Landung successfully brings Kayam's words to life

Ida Indawati Khouw, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The seats were not cozy at the Teater Dalam Gang Tuti Indra Malaon in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta, but the audience forgot all about that when Yogyakarta actor Landung Simatupang read the short stories of prominent writer Umar Kayam.

Landung put himself in the spotlight last Friday, performing Landung Membaca Kayam, Musim Gugur di Kebun Karet (Landung Reads Kayam, Autumn on the Rubber Plantation). He read three of Kayam's short stories; Musim Gugur Kembali Lagi di Connecticut (It's Autumn Again in Connecticut), Sri Sumarah and Seribu Kunang- Kunang di Manhattan (A Thousand Fireflies in Manhattan).

Landung's powerful and lively voice helped him enliven the character of Tono, a writer and member of Lekra (the literary organization associated with the Indonesian Communist Party) in Musim Gugur Kembali di Connecticut. But he also managed to transform into a Javanese noblewoman, Sri Sumarah, living during the political chaos of the 1960s that saw her only daughter trapped in jail.

Audiences were stunned and impressed, completely riveted to the reading for more than three hours. Even 69-year-old Kayam himself attended the show, despite having difficulties walking after suffering a mild stroke.

"The reading took me back to the settings of the stories, which I had already forgotten, and Landung performed them outstandingly. Of course, his imagination is different with mine, but the readers are free to express themselves," Kayam commented.

Landung's own interests led him to choosing Kayam's works. As he put it: "The stories have deep empathy toward those being defeated and alienated."

Just like most people, in the past Landung also questioned the relevance of storytelling, as people could read by themselves and use their own imagination.

"Public reading is a transformation process that changes words, which are impersonal as characters, to something personal. It also shows how reading, a private activity, can become a shared one," said the actor, who will turn 50 on Nov. 25.

Landung believes pubic reading could motivate people to get out of their poor reading habits.

"Public reading can help audiences understand texts that are considered difficult, like Supernova (a novel full of scientific and philosophical terms). Even the book's author, Dewi Lestari, doubted if her work could be read publicly, but it worked," he said, referring to his performance in March in Yogyakarta.

The graduate of the School of English Letters from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta said the key to good public reading was full and total comprehension of the characters in the literature.

"I learnt it when joining a theater, where people must be sensitive to the characters," he said.

The son of WYP Simatupang and Floriberta Sumardiati, Landung has read many literary works of great national and international writers, including Chairil Anwar, Sitor Situmorang, Multatuli, Y.B. Mangunwijaya, W.S. Rendra, Kahlil Gibran and has also directed plays of works by Alexandre Dumas, Anton Chekov, Hella S. Hasse and others.

Landung believes that an artist cannot rely on the arts here financially, as it would be easy to become trapped in the commercialization of their work.

Therefore, he also works as an freelance translator and editor.

"I consider the arts as an autonomous field as it is not my source of income. In my opinion, those living from the arts will easily be trapped in arts commercialization, either for the sake of meeting basic needs or popularity."

Landung is widely recognized among theater students and his commitment is unquestionable. He has been involved in Teater Gadjah Mada, established by the university's students, for the last 25 years.

"Theater is good for young people as a way to develop themselves, a means to sharpen their analytical skills when facing problems, to sharpen their awareness and to develop empathy," said Landung, who can be a director, facilitator or even actor with the students.