..that would look so much better than stretching legs n hands. Up to this point I still hope mebbe the next one is good but no...next one is even worst.. suddenly talks about a random fella with 6 mothers as if they have smtg to do with Melaka wasting 15mins, all u can see is this fella crying/yelling/screaming mother mother I miss u. Can u imagine 15mins of this? Not only that it irritates me, I can feel my blood boiling wei...feel like leaving the hall lor but I can't as it was blocked I think..this kind of show u wan to show locals like me I still ok, but to foreigners ..introducing melaka with a random fella yelling mother.. u say urself la I Donno what to say. Then comes the waterfall, It feels like a group of man playing water like that lor..who are they anyway? Warrior/soldiers ah? If soldiers can u prepare a better outfit that Reali looks like a soldier rather than wearing sleeveless shirt? Then comes another part of telling us the suffering of war.. suffering wei, guess what they do? Play water again...adoiiii u wan do it wif water then don kick water la, at least do the sakit hati face looking to the sky like that . U can show how they are separated with their loved ones ma walao... Show la the husband need to leave home to serve country, children n wife like x sampai hati let him go liddat. Speechless story weii..can please please put your heart n soul to this. Internally no QC wan ah? Script dy plan dy, at least ask for opinion lor, friends ah family ah or even kids..informally show to a small group of ppl first testing testing ma. -100/5 watch...

This review is biased and coming from someone who frequent world class performances like Broadway and NMACC.

I watched Encore Melaka in this place. The experience is different and would not be a fair comparison with shows in NMACC or Broadway but what you will see here, is the strong message that even a smaller scale performance can outdo any world class performers when it is done well.

If you are a Malaysian, better still, a Melakan and speaks three languages, namely Mandarin, Malay, and English, you owe yourself to watch this show "Encore Melaka" here. It worth every single penny, Personally, this is a must visit place for me when I visited Melaka again.

Audience seated in the middle and the performing stage rotates around the audience creating a novel experience. The stage was just barely 4 metres away from front seat creates very personal upclose experience. I mean, how frequently do you received a gift directly from the performer midway of the show? Yes, the performer literally walk up to you as part of their show!

Don't even let me start with the actual water performance. The lighting and waterfall really create a marvelous experience for all my senses.

The message for the show is amazing. Love the trilingual message used. It isn't just a mindless translation but an actual crafted message. If you understand them, every dialogue reinforce and compliment each other.

The old man's story, telling his 6 mothers story just hit me like a truck. The last part where he lay his scarf on the chair... both me and my wife crying hard at the message of "Melaka" with theme of Birth, memories, diverse culture, appreciation of diversity, and hope for future. Not to mentioned the very elaborated show of wedding ceremony of 1888 for the Baba Nyonya. The flavourful and theatrical value for this part is just mesmerizing.

Highly recommended for those who appreciate 'culture' and wanting to know more of Melaka. I won't be exaggerating when I say, I could eat plain white rice while viewing the performance as the dishes.

Thank you to all the performers for the amazing show! I had an...