Power play: Teater Koma acts out reality
Power play: Teater Koma acts out reality
By Stevie Emilia
JAKARTA (JP): Power is a magic word. With power, one will be
loved, praised, get all one's desires, and others follow like
obedient, fawning servants. But when power is gone, so is
everything else. Forget love or praise; everyone rushes to leave,
avoiding the suddenly powerless like they carry a deadly plague.
Sad but true. And with theatrical twists -- a clever blend of
strong dialog, acting, singing and humor -- popular theater group
Teater Koma successfully transforms power into a stimulating play
for the Third Art Summit Indonesia 2001 International Festival on
Contemporary Performing Arts at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Central
Jakarta.
In the play, titled Presiden Burung-Burung (President of the
Birds), an old man faces this fate. He tells of his 30 years of
power, power that he admits was acquired by practicing "old
political tricks performed by other leaders", he had many loyal
people wanting a taste of his power. But when he fell, even his
loyal ministers ("only two of them") suddenly rushed to leave.
Reminiscing about his glorious past, the old man is now left
alone, accompanied by his two servants, the spirit of his late
wife and his loyal birds, which help in cheering him up by
calling him Bapak President (Mr. President).
Without mentioning any names, Teater Koma's Nano Riantiarno
clearly personifies former president Soeharto in the play.
Nano, who writes, directs and acts in this new play, provides
the audience with flashes of recent events in the political
arena. Right or wrong, things that people have suspected of
happening behind the scenes are put right on stage.
Like when an attorney and two policemen come to the old man's
house, his hands suddenly tremble and he rushes to sit in his
wheelchair. His voice is low, helpless. But once the guests are
gone, he is again a healthy old man. No wheelchair, no trembling
hands, knows where all his money is and he can speak clearly.
This is not something new for Nano. During Soeharto's New
Order era, Nano used him as an inexhaustible source of
inspiration. When the regime collapsed, his fascination or fresh
ideas did not stop. In fact, he is freer in expressing his
criticism, a common phenomenon enjoyed by the local art community
after the regime's downfall.
When Soeharto was in power, he often suppressed artistic
creativity and banned art performances, believing it "could
disrupt public order and national stability". Finally it was hard
to get permits for show, while some, including Teater Koma's
works Sampek-Engtay and Suksesi (Succession), a play about an
ambitious woman wanting to assume her father's powerful position,
were banned.
Nano said that for him, theater serves as the most effective
medium to move the conscience of both people and the authorities.
"Theater works loaded with social criticism show people that
something wrong is happening in the society," the 52-year-old
former chief editor of Matra magazine said.
Criticism
And President Burung-Burung, the troupe's 95th production, is
loaded with heavy political criticism and only bits of humor. The
play is less entertainment-oriented than Sampek-Engtay and has
less humor compared to its previous work, Republik Bagong (Bagong
Republic).
Even after focusing on writing and directing, Nano appears on
stage in this latest play, showing his acting quality.
His strong presence lets the audience feel his emotions, like
when he is weeping, yelling after watching a news report about
the fate of his children (the first one goes to mental hospital,
the second one is beaten for his huge debts and the youngest one
is on the run).
His true colors can also be seen in magnificent opening and
closing scenes with dramatic settings showing him as the evil
king Rahwana, who is trapped between two mountains until the
world experienced seven doomsdays but still trying to influence
people with his black spirits.
Through his role, Nano, who also directs the play, attacks
various aspects of life from dirty politics, bribery, the use of
the military to protect power to democracy issues.
Ratna Riantiarno also gives an outstanding performance as the
spirit of the old man's late wife who still has control over him
long after she's gone. With clear dialog, she tells the old man
to stop weeping and reminds him that "he is the leader", or tells
him to show her various bank records.
Teater Koma's veteran actors Syaeful Anwar and Rita Matu Mona
also display their long experience in theater as the old man's
loyal servants Bandor and Wiluti, who stay loyal to the man they
have served for 50 years.
The scene-stealers are certainly the birds. Led by a cockatoo
named Daendels (Dorias Pribadi), the flock of birds, with catchy
names like Nero, a turkey, Napoleon, a peacock, and Hitler,
Polpot and Nimrod, three scarecrows, bring some light relief to a
heavy plot with their dancing and singing to music prepared by
Idrus Madani.
With the play, Teater Koma displays its consistency, including
blending satire with humor while trying to dig deeper into social
and economic gripes. These things are why the group attracts not
only die-hard theater fans but also those who have never seen a
play before.
Although some have criticized the group as being too
commercial, Teater Koma always embarks on, as Nano puts it, "an
endless search for innovative forms", winning a place in people's
hearts while injecting society with theater appreciation.