'Battle of Love': Strong performance, weak story

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The music was good, the choreography utterly entertaining, the stage setting and props awesome and the costumes amazing.

However, the latest production of modern dance company Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI) left little impression afterward.

The audience was most likely happy and entertained by the performance but it would not be a show that they would discuss passionately with friends afterward.

Nonetheless, the mixture of on-screen show and on-stage performance was an interesting idea.

In the colorful, modern 90-minute performance, the actors and dancers worked well, entertaining an audience of hundreds who almost filled Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on Tuesday, for the first night of Battle of Love, When Love Turns Sour.

Many uttered sounds of warm appreciation while giving a standing ovation when the show concluded. The performance was said to have cost Rp 500 million -- mostly for the movie -- and boasted over 100 crew on-stage, off-stage and on-screen.

Indeed, actors and dancers performed very well, although some had fixed, fake smiles that are usually found on the faces of backing dancers in pop or dangdut music performances.

EKI seasoned dancer Takako Leen was the sexiest creature on stage. Meanwhile, Sujiwo Tedjo, although among well-built dancers, was the only slightly built person on stage; still, he managed to astound the audience with his thunderous voice while singing eight songs from his third album, Syair Dunia Maya (Poetry from the Virtual World).

If only the story idea had been more elaborate and the script of the on-screen comedy more witty, the show could have been awesome.

With a string of popular names like fashion designer Samuel Wattimena (costume), actresses Ayu Dyah Pasha and Ingrid Wijanarko, and Bintang Indrianto (music), the plot revolved around a divorced couple, Sujiwo Tedjo (Nanang Hape) and Tantri Wong (Melissa Karim), who battled for custody of their daughter, Nala.

The story seemed to emanate from the simple idea of rolling out problems from raising a child in modern days, where women have retained their right to be independent and do what they want.

"Things have changed. Raising a child is not a treat like it used to be. Parents now hire babysitters," Rusdy Rukmarata, the on-stage and on-screen director of Battle of Love, who also initiated the story, said on Tuesday.

"Some can live with that, others cannot. I just want to communicate the problems. I'm not trying to offer a conclusion, though," he added.

The story idea could have been an interesting investigation into current problems faced by a lot of urban dwellers. Apparently, EKI did not intend to delve into the issue deeply, so the story was bland and the script far from witty.

The jokes mostly focused on three judges in the court, who looked like complete fools (all three actors performed well, though), which made the story seem to mock Indonesian courts rather than commenting about love that has turned sour.

However, as a staged art piece, Battle of Love, like other EKI productions, is a significant production within the Indonesian stage.

Thanks to the dance company's blend of artistic dance, Sujiwo Tejo's unique music and pop style, Battle of Love managed to draw a particular audience, different to the regular crowd that frequents staged performances in Jakarta.

The audience at Tuesday's show mostly had up-to-date knowledge on fashion and style, and were well-groomed types who usually crowd cineplexes for Hollywood movies and stay away from theatrical performances.

The audience was clearly amused by the Battle of Love.

After all, who wants to round off a week of toil by watching a serious performance?