On Sunday afternoon we went to KLPAC to see the "Mini Wayang Festival 2015". I'm a puppet fan, and rarely miss a chance to be beguiled.

The first performance was Nana and Ah Lu, by Malaysia ACX Productions. Not totally sure of the story, but N&AL live in a forest full of basically friendly animals; help to clean for grumpy Uncle Tiger; but unfortunately let loose mayhem when they happen to find a rainbow mushroom... Eventually calm is restored, with the help (we think) of Uncle Tiger.

This is effectively wayang wong, with the characters played by humans wearing translucent head-pieces. Their jerky movements and clenched hands very effectively emulate the style of wayang kulit. It's whimsical and charming.

The second performance was The Settlers, by the Thailand Homemade Puppet Group. Very different. Using ordinary objects, they tell the story of a group of space travellers who not only settle, but entirely push out their host community -- taking over, setting up columns of new residents all with their own flags, gradually restricting the indigenous people to a tiny space, and basically messing everything up.

It's such an old and simple idea, projecting shadow images onto a screen using a light source. Yet it's so very effective. It tells a cartoon-like story, but somehow manages to reach deep into the realms of the magical while doing it.

From puppets to pancakes... Pancake House has now opened its doors at Quill, and we felt a shared banana and cinnamon stack was an ideal way to round off a wayang show.