All-woman wayang gives amusement
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
For a traditional art form that is often accused of being on its last legs, a performance by Wayang Orang Putri Kunti Nalibroto (WOPKN) was surprisingly well received.
During their second performance this year on Wednesday night at Gedung Kesenian, Central Jakarta, hundreds in the audience, who almost completely filled the building, stayed for almost four hours, clapping and laughing.
Those who did not laugh most likely did not understand the Javanese language, because all the dialog was spoken in high, middle and low Javanese.
The stars of the night were the actresses who played three of the members of the Punakawan quartet, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong (characters introduced to make wayang performances more accessible), because other than their acts, the wayang orang was serious and rather boring as far as the dialog was concerned.
The idea was to stage tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and variations on them that are usually played for wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) with human beings as the actors.
The most traditional form of wayang orang has actors imitating the movement of puppets and talking like the dalang w (puppetmaster).
WOPKN however, performed a modified version of the original style, which made the show more enjoyable to a wider audience.
They also inserted into the dialog some satirical comments on topical issues. For example, when Bima's son, Gatotkaca, and his distant relative, Boma, fight for the territory of Tunggorono, Bagong comments that they are following the lead of Indonesia and Malaysia in their quarrel over Ambalat.
The story titled Rebut Kikis Tunggorono (Taking Tunggorono), was a protracted tale about a land dispute.
The dispute and the duel between the heroes did not take to the stage until the final 30 minutes of the three-hour play.
The first two hours were filled with dozens of characters whose roles were not entirely clear.
The group should have taken some time to provide a complete explanation in each act to assist the audience, which was largely unfamiliar with wayang characters.
Yet, the audience seemed to enjoy the dance and the songs anyway, regardless of the lack of information.
After all, it was interesting to see mothers (presumably) wearing thick moustaches and acting like macho men.
The Punakawan parts, which had amusing dialog and action, saved the performance from turning into a big yawn.
The group, involving 30 actresses and dozens of crew, comprised professional and amateur wayang orang performers.
The group "borrowed" the gamelan players, dalang and sinden (female singers) from the more established group, Wayang Orang Bharata.
Some of the players were members of Wayang Orang Bharata while others were Javanese art-lovers who included a medical doctor, a law practitioner and university students.
The age of the players ranged from 20 to 50.
The director, Supono, was a member of Wayang Orang Bharata.
The group has largely been supported by former energy minister Subroto and his wife Ratna Dardo Subroto, who played the role of Dewi Nagagini on the night.