Little cultural light at the end of rainbow legend<\/p>\n
By Yenni Kwok<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The joint Japanese-Indonesian theater production
\nof Legenda Pelangi (The Rainbow Legend) should have served as a
\ncultural bridge between the two nations. Instead, it highlighted
\ndifferences.<\/p>\n
Students from the Jakarta Arts Institute, Bandung's Indonesia
\nArts College and Yogyakarta's Indonesia Arts Institute joined
\nwith Japanese artists from the Saitama Arts Institute, a theater
\ngroup from suburban Tokyo, for the production at Graha Bhakti
\nBudaya last weekend.<\/p>\n
They chose a folktale familiar to people of both nations --
\nIndonesians call it Joko Tarub, and Japanese know it as Hagoromo
\n(Angel's Scarf).<\/p>\n
Despite the familiarity with the storyline, Legenda Pelangi
\ndid not shine. The tale of a mere mortal marrying a beautiful
\nangel who later returns to heaven, fell flat without emotion.<\/p>\n
The biggest challenge in a joint theater production like this
\nis language. Everyone knows Japanese speak Japanese, and
\nIndonesians converse in Indonesian. However, instead of trying to
\nfind a common ground, Legenda Pelangi tried to sidestep the
\nlanguage muddle.<\/p>\n
Their solution was splitting the tasks. The Indonesian artists
\ntook the talking roles of narrating poems or acting on stage.<\/p>\n
Their Japanese counterparts did not open their mouths at all.
\nTheir task was confined to dancing beautifully on stage.<\/p>\n
Consequently, not only did the language problem linger, but
\nalso the divisions emerged. The performance showed no creative
\nunity nor integration between the two nations. There was hardly
\nany sign they had rehearsed together for two months in Saitama,
\nand performed the play there earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Worse, the acting-dancing division caused confusion. A
\nJapanese Nawangwulan first appeared on stage dancing with six
\nother (Japanese) angels.<\/p>\n
In the next act, a different Nawangwulan appeared. This time,
\nan Indonesian actress played the role of the angel who has
\nalready assumed a human's life.<\/p>\n
It was a pity the Japanese actresses did not
\nparticipate in more dramatic roles; they were merely there to
\nlook beautiful. The dancing was elegant, yet there was a lack of
\nsubstance. It failed to convey the playful mood of the angels
\nwhile they were bathing in a river.<\/p>\n
Campus<\/p>\n
The impression of just another campus theater production was
\ninevitable. The cast was clearly struggling to deliver a
\nprofessional performance. The script did not help.<\/p>\n
One of the girls reading the accompanying poetry said at one
\npoint, \"We will have a romantic dream about this romantic love.\"<\/p>\n
Easily said, but it was never clear whether Legenda Pelangi
\nwas a tragic or comic drama. Some actors were serious, but others
\nmuttered childish jokes. The narrator was played archly as an
\neffeminate man.<\/p>\n
It was also fuzzy whether this was a theater or dance
\nperformance. Legenda Pelangi consisted of two parts, with the
\nman-angel love story of the opening relying mostly on acting and
\ndramatic skills.<\/p>\n
While the first part was colorful and dreamy, the second was
\ngrim and depressing, and all dance.<\/p>\n
Choreographed by Akiko Kanda, it portrayed how humans struggle
\nthrough a disaster's aftermath. Dressed in loose-fitting dark
\nbrown clothes, the Japanese and Indonesian artists danced
\ntogether to reflect human anxiety while a blurred film was
\nprojected onto the screen behind.<\/p>\n
Wars, environmental disasters and nuclear threat have
\ntraditionally been Japan's biggest concerns. They are also the
\nreflection of their dark past. World War II still scars the
\nnation. They are traumatized by nuclear war after atomic bombs
\ndestroyed two of their cities and killed the innocent. Pollution
\nis the hefty price they had to pay for their industrialization.<\/p>\n
Despite the disappointing performance, Legenda Pelangi was not
\na total failure. The use of shadow puppets in some acts, instead
\nof humans, was impressively creative. Written by Ken Kanda, the
\npoems were an alternative to standard monologue narration.<\/p>\n
Legenda Pelangi, which has the Japanese title Niji no
\nDensetsu, was also staged in Bandung after the Jakarta
\nperformance. Performances will be held today and tomorrow in
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/little-cultural-light-at-the-end-of-rainbow-legend-1447893297",
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