KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 – After months of searching, music maestro Datuk M.Nasir has finally found the main stars for his upcoming musical Mansur & Liu in Sabahan newcomer Melinda Dadew and Singaporean singer and actor Aliff Aziz.
The full cast revelation was made recently at the prestigious Istana Budaya where local media were given a glimpse of the cast lineups in their full traditional attire, as well as footage from some of the training and auditions.
Mansur & Liu marks M.Nasir’s first endeavor in producing a musical alongside his wife Datin Marlia Musa. It follows the encountering tales between Sultan Mansur Shah from the Malacca sultanate and Princess Liu from the Ming dynasty, heavily inspired by the Sulalatus Salatin (The Malay Annals).
More than a royal love story, the musical epic aims to bring to life an era where diplomacy beat war and love bridged two vast empires.
“We have our own reasons as to why we’ve chosen Aliff for the role but based on his audition performance alone, he is definitely the right person for this character (Sultan Mansur Shah).
“Another thing about Aliff is that he is the second most handsome actor in Malaysia,” M.Nasir said with a chuckle.
In a more serious tone, the 68-year-old pointed out that despite Malaysia having a pool of talented actors, there are not many who could sing, which is one of the main criterias for the role.
“There’s a lot of talented actors but not many could fulfil the requirements especially when it comes to singing.
“Which is why we need to be picky to avoid any future regrets.
“There will inevitably be some dissatisfaction, but we set out to select the actor who most closely aligns with the character we imagined—and Aliff truly fits the bill,” he said.
M.Nasir who will be serving as the director, composer, and musical scorer for Mansur & Liu also revealed that the idea to direct a musical first came to him six years ago when he was recording an audiobook on Tun Sri Lanang’s Sulalatus Salatin.
“Previously I was involved in reading an audiobook where I had to read the entirety of Sulalatus Salatin, which recounts ancient Malay legends by Tun Sri Lanang.
“I was captivated by the tales and lore in the text and I came across the tale of Mansur and Liu which particularly piqued my interest in creating this work,” he said, adding that he’s grateful for the opportunity to finally direct his own musical after years of patiently waiting.
Meanwhile, it is a huge honour for Aliff Aziz to have been selected to portray Sultan Mansur Shah in the musical and the 35-year-old revealed that he took some time before agreeing to audition for the role.
“Before joining the audition, I actually took some time to decide whether I had the courage to take it on – but after encouragement by my family and close friends, I decided to go for it.
“Joining this production has been amazing – the team is absolutely amazing, from Datuk M.Nasir to Datin Marlia to the entire cast, everyone has been so supportive and guiding.
“They’ve given me the confidence I needed and I am beyond excited to be part of such a special production,” Aliff said.
Newcomer Melinda Dadew, who first gained recognition on last year’s local singing reality show Raise The Star Malaysia, recalled her six-hour audition process. Expecting to land a supporting role, she was both shocked and thrilled to secure the lead as Princess Liu.
Marking her acting debut, the singer admitted the pressure is mostly self-imposed.
“The pressure is really on myself rather than from the cast, as this is my first acting gig.
“I need to put in extra effort to bring Princess Liu to life,” Dadew said.
To prepare, she completed targeted assignments from Datin Marlia Musa and attended masterclasses with fellow cast members.
“One of my main assignments was to dissect Princess Liu’s character—her traits, mannerisms, and speech patterns,” she said.
She added that in order to prepare for her role as Princess Liu, she has been reading the script repeatedly to grasp her character while watching clips from traditional Chinese period dramas to study the posture and mannerisms of royalty.
Outside of the acting demands, Dadew is unfazed by the show’s musical requirements, drawing on her classical voice training.
Aside from Aliff and Dadew, Mansur & Liu also boasts a stellar lineup of other local stars including Amerul Affendi, Sherry Alhadad, Hazama, Taqim Zaki, Brian Chan, Fadhli Masoot, Anas Ridzuan, Arena Wan, Ruzana Ibrahim, Fiza Thomas, Taufiq Izmir, Marzuki Noh, and Shahrul Mizad.
Mansur & Liu is set to open from September 10 to September 20, taking place at the Panggung Sari in Istana Budaya.
Organised by Roman Abadi in collaboration with Icon Entertainment, the musical is set to feature around 30 songs and musical scores composed by M.Nasir.
Tickets will go on sale starting from August 10 with prices ranging from RM88 to RM388.
