Indonesia's present chaos is food for satire in new play

Indonesia's present chaos is food for satire in new play

By Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): For most Javanese, Wisanggeni is
a familiar name, symbolizing power that can change a decadent
national order.

He appears as the figure of a young man characterized by
honesty, firmness in his action and openness in his speech. With
his extraordinary magical power, he is a model figure that all
people living in a messy state will surely dream of having.

So goes the story of Wisanggeni Berkelebat (Wisanggeni In a
Flash) a play which was staged by the Tetas theatrical group in
cooperation with the theatrical committee of HBS Surakarta at the
Surakarta Cultural Park. The play is written by Ags. Arya
Dipayana, who also directed this 60-minute performance.

The whole performance was packed with satire about the present
chaotic condition which the Indonesian people find themselves in
and their hope for a miracle to stop their suffering.

"Wisanggeni Berkelebat" is a reworking of a dramatic text
staged some 12 years earlier. It has been substantially
reexplored and adjusted to the present condition in terms of
values and stage format," said Dipayana, the play's director who
has got quite a few titles of play to his credit.

As the nation is increasingly squeezed in the grip of economic
problems, many people have, out of desperation, sought flight in
gambling, lotteries and the like -- the only remnant of
diminishing hope left for them.

When social and political crisis sweep the entire nation,
people long for the coming of a Messiah, a figure believed to be
able to save the country and the nation from their doom. This
Messiah is none other than Wisanggeni. With all his power, he
destroys the rotten order. This young figure brings with him a
new perspective as a solution to the problem at hand, which in
its turn will bring fresh wind for a new national order.

Wisanggeni is the son of Dewi Dersanala (Yani Djajoesman) and
Arjuna (Sani Soorjo S.). Dewi Dersanala is a goddess and the
daughter of Batara Brahma (Toto Prawoto), while Arjuna is an
ordinary human who has successfully overcome the turmoil in
heaven. For his success, Arjuna is given a present, which is none
other than Dewi Dersanala.

Unfortunately, this marriage gives rise to jealousy among many
parties, a reason which triggered new turmoil in heaven and
created high-level political intrigues.

Due to these intrigues, baby Wisanggeni must be killed by his
own grandfather. Fortunately, the intervention of the Omnipotent
prevents Wisanggeni from getting hurt.

The desperate grandfather, Batara Brahma, throws the baby
into a very hot Candradimuka crater. But it is in this crater,
according to the divine wish, that Wisanggeni gets his
extraordinary magical powers.

After being thrown in, Wisanggeni grows big and strong in a
very short time.

When he returns to the world, Wisanggeni was expected to
overcome the ongoing turbulence. With his extraordinary magical
powers, he tears apart the abode of the gods and goddesses whose
greed had tainted the place.

However, people again felt unsatisfied witnessing how
Wisanggeni could easily compromise with his adversaries. The
people start to suspect that Wisanggeni is a fake, not the one
conforming to their dreams. In their utter confusion, the people
continue their search for a genuine Wisanggeni.

The Tetas theatrical group performed the play very well last
Saturday's evening, featuring seasoned actors and actresses with
long years of experience on the stage. This theatrical group was
set up in 1978 in Bulungan, Jakarta and called itself "Egg".

The group's repertoire includes, among others, Oedipus
Berpulang (Oedipus Dies) by Sophocles, Kereta Kencana (Gold
Carriage) by W.S. Rendra, Biduanita Botak (The Bald Soprano) by
Ionesco, Pacar (Lover) by Harold Pinter, Geger Indraprasta
(Tumult in Indraprasta) by Ags. Arya Dipayana.