Search for goodness played out in 'Sunten Jaya'

Search for goodness played out in 'Sunten Jaya'

By Wawan S. Husin

BANDUNG (JP): The night was especially dark and the wind in
this area of North Bandung so cool that the audience -- about 250
people -- should have their coats buttoned. The sparrows were
flying around the top of a bamboo stage, constructed in a pyramid
shape and covering the open-air mini theater of Selasar Sunaryo
in Bandung.

Every now and then, bats flew about trying to steal ripe
bananas on the roof of the stage. Torches cast light on the area
while fans were tightly packed in front of the stage.

Young coconuts and clay jugs were positioned above the stage,
which was decorated with sugarcane leaves, paddy, garlic and
chilies. The stage was prepared for a performance of Sunten Jaya,
a play directed by Saini KM, a playwright and art critic.

"The bamboo structure reminds us of a village, its straight
yet plastic characteristics symbolize tenacity, strength and
honesty," said Sunaryo, the artistic manager, who is better known
as a sculptor.

And he would like Sunten Jaya to be a monumental work.

"I created a wide area for the actors and actresses, and when
the stage, with all of its aesthetical elements, was lit by the
torches, the backdrop was enriched by multimedia images.

With a dynamic white backdrop, the actors and actresses are
like fish in a pond. They moved, gestured, mimicked, danced and
shouted.

For me, this is a kind of ruwatan ritual, which searches for
more meaning," Sunaryo added. A number of the torches were places
in high trees behind the open-air arena where they twinkled like
stars when the wind blew.

Produced by Actors Unlimited from Bandung, Sunten Jaya was
performed at Selasar Sunaryo was on Aug. 31, 2000.

The background

The script is rooted in the Sundanese folk story of Munding
Laya, which was revitalized by Saini KM, in the form of lyrical
prose. The original oral story of Munding Laya is similar -- or
at least has a similar spirit -- to Beowulf in old English
literature or Siegfried and The Knights of Nibelungen of Germany.

Prince Munding Laya (a protagonist, portrayed by Teddy Octora)
of the Pajajaran kingdom is to be executed by his stepbrother,
Sunten Jaya (an antagonist, played by Banban). Munding Laya is
released and will be forgiven if he can take Lalayang Salaka
Domas (The Holy Golden Inscription) which is kept by the Guriang
Tujuh (Seven Guardians of the Sky).

Sunten Jaya and his grandmother, Suri Tejamantri (played by
Rita Juwitae), are aware that there is no Lalayang. All who have
tried to find it vanished.

Munding Laya goes to Heaven after he is able to overcome the
Jonggrang Kalapetong, a very powerful giant -- Ayi portrayed
Jonggrang perfectly -- and asks him to lead the way to the
entrance of the sky. Jonggrang is ousted and the gates to the
kingdom of "nothingness", of "strange winds and sounds", open.
Guriang meets Munding Laya, but the seven guriang tell him they
will never give the lalayang to him.

"The Lalayang should be kept in Heaven," says the highest
Guriang. He ignores the words and insists on the Lalayang. The
guriang (or angels) fight against him and he is killed. The
Goddess of Soul, Dewi Suksma (soprano Ati Sudaryanto), gives him
a rebirth, and Munding Laya returns to the Kingdom of Pajajaran,
overcomes treachery and becomes the new king. He marries Dewi
Asri (played by Heine), and they live happily ever after.

The story is based on the universal moral concept of "the
search of goodness". Sunten Jaya is a symbol of evil, the dark
world, Munding Laya represents humans' perennial questions of
"who am I?; what am I looking for?; and what is the meaning of
life?" Guriang (the archangel) and Sanghyang Tunggal (The Eternal
One) are symbols of the buana nyungcung (the Higher Life or the
Spiritual Life).

Silence says a lot

The combination of dancing and gestures was similar to that of
a dance theater, yet the vocals were live instead of recorded.
The dancing actors (mostly the seven Guriang) moved slowly.

"I tried to apply minimal gestures so that the movements are
absolutely minimal," said Nanu, the choreographer. Nanu was
successful as the minimal movements created a somber environment,
which was also both sad and contemplative.

The solemn and subtle gestures were perfect. On top of this,
Suhendi Afriyanto, responsible for the music, also created music
from traditional instruments (bamboo flute, kecapi (guitar) harp
and saluang (stringed instrument). The appearance of Umi as a
goddess, and moving as a Pandji dancer (sacred dance of Cirebon),
lent a more contemplative aura. Her soft and flowing movements
showed she was a real dancer. The serene face of her white mask
was memorable.

It was the silence that said the most. The highest Guriang
(Yani) fulfilled the expectations of the audience by playing
well.

Secondly, the music and dancing was like fish and water. The
appearance of Dewi Suksma (Ati), who sang in order to make
Munding Laya return to life, charmed the audience with her voice.
It was like a lullaby.

In the words of musician Hary Pochang, "For me, the music was
so effective that their minimal response to the action on the
stage was always meaningful. Afriyanto and his friends were
worthy of the applause."

Then there was the multimedia effects, which could have been
better.

The backdrop could have been made more effective to show the
many images (burning masks, sky and wind, the moon in dark
clouds, black lines and moving lights). It was just too dim.

"Yes the stage should have been more colorful and lighter ...
the director should think about this weakness ...," said Bedeng
Siregar, an actor and professional photographer.

At the peak of the performance, the backdrop was burned.

The problem faced by this teater rupa (theater of arts) -- so
called by Sunaryo -- is serious. The performance was too "arty",
instead of being "an event of temporary reality," said Toni
Broer, an actor.

"Basically, theater deals with an event, real or fiction, that
takes place in a certain time and place," he added. The art is
only an element but the main frame is the event."

Pondering Broer's words, the so-called teater rupa might be in
a dilemma. It is worth discussing. The artistic manager, the
director and the production manager did not seem to have time to
discuss the problem beforehand.

For Fathul, the director who worked on the performance for
four months, he should, it seems, keep in mind the old saying:
"too many cooks spoil the broth."