'Sobrat': A portrayal of the journey of a fallen hero

'Sobrat': A portrayal of the journey of a fallen hero

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rendra is back, and definitely offering something new. But no,
he has not changed, he has just ripened and at the same time he
is more down to earth.

As in his heyday back in the 1970s and 1980s, no play is dull
or dry in the hands of this renowned playwright and director.

Or, perhaps, that's because has hardly been any quality
theater performances taking to the stage in the capital lately.

After Kereta Kencana (Golden Chariot) a play adopted from
Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs, which toured Jakarta, Yogyakarta and
Surakarta in 1999 until early 2000, then Rambate Rate Rata staged
in Bontang, Samarinda and Balikpapan in 2001, and also Shalawat
Barzanji, adopted from Syair-syair Barzanji (Barzanji poets) by
Syu'bah Asa that was staged in May 2003, Rendra can practically
be said to have been taking some time off from the country's
performing arts world.

Still with his old egalitarian-style in directing and thorough
observation of every detail from stage sets to lighting, Rendra
staged Sobrat in Graha Bhakti Budaya at the Taman Ismail Marzuki
compound for four consecutive days from June 23 until June 26.

Known as the father of the nation's contemporary theater,
Willibrodus Surendra Bhawana Rendra, affectionately known by his
students and friends as Mas Willy, must have had his own reasons
for selecting Sobrat and for selecting musician I Wayan Sadra and
choreographer Boi G. Sakti.

Sobrat, written by Arthur S. Nalan, won first prize in the
prestigious theater script-writing competition in 2004 held by
the Jakarta Arts Council.

Its author said Sobrat is a dark play, but Rendra successfully
staged it as a light, comical and less archaic package.

Arthur's story centers around the life journey of a vulnerable
Sobrat. A young man with a strong Oedipal syndrome, but who
obviously cannot resist his own worldly desires provoked by his
dark side, visualized as a beautiful woman, Mongkleng (played by
Rendra's daughter, Mariam 'Memey' Supraba).

Gullible Sobrat, played by Rendra's son Isaias Sadewa, is a
portrayal of how weak human beings fall for worldly temptations
for an easy life and fame. A frequent winner of dogong or
Sundanese traditional wrestling bouts, kind-hearted Sobrat is
adored by the men in his village for his youthful strength.

But inside he is not as strong as he seems. Even thought his
mother does her best to introduce the virtues of life -- one of
the most touching lines is "You forget your bedtime Prophet
stories. Life is a struggle and gambling is not the answer. None
of our Prophets were gamblers." -- Sobrat is so vulnerable to
worldly temptations.

He is lured to work in Deli, in the Sumatra hinterland to work
as a gold miner at Bukit Kemilau. Young men from his village,
Kampung Lisung, then left for Sumatra and (as always is the case
in real life) they learn their lessons too late and end up
enslaved and cheated.

Back at home, Mimi is left to eke out a miserable existence,
all the time missing her son terribly.

Interestingly, Sobrat experiences inner conflict -- although
he is too weak to fight against it -- when he turns himself into
the guardian of Bukit Kemilang, a powerful evil deity, Selbi
Gendruwi.

Selbi makes him the richest man ever, possessing beads of
gold, on the one condition that Sobrat makes her his wife and
allows Selbi to take "a life in every breath he takes." But
Sobrat breaks his pledge. He marries Rasmina, a girl from Rembang
who is sold to a wealthy Dutch trader.

Selbi gets really upset and "punishes" Sobrat, making him deaf
and mute.

It sounds illogical because for most people, creatures like
Selbi do not have the capacity to put spells on human beings but
that is what we are told in the story.

In an interview prior to the performance, Arthur said, "The
end part of the play (when Sobrat is cursed by Selbi) is inspired
by a true story experienced by my domestic helper."

"He dreamed one night that a goddess came to him and gave him
a series of numbers. The goddess said she wanted to be his wife
and he said yes. He then matched the pairs of numbers and bought
togel (lottery ticket). He won a huge amount of money and led a
comfortable life. He married a local girl and not long after that
he had a heart attack, stroke -- you name it -- all manner of
illnesses. He was left paralyzed, blind, deaf and mute. No one
could explain why."

Majalengka-born Arthur, a director and lecturer at the Bandung
Arts Institute, further said that it was common here for people
to resort to the occult as a shortcut to gain wealth and fame.

"So it's very real although I use the setting of the 1920s.
The problems are all around us," he told The Jakarta Post.

Through Sobrat Rendra, who turns 70 this year, is also
initiating a regeneration within his theater company. Many of the
players are novices and have never acted in a performance before
like Mariam Supraba, Olive Dewi Rustiani and Susan Handayani but
Rendra gave them a chance to star in his production.

"I'd been wondering what he would do for his 70th birthday. He
told me that he wanted to see new talent. And this is what he has
done," his wife Ken Zuraida said. Ken was the art director in the
production.

No less than music director I Wayan Sadra brought the
performance alive with his unique eclectic arrangement of varied
types of traditional Javanese, Sundanese and Sumatran music to
contemporary beats.

Sounds, such as bamboo with water to highlight the sea journey
and cymbal beats to emphasize the presence of supernatural
creatures, help the audience to understand the different
settings.

Lyrics also become a medium to point to certain hard-to-
visualize scenes. One song that accompanies Sobrat taking Selbi
to bed goes like Kan kutandur secuil tulang dan daging di liang
kubur which literally means I will plant a piece of bone and
flesh into a graveyard. It's a deft yet amusing way to keep the
scenes flowing.

All in all, although Sobrat does not take aim at the current
political issues, it focuses more on what people are dealing with
now. That's what matters.