'Republik Togog': If Moliere were Javanese
Paul Agusta, Contributor
The intrigues of a manipulative religious leader seeking political power, and the desperate machinations of a deformed goddess seeking to regain her previous resplendence and former lover, collide extravagantly each evening on the stage of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.
Teater Koma's Republik Togog wreaks well-choreographed and orchestrated havoc in the royal court of Amarta, breaking hearts, destroying lives, almost dethroning a king and leaving audiences thoroughly entertained.
This 103rd Teater Koma production, performed nightly from 8 p.m. to midnight through Friday takes the audience on a spellbinding journey from the satire of Frenchman Moliere through the pomp and pageantry of Broadway and an overnight transit stop in the mystical world of ancient Java's take on the Indian epic, the Mahabharata.
Playwright and director N. Riantiarno raises the curtain with an adrenaline-laced marching song as the entire cast stomps out an entrancing rhythm, drawing the audience rapidly into the mayhem that is to ensue.
The Queen Mother, Kunti, played exquisitely by Ratna Riantiarno, is in the midst of a tantrum, threatening to vacate the palace if certain people -- namely her maid/conscience Limbuk, her daughter-in-law Drupadi and the woman's father Drupada, as well as Kunti's granddaughter Parwita, and her grandnephew, Gatotkaca -- do no desist from denigrating her beloved religious consultant, the seemingly pious Tejamantri, and his assistant, Bilung.
The situation deteriorates from there as Tejamantri's manipulations slowly but steadily weaken King Samiaji's power.
Meanwhile, back in the underworld, the cursed demon goddess, Durga, in a perfectly pitched, Joan-Collins-times-ten performance by actor Sri Dadi Adhipurnomo, strives to take advantage of the situation in the kingdom of Armata by sending her minion, Kalika, to take over the mind of Samiaji and persuade him to offer the Pandawa warrior, Sadewa, as a sacrifice to the king of the gods.
Durga believes the blood of the bold Sadewa will restore her beauty to its former glory and she will be able to win back her beloved husband, Arjuna.
With very few lulls, they mostly due to the lackluster stage chemistry between actress Cornelia Agatha's Parwita and Paulus PN Simangunsong's Aryadewa, the story careers, as many ancient legends do, to a deus ex machina ending, in which the king of the gods, Kresna himself, descends and puts everything right.
Four hours in length, with an intermission of only 15 minutes, Republik Togog is never boring. It keeps a lively pace, spurred on by lavish costuming by Lusiana Limono, flamboyantly theatrical music by Idrus Madani, dynamic choreography by Ratna Ully and appropriately lavish makeup by Sri Dadi Adhipurnomo.
A masterful jack-of-all-trades, Adhipurnomo also functions as ticketing and marketing manager and assistant production chief, as well giving a superior performance in the play as Durga.
This is not to say that any of the performers did shoddy work; almost everyone seemed to be playing at the top of their game. Even state electricity company PLN missed a cue and the lights went out for about three minutes on opening night, Riantiarno's troupe shone brightly with clever ad libs, such as "Careful, going into the forest, it's dark!", "I've gone blind! I can't see a thing!" -- all well within the character portrayals required in the play.
Exceptional performances were also given by Emanuel Handoyo, with his Chaplin-like grace as Gareng; Tuti Hartati, with her perfectly obnoxious Limbuk; Salim Bungsu, with his stunningly hilarious performance as Kresna, proving beyond doubt with this small part that he is one of the best comedy stage actors this country has ever seen; and Priyo S Winardi, with his deviously slimy portrayal of the evil Tejamantri.
Although well within the range expected of competence in acting, the performances of Cornelia Agatha, a well-known television actress, and Budi Ros, a respected theater stalwart, fell somewhat short in comparison, with their over-the-top, two- dimensional interpretations of the pivotal characters, Parwita and Samiaji.
Agatha, specifically, seemed to be acting on a slightly different frequency, perhaps because she appeared to be struggling to make a stock, satirical character like Parwita come across as human.
Republik Togog is exceedingly entertaining, almost to the point that audiences may find the socially and politically relevant critique of the play slipping from their minds as they stroll out of the theater, rubbing their aching sides from laughing too hard but thinking too little.
This may just go to show that although there are a rare few that might not be relieved to have escaped the era of heavy censorship under the Soeharto regime, there may be something to be said for the impact of severe constraint on the playwriting of that era, of which N. Riantiarno has always been considered the undisputed master: A time when subtlety was the key to conveying deeply subversive and unforgettable messages in moving as well as entertaining packages.
The writer can be contacted at Pfa0109@yahoo.com