PETALING JAYA, Feb 19 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was among the first to watch “OlaBola the Musical” yesterday at Istana Budaya during its opening night.
The PKR president, who was joined by his wife Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, greeted the cast and director and producer Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina on stage after the performance.
“I was really impressed with 'OlaBola' — it has set a high standard,” said Anwar in a video while leaving the premises of Istana Budaya.
“Coincidentally, I watched 'Hamilton' last week and Malaysians should be proud to have a production that is almost equal to international standards. Congratulations to Tiara and all who worked on the show,” said Anwar in a video clip posted on his Instagram account.
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The politician added in the post that he was only able to read reviews of the musical when it was released the first time around in February last year as he was still in prison.
He was released in May 2018 after receiving a royal pardon for his second sodomy conviction.
“Thank you so much YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for honouring us tonight with your presence together with Dr Wan Azizah.
“Your endorsement means the world to all 200 of us involved in OlaBola, who worked so hard to tell the inspiring story of this country whose strength is in its diversity, this country with such incredible potential.
“I’m so glad you finally caught one of my shows,” Tiara said in a statement.
Produced by Enfiniti, the musical is based on Chiu Keng Guan’s 2016 film about the Malaysian football team’s journey to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
It is back for a second run from now until March 3 after selling out when it first hit the stage last year.
