Sinking vessel of life brings comic relief

By Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Everybody loves a good joke because it makes them laugh, and laughter is said to be the peak of man's psychological relaxation. But what of idealistic humor?

Idealistic humor is the kind of humor that Komedian Kamar Hidup Theater, the theatrical group from the Sebelas Maret University School of Letters, explored in the play titled Titanic: Roman Picisan (Titanic: the Cheap Romance).

Staged at the Wayang Orang building at the Sriwedari complex in Surakarta on Oct. 22, the play was inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. Although the play is a tragedy, just like the big-screen version, funny remarks by the play's characters made the audience roar with laughter.

This performance was comical from the moment the curtain rose. Differing from the movie, the play was set in rural China during the time of the British empire. The music and atmosphere of the play provided the audience some Chinese-style romanticism.

The story begins with Liechu, an ordinary man who is stranded between heaven and hell. A strong desire to take revenge has left his soul homeless and roaming, not yet accepted by the Almighty.

Before the Goddess of Mercy, he tells the story of how he died and ended up in this situation.

From his story it is learned that Liechu is a young rural man who fell in love with Anne, the daughter of high-ranking British official Sir William.

The two, Liechu and Anne, meet in a school. Anne is a teacher at the traditional Chinese school, while Liechu is one of the students. Anne is already engaged to Moris, a British commander.

The love between Liechu and Anne gives rise to numerous conflicts. The community cannot accept the relationship between these two people of vastly different backgrounds.

In his jealousy, Moris orders all of Liechu's relatives to be murdered and raped by British troops.

Out of his deep love for Anne and his strong desire to take revenge upon Moris, Liechu decides to fight the British troops single-handedly, and loses his life in this unequal fight. When he wakes up, he finds himself somewhere between heaven and hell.

Comic situations emerged right from the very start of the 180- minute play, winning spontaneous applause from the audience -- many of whom also yelled out their own comical remarks to enliven the performance, despite the tragedy faced by the two lovers in the play.

The play also brought a fresh wind to the tradition of humor in the country.

Unlike other groups -- like the Ketoprak Humor traditional Javanese comedy troupe, many of whose jokes are peppered with sexual references or even the exploitation of women -- such "jokes" were absent from this performance.

Kitin Kurniati, 25, who wrote the script, said the play's humorous touch was not artificial. Instead, it flowed spontaneously thanks to the actors' ability to improvise.

Titanic: Roman Picisan also attempted to raise other issues. According to Kitin, the performance attempted to highlight various problems and issues which demand tolerance from people, such as gender issues, abortion and the negative labeling of people with HIV/AIDS.

Although the play takes a humorous format, it is nevertheless full of meaning and the symbols of life. Titanic symbolizes a vessel of life; when life was confronted with conflict, the vessel put up a struggle before giving up and sinking.

As for roman picisan, it is a figurative expression for a love which is not based on reality, so that it creates more problems than happiness.

Komedian Kamar Hidup, established on June 3, 2000, has staged several plays, including Udin's Zorro: Nafsu Terlarang (Zorro: Forbidden Desire) and Eko's Petualangan Sherina: Mission Impossible (Sherina's Adventure: Mission Impossible). The group is scheduled to stage Titanic: Roman Picisan at the Surakarta Cultural Park theater arena on Nov. 12.