Great British Circus to have male-only cast in conservative Kelantan
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An international circus will be staged in Kelantan, featuring for the first time, an all-male international cast.
PHOTO: BIG KID ENTERTAINMENT (M)
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An international circus featuring an all-male cast will make its debut in Kelantan, the rural north-eastern Malaysian state ruled by the conservative Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).
The Great British Circus will be held from Oct 26 to Nov 17 at the state capital of Kota Bahru.
The show has been crafted specifically for Kelantan in compliance with the state’s 2002 ruling, which allows only male performers in live shows, and bans female entertainers above 12 years old from performing in front of men to protect their modesty.
Big Kid Entertainment (M), the United Kingdom-based producers of the Great British Circus, have been staging circus shows in Malaysia since 2014. This is its first foray into Kelantan.
“We have been working hard to create this all-male show that adheres to the state regulatory guidelines,” said one of its founders, Ms Biliana Kirilova, in a statement. “We are pleased to be able to bring Great British Circus in a form that can be enjoyed by all the locals here.”
She said the two-hour family entertainment show have been redesigned with new performances and more new male artistes to ensure “the same level of wonder, excitement and fun is experienced”.
PAS has governed Kelantan since 1990 and has imposed gender segregation rules at public spaces such as supermarkets.
The party regards gender segregation as part of the Islamic principle to prevent activities that may lead to harm.
In June, the state approved a new Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Control Bill, which imposes higher fines of up to RM50,000 (S$15,200) for offences such as unrestricted mingling and socialising between men and women.
