• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Featured
    • SPONSORS
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
    • EAT.DRINK
      • Food Review
      • Food Promotion
      • Food News
      • Event
    • STAY
      • Hotel Review
      • Hotel News
    • EXPLORE
      • Singapore
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
  • More
    • Malaysia Food Blogger List

Malaysian Foodie

Food • Hotel • Travel • Event

  • EAT.DRINK
    • Food Review
    • Restaurant Promotion
    • Editor Picks
    • Dining In The Mall (Klang Valley)
    • What’s New!
    • Restaurant List
    • LiquorTalk
  • Hotel
    • Room Reviews
    • Hotel News
  • TRAVEL
    • Hong Kong
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
      • Kyoto
      • Osaka
    • Macau
    • Malaysia
      • Kuala Lumpur
      • Malacca
      • Penang
      • Perak
      • Selangor
      • Sabah
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Singapore
  • TECH
  • Lifestyle
    • Apparel
    • Books
    • Beauty
    • Craft
    • Gadget
    • Electrical & Household Appliances
    • Food Product
    • Online Shopping
    • Parenting/Kids
    • Property
    • Renovation/ Furniture
  • RECIPES
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • Drinks / Smoothies
    • Mains
    • Pasta
    • Steamed Food
    • Cooking With Gadgets
  • Mall Dining
  • Motherhood
  • Event
Home / Event / Kuala Lumpur / WOLFE BOWART: CHARMING THE YOUNG, AND YOUNG AT HEART, THROUGH “OLD SCHOOL” TECHNIQUES

WOLFE BOWART: CHARMING THE YOUNG, AND YOUNG AT HEART, THROUGH “OLD SCHOOL” TECHNIQUES

September 14, 2017 by StrawberrY Gal

Today, chances are our children enjoy clown theatre, puppetry and comedy through digital media, and only a small percentage of them will be lucky enough to see a live performance instead of watching it on iPads.

The KL International Arts Festival (KLIAF) seeks to challenge this new norm by presenting the Malaysian premiere of Letter’s End, the acclaimed theatre production from playwright/performer Wolfe Bowart that enchants the young – and young at heart – through a method of story-telling that is becoming rare.

In a similar vein to Bowart’s luminous LaLaLuna, which delighted audiences at last year’s Festival, Letter’s End is a visual composition that weaves together clown theater and circus skill, stage illusion, puppetry, and physical comedy. The unique productions have charmed audiences of all ages in countries around the world.

In an interview with Bowart recently, he shared the reason he chose these elements, instead of the usual
spoken word, to tell the story.

 

“Although the character in  Letter’s End doesn’t speak, he communicates with his body, and through music, a little voiceover and the magic of technical theater, the audience understands what the actor is going through. The word “mime” has traditionally been used to describe the art of creating the illusion of objects and space – a man stuck in an invisible box or eating an imaginary apple. In Letter’s End the boxes are real and I really eat an apple. Letter’s End is filled with shadow puppets, film interaction, magic and circus acts – and it’s funny and heart-warming at the same time. This makes it a unique theatrical experience, and because the story is told using stage illusion and circus skills, I’m often asked, ‘How did you do that?’ ”

The Helpmann® Award nominee believes that nothing beats a live act to captivate and delight children, compared to watching a story unfold on a digital screen. At one point during the performance, Bowart even invites a young audience member to participate onstage. As one reviewer wrote “This is a charming moment – the young volunteer being given a hard hat and put immediately to work – and has the effect of including
the audience on a deeper level.” In Letter’s End, a man is tasked to burn lost packages and letters in a furnace, a job he carries out meticulously, until an old brown teddy bear falls out of a torn parcel. A memory is stirred. Soon, the man begins to open other packages and letters, and a whole wondrous world unfolds. Letter’s End is a memorable piece steeped in charm and the joy of human interaction. Something we are in danger of forgetting in our reliance on technology to cultivate the sense of wonder, adventure and creativity in children.

Bowart shared, “I’ve always enjoyed performing for people; making people laugh. All children are naturally playful. I have an old 8mm film of me pretending to be a surgeon. I was six years old. It’s very funny and makes me laugh to this day.” Using the power of imagination, Bowart seeks to evoke a range of emotions and responses from his audience, in particular, laughter. He truly feels that it is important to have a big laugh
as it’s good for a person’s overall wellbeing. “Last year, I brought LaLaLuna to Malaysia and found out that Malaysian audiences love to laugh and have a good time! The feedback after the show was inspirational.”

It is hard to imagine getting bored spending time with this talented man as humor seems to be central to his person, both off-stage and on-stage. In sharing his daily routine, he tells us in jest that apart from waking at 5 a.m. for a five-mile run, “I meditate for two hours after which I volunteer at a local community center and teach retired magicians’ bunnies to remember how to hop.”

Now how can one resist seeing this acclaimed playwright perform for us again in the Malaysian premiere of Letter’s End?

For 75 minutes, we can put down our digital devices and enjoy a great “time-out” with our loved ones, laugh out loud and maybe shed a tear or two at this live performance designed for all ages. Letter’s End was honoured with a Helpmann Award® nomination, the Australian equivalent of the Olivier Awards, in the category of Best Touring Production, following a national tour that touched down in more than 70 metropolitan and rural venues across the country. The UK premiere of Letter’s

End took place at London’s Southbank Centre as part of the London International Mime Festival, the leading festival for contemporary visual theatre. The London premiere led to a national tour of France, where he performed Letter’s End alongside works by physical theatre contemporaries Philippe Genty and James Thiérrée at the Festival Effervescence.

Letter’s End will be staged at the Auditorium DBKL on 30 September and 1 October. For more information about tickets and the Festival, visit www.DiverseCity.my.

Filed Under: Event, Kuala Lumpur

Primary Sidebar

Malaysian Foodie
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Latest

  • JIN TING WAN IGNITES A NEW ERA OF CANTONESE CUISINE July 8, 2025
  • CELEBRATE THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL WITH MOONLIT STRAITS ELEGANCE BYPENANG MARRIOTT HOTEL July 7, 2025
  • The City’s Talking (and Guessing): Galaxy AYE Stunts Blows Up Online – and 30 Galaxy Tabs Are Up for Grabs! July 7, 2025
  • Beyond Sightseeing: Unusual Digital Hobbies to Try in Malaysia July 7, 2025
  • Where Japan Meets Italy on a Plate: Hokkaido Table at The Exchange TRX Elevates Fusion Dining in KL July 7, 2025
  • Leonhart Energy Coffee: A truly powerful and distinctive product, delivering on both quality and flavour July 7, 2025
  • Introducing the All-New Cream-O Strawberry! Berry ONZ in Every Bite! July 7, 2025
  • Discover Come True Café at 1 Utama: Healthy Taiwanese Meals, Stunning Soufflés & A Mission That Matters July 6, 2025
  • Bigger, Bolder, BRAVIA: Sony Unveils 98” BRAVIA™ 5 in Malaysia, Redefining the Home Cinema Experience July 5, 2025
  • Green View Seafood and the Legendary Sanghar Noodles of Petaling Jaya July 4, 2025
  • A New Chapter for Ibu Ruby’s: Boldly Indonesian, Deeply Familiar July 4, 2025
  • Pioneering the Foldable Revolution: From Concept to Reality July 3, 2025
  • LUMOS TABLET Review: Top Quality from just RM499!  July 2, 2025
  • Wake up to feel-good mornings with limited edition Selamat Pagi Nutella jars July 2, 2025
  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Gets an Upgrade: Richer, More Chocolatey Recipe to Delight Malaysians! July 2, 2025
  • Lexis Hotel Group Unveils “7 Wonders for 7.7 Deals” July 2, 2025
  • The Game Has Begun: Samsung Turns MRT Trains into a Moving Playground Starting Today July 2, 2025
  •  YEONJUN of TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) is Somersby’s New No-Nonsense Ambassador July 2, 2025
  • Guinness Is On the Hunt for Malaysia’s First-Ever ‘Chief Pint Officer’ (CPO)! June 30, 2025
  • Oishii Innovations Group Celebrates 10 Years, Expecting to Giveaway up to RM250,000 worth of free meals June 30, 2025

Secondary Sidebar

Explore

travel in japan

travel in hong kong

travel in macau

travel in taiwan

travel in thailand

Footer

Copyright © 2008–2025 Malaysian Foodie