'Republik Togog': If Moliere were Javanese<\/p>\n
Paul Agusta, Contributor<\/p>\n
The intrigues of a manipulative religious leader seeking
\npolitical power, and the desperate machinations of a deformed
\ngoddess seeking to regain her previous resplendence and former
\nlover, collide extravagantly each evening on the stage of Gedung
\nKesenian Jakarta, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Teater Koma's Republik Togog wreaks well-choreographed and
\norchestrated havoc in the royal court of Amarta, breaking hearts,
\ndestroying lives, almost dethroning a king and leaving audiences
\nthoroughly entertained.<\/p>\n
This 103rd Teater Koma production, performed nightly from 8
\np.m. to midnight through Friday takes the audience on a
\nspellbinding journey from the satire of Frenchman Moliere through
\nthe pomp and pageantry of Broadway and an overnight transit stop
\nin the mystical world of ancient Java's take on the Indian epic,
\nthe Mahabharata.<\/p>\n
Playwright and director N. Riantiarno raises the curtain with
\nan adrenaline-laced marching song as the entire cast stomps out
\nan entrancing rhythm, drawing the audience rapidly into the
\nmayhem that is to ensue.<\/p>\n
The Queen Mother, Kunti, played exquisitely by Ratna
\nRiantiarno, is in the midst of a tantrum, threatening to vacate
\nthe palace if certain people -- namely her maid\/conscience
\nLimbuk, her daughter-in-law Drupadi and the woman's father
\nDrupada, as well as Kunti's granddaughter Parwita, and her
\ngrandnephew, Gatotkaca -- do no desist from denigrating her
\nbeloved religious consultant, the seemingly pious Tejamantri, and
\nhis assistant, Bilung.<\/p>\n
The situation deteriorates from there as Tejamantri's
\nmanipulations slowly but steadily weaken King Samiaji's power.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, back in the underworld, the cursed demon goddess,
\nDurga, in a perfectly pitched, Joan-Collins-times-ten performance
\nby actor Sri Dadi Adhipurnomo, strives to take advantage of the
\nsituation in the kingdom of Armata by sending her minion, Kalika,
\nto take over the mind of Samiaji and persuade him to offer the
\nPandawa warrior, Sadewa, as a sacrifice to the king of the gods.<\/p>\n
Durga believes the blood of the bold Sadewa will restore her
\nbeauty to its former glory and she will be able to win back her
\nbeloved husband, Arjuna.<\/p>\n
With very few lulls, they mostly due to the lackluster stage
\nchemistry between actress Cornelia Agatha's Parwita and Paulus PN
\nSimangunsong's Aryadewa, the story careers, as many ancient
\nlegends do, to a deus ex machina ending, in which the king of the
\ngods, Kresna himself, descends and puts everything right.<\/p>\n
Four hours in length, with an intermission of only 15 minutes,
\nRepublik Togog is never boring. It keeps a lively pace, spurred
\non by lavish costuming by Lusiana Limono, flamboyantly theatrical
\nmusic by Idrus Madani, dynamic choreography by Ratna Ully and
\nappropriately lavish makeup by Sri Dadi Adhipurnomo.<\/p>\n
A masterful jack-of-all-trades, Adhipurnomo also functions as
\nticketing and marketing manager and assistant production chief,
\nas well giving a superior performance in the play as Durga.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that any of the performers did shoddy work;
\nalmost everyone seemed to be playing at the top of their game.
\nEven state electricity company PLN missed a cue and the lights
\nwent out for about three minutes on opening night, Riantiarno's
\ntroupe shone brightly with clever ad libs, such as \"Careful,
\ngoing into the forest, it's dark!\", \"I've gone blind! I can't see
\na thing!\" -- all well within the character portrayals required in
\nthe play.<\/p>\n
Exceptional performances were also given by Emanuel Handoyo,
\nwith his Chaplin-like grace as Gareng; Tuti Hartati, with her
\nperfectly obnoxious Limbuk; Salim Bungsu, with his stunningly
\nhilarious performance as Kresna, proving beyond doubt with this
\nsmall part that he is one of the best comedy stage actors this
\ncountry has ever seen; and Priyo S Winardi, with his deviously
\nslimy portrayal of the evil Tejamantri.<\/p>\n
Although well within the range expected of competence in
\nacting, the performances of Cornelia Agatha, a well-known
\ntelevision actress, and Budi Ros, a respected theater stalwart,
\nfell somewhat short in comparison, with their over-the-top, two-
\ndimensional interpretations of the pivotal characters, Parwita
\nand Samiaji.<\/p>\n
Agatha, specifically, seemed to be acting on a slightly
\ndifferent frequency, perhaps because she appeared to be
\nstruggling to make a stock, satirical character like Parwita come
\nacross as human.<\/p>\n
Republik Togog is exceedingly entertaining, almost to the
\npoint that audiences may find the socially and politically
\nrelevant critique of the play slipping from their minds as they
\nstroll out of the theater, rubbing their aching sides from
\nlaughing too hard but thinking too little.<\/p>\n
This may just go to show that although there are a rare few
\nthat might not be relieved to have escaped the era of heavy
\ncensorship under the Soeharto regime, there may be something to
\nbe said for the impact of severe constraint on the playwriting of
\nthat era, of which N. Riantiarno has always been considered the
\nundisputed master: A time when subtlety was the key to conveying
\ndeeply subversive and unforgettable messages in moving as well as
\nentertaining packages.<\/p>\n
The writer can be contacted at Pfa0109@yahoo.com<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/republik-togog-if-moliere-were-javanese-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }