Miss Tjitjih group to play Ancol ghost

JAKARTA (JP): The Teater Tanah Airku playhouse at Taman Mini, East Jakarta, will feature traditional drama group Miss Tjitjih in a tragic ghost story, Si Manis Jembatan Ancol, for nine days starting Saturday.

The story tells the background of a beautiful woman called Mariah whose ghost is believed to have often appeared under the Ancol bridge in North Jakarta.

The story, which many believe to be based on a true story, has been exploited countless times in films and television series.

During her lifetime, the impoverished Mariah seemed to be bound by sadness. After having her heart broken a couple of times, she then had a relationship with a man named Usin.

When Usin went to meet Mariah under the Ancol bridge, however, he found his loved one lying dead.

The Miss Tjitjih drama group, which mostly consists of Sundanese actors and actresses from West Java, lost their playhouse at Cempaka Baru in Central Jakarta in 1997 after a fire razed the building on the day they were going to play The Burning of Nabi (Prophet) Ibrahim, to celebrate the Muslim Idul Adha holiday.

A marketing staff member of the Teater Tanah Airku playhouse, Ella Muslich, said tickets to the show, which are priced from Rp 10,000 to Rp 150,000, could be obtained at the playhouse and several other ticket boxes in the city.

The play will be shown at 8 p.m. everyday and twice on Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m. and at 8 p.m., Ella said. (08)