A few months ago, my partner and I went to watch Bintang Bersama Bintang live at Sri Pentas 2 Studio in Shah Alam. Six local comedians competed against each other over several weeks to win the grand prize of RM100k. They had to perform a 7-minute sketch including 2 minutes of singing. Every week, each contestant was allowed to invite one guest artist to perform with them. There was also a weekly prize of RM10k.
The show was to start at 10 p.m. but we were asked to come in at 9. Seats were on a first come first serve basis. Late comers had to stand at the back. After we had taken our seats, there was a short briefing done by a member of the production team. He told us when to applaud and how loud we had to be. Then we had a rehearsal of that to see if we sounded lively enough. The Malaysian crowd is generally quiet and reserved, we have to be prodded to participate. At most local concerts, the audience is usually seated, and only claps politely after each song. Rarely do we see people getting up and dance.
The crew member also told us when we could go for bathroom breaks, where the exits were, and where we had to walk, so as not to block the camera. While waiting for the show to start, we watched videos of the contestants on the big screen. Our seats were on the second row from the back, but because the studio was quite small, we were still able to see clearly what was going on on stage. Apart from the big screen on stage, there were also two flat-screen TVs on the aisles for the people at the back.
The show itself was fun. There was not a dull moment during that one hour--it was a comedy after all.
It was interesting to see how it was done behind the scene. I had worked in theater before, so I was familiar with the ins and outs of theater production both as an actor and as a backstage crew. I had also experienced working in front of the camera, so I had at least a vague idea of how a movie or a commercial was produced. But never had I watched a live TV show. I think watching it live was a lot more exciting than watching at home, although at times you had to crane your neck because your view was blocked by people's heads. Being there in the crowd, sharing a collective anticipation over who would win the show created an electricity that would be hard to replicate at home.
Some people stayed behind to meet the comedians and maybe take pictures with them, but we left right after the show, because it was late and my partner had to work the next morning.
