What if the worst thing you’ve ever done was, at the same time, the most justified?
Independent arts outfit EJKLS Seni’s production Lapar plunges audiences into a moral grey area, where right and wrong blur and ends justify the means.
Running five shows at the pangkin@ejklsseni space in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur from Feb 13-15, the dystopian play is set in a world not unlike our own. Here, a secret experiment aims to boost fertility and birth rates, particularly among the working class.
Written and directed by Hanna Lee, the play marks her full-length debut as a writer, director and performance artist based in Kuala Lumpur. Lapar, presented in English, offers a psychological snapshot of how a single event can affect five people differently, testing their moral compasses in unpredictable ways.
“I wrote this script to explore how humans tell stories to themselves. We interpret the world, and when enough people believe a version of events, it becomes reality in their minds, regardless of facts. Terrible things happen, but people often justify them to themselves through the stories they create,” says Lee in a recent interview in KL.
The Lapar cast features Emily Thomas, Engku Armand, Virtuoes Romana, Naveen Raja and Adeeba.
“Hunger isn’t always about food. It can be about power, control, validation, acceptance or community. These five characters participate in a horrific act, and each copes differently, spinning their own narrative to make sense of it,” says Lee.
Left unchecked, such coping can trigger consequences that ripple far beyond the individuals involved.
“I feel like we’re being consumed in some way from the moment we’re born. Society constantly tells us to fit into systems, whether they serve us or not. Everyone constructs a story that these systems are necessary,” says Lee.
Layer this human tendency with a totalitarian government, unethical scientific experiments and a powerless society, and every choice becomes desperate.
But Lapar - which runs for 80 minutes without intermission - is far from unrelenting gloom. Sudden tonal shifts, fever-dream sequences, and flashes of unhinged behavior punctuate the narrative. Real-world references ground the chaos, giving each character space to reveal the depths of their madness. For Lee, the play is best experienced without preconceptions.
“It’s not just dystopian, it’s dysfunctional. I like a messy style where the structure is visible. Though the story isn’t linear, audiences will piece together its themes, symbols, and messages,” says Lee.
Even amidst its dark subject matter, Lapar balances macabre scenes with absurdity, ensuring the play remains entertaining.
“I want the audience to take the play literally: watch the cast perform and be engaged. The world we live in can feel crazy, and the cast channels that energy into their roles. There’s chemistry and a shared sense of madness that drives the performance,” she concludes.
Lapar is part of the Final Act Festival, a black box series showcasing EJKLS Seni’s year-long in-house mentoring programme Young Blood Experiment (TYBE).
