Cover From left: Sofia Jane who plays the Nursa, Nabila Huda who plays the Woman, and Nadia Aqilah who plays the Sister-in-Law
From left: Sofia Jane who plays the Nursa, Nabila Huda who plays the Woman, and Nadia Aqilah who plays the Sister-in-Law
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In a surreal revival for JitFest 2025, Ida Nerina explores how memory, mental health, and self-deception collide in one of Jit Murad’s most piercing works, Visits
There are plays that age with grace, quietly evolving as the world shifts around them. The late Jit Murad’s Visits is one of them. First staged in 2002, the play has returned in 2025 under the direction of Ida Nerina, who, more than two decades later, finds its themes not only enduring but increasingly urgent.
“Visits is one of those works that never really leaves you,” Ida reflects. “I first directed it over 20 years ago, and it’s stayed with me—quietly tapping me on the shoulder now and then.” The timing, she says, felt right. As the team began preparations for JitFest 2025, a celebration of the beloved playwright’s legacy, Ida knew immediately which work she wanted to revisit. “It’s personal. It’s layered. And it feels even more relevant now—the way it speaks to mental health, the roles women are forced to play, the desire to be seen. Also… it’s Jit. How could I not?”
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Set inside the confines of an upmarket wellness facility, Visits brings together three women: the Woman (Nabila Huda), her Sister-in-Law (Nadia Aqilah), and a mysterious Nurse (Sofia Jane). What unfolds is part psychological puzzle, part dark comedy, and part meditation on memory, class, and motherhood—all delivered with Jit’s unmistakable wit. The 2025 production leans more heavily into the surreal layers embedded within the text. “This time around, I wanted to lean into the surreal—the psychological dissonance that runs under the play’s surface,” Ida explains. “In the past, we’ve played it more naturalistically, even comedically. But this time I felt we needed to let the chaos in — to honour the cracks in each of the women, the things unsaid, the stories we tell ourselves to survive.”
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Above From left: Sofia Jane who plays the Nursa, Nabila Huda who plays the Woman, and Nadia Aqilah who plays the Sister-in-Law
From left: Sofia Jane who plays the Nursa, Nabila Huda who plays the Woman, and Nadia Aqilah who plays the Sister-in-Law
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Directing Jit’s writing, Ida notes, comes with a particular kind of rhythm. “That’s the alchemy of Jit’s writing—the comedy and tragedy sit side by side. You don’t balance them so much as let them bleed into each other. One line can be heartbreakingly funny, and the next, devastating.” It’s a delicate act that requires trust, both from the cast and the audience. “I encourage the cast to honour both—to never chase the laugh, but never avoid the truth either. Jit had a way of exposing you while making you laugh at yourself. We’re just trying to do justice to that rhythm.”
Above Sofia steps into the role of the Nurse
Sofia steps into the role of the Nurse
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The surreal undertones are amplified not just through the actors’ performances but through the production’s meticulous design. “I let the visuals, the rhythm, and the silences carry some of the weight,” Ida says. “We worked with music, with movement, with space—sometimes it’s the stillness or the sudden shift in tone that tells you something isn’t quite right.” She credits her design collaborators for helping to realise this vision: “Chelek’s set feels both institutional and dreamlike. Fairuz’s projections allow us to slip between timelines and memories. And Adyan, a graduate of Aswara, his sound design is sensitive and thoughtful — he’s a rising star for sure. And the cast… well, they let me in and dove right into the discomfort. It’s been messy and beautiful.”
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Above Nadia returns to the stage after a five-year hiatus to reprise the role of the Sister-in-Law in ‘Visits’
Nadia returns to the stage after a five-year hiatus to reprise the role of the Sister-in-Law in ‘Visits’
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As with any production, there are obstacles. Time, as always, is a precious commodity. But the reward, Ida says, has been profound. “The challenge is always time — finding enough of it. But the real joy? It’s the people. This team. These women. My crew. The energy in the room. And, of course, revisiting Jit’s voice — his brilliance, his bite, his heart. He left us too soon, but his words still crackle with life. This production feels like a conversation with him. And that, more than anything, is the gift.”
Above Nabila plays the Woman
Nabila plays the Woman
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Two decades on, Visits remains as piercing and relevant as ever, perhaps even more so. In an age where conversations about mental health, identity, and invisible burdens are finally beginning to surface more openly, Jit Murad’s play feels not nostalgic but urgent—its humour offers a kind of permission to confront the uncomfortable.
Presented by Dramalab and directed by Ida Nerina, the play is part of the year-long JitFest 2025, held in memory of the beloved Malaysian theatre icon, who died of a heart attack in 2022 at the age of 62. Visits will be performed at the Nero theatre space, Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPac) from June 20 to 29.
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Credits
Photography: Nicholas Augustin
Sim Wie Boon is the general manager of Tatler Malaysia. Previously the print and digital editor, Sim hails from the land of the hornbills, Sarawak. Sim is now based in Kuala Lumpur and brings more than a decade of experience in the media industry as a journalist and broadcast producer.
As a self-proclaimed geriatric millennial, he appreciates the finer things in life, from savouring a sip of single malt whisky to relishing in the deliciousness of char siew. While reminiscing about the indie-sleaze era, Sim now finds solace in the soothing tunes of ambient music, staying active through running and occasionally succumbing to the addictive world of doom scrolling.
Follow him on Instagram or Threads at @simwb
