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.