Traditional puppet show<\/p>\n
The other day I had a chance to see a real wayang kulit
\n(leather puppet) performance, which I had longed to see even
\nbefore I came to this country.<\/p>\n
On the Sunday morning my husband and I got to the Musium
\nWayang on Jl. Pintu Besar Utara and asked the price of the
\nticket. I could hardly believe the answer. I wondered if I had
\nmisheard the Bahasa Indonesia, and asked again to make sure of
\nthe price. The same answer: Rp 250. I was correct. Only Rp 250
\nper person. (Rp 150 for entrance, Rp 100 for the performance).<\/p>\n
When the dalang (puppeteer) sat in his place and all the
\nplayers of the gamelan music and singers were ready to begin
\nthere were some 20 spectators in the theater, which is not so
\nlarge. The gunungan (leaf-shaped symbol used to herald the
\nbeginning of a story) lit up against the white screen.
\nIntroductory music began. I was all eyes and ears, trying not to
\nmiss a single move of the dalang or any of the sounds of gamelan
\norchestra. A spectator went to the other side of the stage and I
\nnoticed we could enjoy the shade from the back. So I went to the
\nother side, and found a different world there. I was fascinated,
\nespecially by the fighting scene where even the shadow arrows
\nflew, but it was a great pity we could not follow the plot, as we
\nhad no means of knowing the plot.<\/p>\n
Some foreigners came and stayed a while, but they severally
\nleft. During the four-hour performance, people came in and went
\nout, while the performers continued playing for us with the same
\nzeal and sincerity as at the beginning.<\/p>\n
When the performance ended, we found ourselves, my husband and
\nI, alone. As the performers did not seem to be expecting to be
\napplauded and began to leave one after another, we even hesitated
\nto clap our hands not knowing whether it was polite to do so. It
\nhad been such a nice experience, and I felt sorry for the
\nperformers. I also wished badly to know the story.<\/p>\n
As a foreigner I would like to ask: Couldn't the Wayang Museum
\nprepare a simple pamphlet outlining the story in English, for
\nwhich we foreigners would be willing to pay a reasonable amount?
\nIt would enable us possible to enjoy wayang all the more, and
\nmore people might stay to the end and show their appreciation
\nproperly.<\/p>\n
I guess the reason the ticket is so cheap is so that the
\nmuseum and show is affordable for anyone, but I want to ask: Do
\nyou think it is the proper price, now that parking for only a few
\nminutes costs Rp 500 everywhere?<\/p>\n
I don't know how the performance and the artists concerned are
\nprotected by the nation, but shouldn't we pay a little bit more
\nto show our appreciation of the performance, for which each
\nperformer has had to train for a long time?<\/p>\n
I believe such appreciation would enhance the artists'
\ncreative efforts all the more, and heighten the quality of the
\ntraditional art in the long run.<\/p>\n
SACHIKO EGUCHI<\/p>\n
Bogor, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traditional-puppet-show-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }