Encore Melaka: Visual Feast - An Immersive Performance

Encore Melaka quickly became one of the top ten must-visit places in Melaka since its opening. I've always interested in visiting Encore Melaka. Finally I got the chance to, last weekend, as I was sending my younger brother back to UTeM. I went there with my family. It was our first theatre experience and it was spectacular.

Encore Melaka - Impression Series is an immersive performance with a series of untold stories of Malacca, which reflects a society that embraces diversity and inclusiveness. This 75-minutes long mega show reminiscing life stories of the locals with state-of-the-art production sets. The audience will experience 360-degree rotating audience platform fronting a 240-metre long stage, multiple lifting platforms, sound and light, and a 3D projection that creates virtual reality that travels through time.

UNFOLD STORIES BEHIND MALACCA’S INHERITENCE

Thinking that the performance would be on the history of Malacca, I was expecting to watch on Hang Tuah-Hang Jebat tales and all the war stories. It turned out that the performance was beyond my expectation. It was about Malacca's inheritance and it was beautiful.

The storyline begins with Parameswara who named Malacca to Cheng Ho’s fleet celebrating their arrival with spectacular drumming. As the tales say they fell in love with locals, thus began the heritage of the distinctive Baba Nyonya culture.

Followed by the grief but touching storyline where the 6 mothers in 6 races taking care of a boy who eventually nurtured a harmonious nation. Through a myriad of compelling songs, dances and scenery, it is a compilation of cultural stories that enhancing your sense. The audience will be transported through different eras via multiple stages designs, presented in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil and local dialects to reflect the coexistence of this ancient city and multiculturalism is depicted, reflecting the love, peace, harmony and tolerance of the society in Malacca.

Encore Melaka is also telling the origin and development of Malacca and where it can lead the audience to explore the charming side of Malacca City through the history, cultures, traditions and people’s living habits.

I especially was in awe during the pregnant women scene where there's water on the stage while the performers dancing. It was scenic!

ART CONVERGENCE OF EAST-WEST

Encore Melaka introduces Southeast Asia’s first performing arts theatre with a 360-degree rotating audience platform facing a 240-metre long stage with multiple hydraulic stages. Throughout the performance, there will be a 3D projection mapping with intricate theatre props creating a virtual reality that allows the audience to travel through times. The building itself occupies total landscape size 15-acre in Impression City overlooking the scenic water view of the Straits of Melaka.

The geometric facade has concaved arcs made out of thousands of fish scale-like LED panels and 50,723 pieces of white diamond-shaped aluminium composite panels, which reflects light from the ever-changing and vibrant sky of Malacca. The Encore Melaka theatre embodies the cloud and the sea, movement and serenity, and where East meets West. This unconventional concept represents a journey through time and space, complementing the Encore Melaka performance.

Encore Melaka is the newest offering from China’s iconic Impression Series as it was established in 2003 by renowned directors, Zhang Yimous, Fan Yue and Wang herself and has since staged ten widely acclaimed productions. Out of 150 contesting countries, Malacca was handpicked by Wang as the coveted home of the first Impression Series performance staged outside of China.

INSTA-WORTHY HOTSPOT

The theatre is strategically located next to the beautiful Straits of Malacca. This minimalist blue and white theatre facade allows young people to take personal photos with style. Encore Melaka theatre has instantly become an Instagrammable hotspot in Malacca. It has emerged as the trendiest tourist focus in Malacca and it is also a replacement bridge from an old to a new attraction in Malacca. A lot of hobby photographers and tourists love to check-in Encore Melaka.

The theatre also has a beautiful sunset seascape makes people feel relaxed after watching the Encore Melaka show. Currently, it is the largest and most advanced theatre in Southeast Asia.

The theatre is located in Melaka’s most prominent site, along the city’s waterfront, 3.5km from Jonker Street in No. 1, Jalan KBS, Impression 8, Impression City @ Kota Syahbandar, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia, a new tourist-cultural integrated development from Yong Tai Berhad.

As I've watched this beautiful performance that left me with a satisfied feeling of understanding and more appreciative of our cultural heritage, I recommend you to try watching it too. You can buy the tickets online on their official website (click).

Till many more theatre experience,

Lya.