Gandrik back with 'Mas Tom'

Gandrik back with 'Mas Tom'

Asip A. Hasani & Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

After staging the successful Brigade Maling (The Thieves
Brigade) here and abroad three years ago, Teater Gandrik of
Yogyakarta returns to the stage, entertaining the public in
Jakarta this weekend and Yogyakarta next week with a play titled
Mas Tom.

For Gandrik, the play will be a new experience, since it is
adapted by Heru Kesawa Murti from British writer Henry Fielding's
classic work Tom Jones, transforming the setting into the golden
era of batik business in the 1980s in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

The original story tells of Tom Jones, adopted son of a
landlord who wins his father's love. In the play, Tom Jones is
Tomidi, or Mas Tom (Butet Kertaradjasa), a stepson of a
successful batik factory owner, Abirama (Heru Kesawa Murti).

Strong, honest and romantic Tom is loved by his father and as
a rich man, Tom also loves spending his money for fun while
helping his poor neighbor.

Tom's brother Haluan (Whani Darmawan), who is also an adopted
son, is jealous of his father's love for Tom. Many times Haluan
tells his father about Tom's bad habits to win his father's love.
One day, he gets what he wanted. When he reported that Tom has
committed adultery, Tom is kicked out of the house with a check
for Rp 800 million in his hands.

Along his journey, Tom encounters many women who soon fall for
him. One of these women is a married woman. When her husband
finds out about the affair, a duel with Tom is unavoidable,
leading to the death of the husband.

Tom is tried in court under the threat of the death penalty.
In the legal proceedings, Tom's brother Haluan tries to get Tom
sentenced to death by bribing witnesses to give false
testimonies. Jealous Haluan wants Tom dead as it will make him
the sole inheritor of Abirama's business dynasty and smoothen his
way to marry Seruni (Diah Arum), the only daughter of successful
businessman Milyar (Susilo Nugroho).

Since it was set up in 1983, Gandrik has performed 18 plays,
most of them directed by Jujuk Prabowo with the scripts mostly
written by Heru, except for Meh (1983) which was written by Fajar
Suharno and Brigade Maling (1999) which was jointly written by
Heru, Agus Noor and Indra Tranggono.

Brigade Maling was in fact the first performance by Teater
Gandrik since some of its key actors such as Nevi Budianto and
Joko Kamto left the group in 1993 to join popular poet Emha Ainun
Najib's music group Kyai Kanjeng. Brigade Maling received a warm
welcome from Gandrik's fans.

In 1996, some of the Teater Gandrik community gathered under
the umbrella of Teater Paku to perform a play at Yogyakarta's
Purna Budaya titled Inspektur Agung (The Great Inspector).

Now they are back with Mas Tom.

In a way, Mas Tom reminds the public of the most avidly
watched case in the last two years: the trial of former president
Soeharto's youngest son Tommy Soeharto, whose life was surrounded
by beautiful women.

The play's story and the real case are not identical but the
play's title and main character will make the audience naturally
associate the two, Mas Tom in the play and Tommy's case in the
real world.

"In adapting the script, I tried to make it more Indonesian,"
Heru said. "And, of course, I have also adjusted the original
script to Gandrik's characters and actors who are accustomed to
acting on stage."

In the play, music composer Djaduk Ferianto exercises his
talent in directing, along with Jujuk Prabowo.

Djaduk says he puts a cinematographic touch to the stage of
Mas Tom. In other words, he said, the play will be presented in a
contemporary drama style with minimum dialogue.

The cinematographic touch, he said, is also taken to the stage
to adjust most of Teater Gandrik's personnel who have been
involved in several TV mini-series and movies in the past three
or four years.

Heru Kesawa Murti and Susilo Nugroho, for example, have played
in state-owned television TVRI Yogyakarta's program Mbangun Desa
(Developing Village). Meanwhile, Djaduk and his older brother
Butet Kertaradjasa played in the recent children's movie
Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure).

And, almost all of Gandrik's personnel are involved in 13
episodes of TV series Badut Pasti Berlalu (The Clown Will be
Over) which is scheduled to be aired by private TV station
Indosiar this month.

Will Mas Tom prove it is still capable of a "killing while
laughing" style of theater as renowned playwright Putu Wijaya
once put it? Well, you will get your own answers if you witness
the play.