The staging of the Tun Mahathir musical at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur has been extended by five more days till Oct 9, following overwhelming response from the public.

Istana Budaya director-general Mohd Juhari Shaarani said the musical was such a big hit that tickets till Oct 4, when the musical was to end, were sold out.

"As of last night (the seventh day of the musical), some 9,000 people had watched it and there are still people asking if tickets were still available," he told Bernama today.

He said the extension was also called for by Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim so that more people would have the opportunity to see it.

Mohd Juhari said tickets for the performances from Oct 5 to 9 had been on sale from Wednesday and that the public is advised to to get them quickly.

The tickets are priced at RM30, RM50, RM80, RM100 and RM150.

The musical capturing the life journey of Malaysia's fourth prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad opened at Istana Budaya on Sept 24.

It is directed by Rosminah Tahir with the script written by Ismail Kassan. The cast includes Esma Daniel, Zizan Nin and Erra Fazira.

- Bernama