Srimulat back in town, without any fresh ideas<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Vampires are generally supposed to be
\nfrightening. Some, like the bloodsuckers in the film Interview
\nwith a vampire, may even cause us to feel pity. But have you ever
\nseen a funny dracula?<\/p>\n
An unorthodox dracula was in town last week as part of the
\nSrimulat Comedy Show at Taman Ria Park of Senayan, Central
\nJakarta, where they performed regularly from 1981 to 1989 until
\nslow business put an end to their performances.<\/p>\n
Last weekend, the Taman Ria hall was crowded by Srimulat's
\nbiggest fans, who did not hesitate to spend between Rp 10,000
\n(US$4.5) and Rp 60,000 ($27.5) for a seat.<\/p>\n
The tickets were not cheap, considering that the show took
\nplace in a modest hall without air conditioning. The audience,
\nincluding the first-class spectators, had to sit on folding
\nchairs.<\/p>\n
But many turned out for the shows, obviously not bothered by
\nthe lofty ticket prices and dilapidated building. They did not
\nprotest either, when, at the beginning of the show last Saturday,
\nthe hall went completely dark for a few minutes due to a power
\noutage.<\/p>\n
The performance began with a number of songs presented by the
\nBambang Brothers Band and various Srimulat artists. They sang
\ntraditional keroncong and dangdut songs as well as old Indonesian
\nand Western pop songs like Widuri and Release Me. As comedians,
\nsome of them not only sang but also dazzled the audience with
\ntheir stage acts and the costumes, including the dracula costume.<\/p>\n
The main show featured Srimulat's famous stars, including
\nAsmuni, Timbul, Tarsan, Nurbuat, Jujuk, Tesy, Mamiek Prakoso,
\nKadir, Rina Ribut, Nunung and Betet. Among the guest stars were
\ntop comedians Doyok and Dorce, actress Desy Ratnasary and photo
\nmodel Keke.<\/p>\n
They performed a different show every day. On Saturday, they
\npresented Reincarnation of Satria Baja Hitam. Satria Baja Hitam
\nis the hero in a popular children's TV series.<\/p>\n
As the title suggested, the story was silly and absurd. It was
\nabout a girl who fell in love with Satria Baja Hitam. But who
\ncared about the story? Not the audience. They came with a single
\npurpose -- to have fun, or more specifically, to laugh. And they
\ndid.<\/p>\n
The show began with the appearance of Doyok and Asmuni as
\nservants in a classic Srimulat opening. Servants, both male and
\nfemale, play a key role in almost all Srimulat shows. Srimulat's
\nservants are not oppressed, upset or suffering because they are
\npoor. No, they are witty, wise, brave and funny. They even dare
\nto argue with their employers.<\/p>\n
Sexual remarks are common in their shows and sometimes it is
\nthe female characters who tease their male counterparts. But
\nwomen are more often treated as sexual objects.<\/p>\n
One of Srimulat's strong attraction is the cross-dressing
\ncharacter of Tesy. Though coquettish and cute, he can be rough
\ntoo.<\/p>\n
\"He (Tesy) can act other roles, but we earn more money if he
\nplays a cross-dresser,\" his colleague, Tarsan, said in an
\ninterview with Kompas in 1984.<\/p>\n
History<\/p>\n
Srimulat today is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago. But
\n50 years ago, Srimulat was different.<\/p>\n
The Srimulat Comedy Group, which was formed by Teguh in the
\nearly 1960s, was named after Teguh's wife, Srimulat.<\/p>\n
A member of a royal family, Srimulat was born in 1908 in a
\nvillage in Klaten, Central Java. Her mother died when she was
\nfour, but she still had two stepmothers because her father, one
\nof the richest men in the village, had several wives. Srimulat's
\nfather married her off when she was 15 years old. Not long after,
\nSrimulat gave birth to a son, who died two and a half years
\nlater. Three months later, her husband died. Srimulat then
\nreturned to her father's house, but she was not happy, especially
\nwhen she heard from one of her stepmothers that he planned to
\ntake a mistress. The 20-year-old Srimulat then decided to break
\nwith tradition and escape from the house to start a new life.<\/p>\n
Srimulat began her career as a singer at family parties. She
\nalso performed in traditional festivities, singing and dancing.
\nAs a gifted entertainer, she soon became popular.<\/p>\n
In 1939 she remarried. But the marriage lasted less than three
\nyears. She ended the marriage when she realized that her husband
\nalready had another wife, according to author Herry Gendut
\nDjanarto in Teguh Srimulat: In Comedy and Melody.<\/p>\n
In 1947, at the age of 39, Srimulat fell in love with Teguh, a
\ntalented guitarist who was 18 years younger. They lived together
\nand decided to marry in 1950 after they had a child.<\/p>\n
Srimulat and Teguh formed Gema Malam Srimulat, a group of
\nmusicians and comedians, and traveled across Java. In 1961 they
\nstopped traveling and performed regularly at the People's
\nEntertainment Park of Surabaya. They focused on comedy and often
\nplayed together with top artists and comedians from other cities,
\nincluding the late Bing Slamet, Bagyo, Iskak, Us-Us and Atmonadi.<\/p>\n
In 1968 Srimulat died from diabetes.<\/p>\n
Teguh kept on working with the Srimulat Group, which became
\nmore popular with the introduction of such characters as humorous
\ndraculas and ghosts. Paimo was their most popular dracula
\ncharacter.<\/p>\n
In 1971 Teguh, 45, married one of the artists in his group,
\nthe 24-year-old Djuwariah, popularly known as Jujuk.<\/p>\n
The Srimulat Group performed in Jakarta for the first time in
\n1972 at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center, and their star
\ncontinued to shine brightly. More people came to know Srimulat,
\nand many fell in love with them as they appeared on TV shows now
\nand then. They also performed regularly in Semarang and
\nSurakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Problems<\/p>\n
In 1981 most of them moved to Jakarta and started to play at
\nTaman Ria Park. In the first few years, the group was able to
\nattract big crowds, but in 1986 business started to slow down.
\nThe problems got worse as some artists were not satisfied with
\nthe management and quit. Several other comedians were dismissed
\nas they performed outside Taman Ria Park without the consent of
\nthe management. Among those who left were top comedians Basuki,
\nGepeng, Johni Gudel and Kadir. Unable to handle the situation,
\nthe group leader, Teguh, gave up and returned to his hometown in
\nSurakarta, where he established a traditional Javanese drama
\nKetoprak group in 1988. Asmuni took his place managing Srimulat.<\/p>\n
In May 1989, the Srimulat Group moved out from Taman Ria Park
\nafter the group management failed to pay its Rp 22 million debt.<\/p>\n
The following month, Srimulat tried to win the people's hearts
\nback by performing at Lebak Bulus Stadium in South Jakarta. But
\nonly a few were interested and it seemed that most were fed up
\nwith Srimulat and their lack of fresh ideas. The emergence of
\nother comedian groups, including the ones formed by ex-Srimulat
\nartists, like Warkop, Bagito Group and Batik Group, also affected
\nthe popularity of Srimulat.<\/p>\n
Many people were concerned with what happened to Srimulat.
\nSrimulat was the only traditional comedy group which succeeded in
\ngaining wide public attention for many years. During the golden
\nyears, several Srimulat artists even became film stars with
\nlucrative careers.<\/p>\n
The fact that many people came to Srimulat's performance in
\nTaman Ria Park early this month indicates that Srimulat still has
\na lot of fans. But, without the improvement of the management and
\nan injection of fresh ideas, it will be hard for the group to
\nrevive the golden days.<\/p>",
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