Sold out shows highlight Malaysian live arts scene's strong recovery strategies

A lively scene on stage at the MPO's 'Totoro Goes To The Carnival' Family Day concert series at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in KL last month, which saw families returning to the classical music venue to enjoy live music. Photo: Zainul Firdaus

A recent baroque sold out four-night concert series at KLPac attracted more than 1,000 music fans, Joe Hasham’s Mandarin adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire last month attracted more than 800 theatregoers, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s long-awaited return was a sold out affair with each show at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas attracting nearly 400 classical music lovers, while even an experimental puppet theatre show series Ibu at PJPac last month drew a sold out crowd of 400.

The audience numbers don’t lie. On the balance, theatre shows (subject to limited capacity) sell out as soon as they go on sale these days. The hits have been more misses.