Srimulat members rely on door-to-door orders

Srimulat members rely on door-to-door orders

With the Srimulat Surabaya comedy troupe no longer treading the boards in its hometown, some of its comedians have moved to Jakarta.

Others remain in the city and perform from door to door to earn a living. Of course, they earn much less than their fellow comedians who have moved to Jakarta.

Didik Mangkuprojo is one of Srimulat's longest serving comedians, and has decided to remain in Surabaya. Family considerations are cited as his main reasons for not moving to Jakarta.

"Although moving to Jakarta would be promising for my career, I prefer to stay in Surabaya because of my family," he told The Jakarta Post.

Besides, Didik still wants to revive Srimulat Surabaya. Come hell or high water, Srimulat in Surabaya must not disappear because it was a trademark of the city, he says.

In his free time, Didik always remembers the good times for Srimulat Surabaya, whose performances took place at the Srimulat building in the Surabaya Youth Park, an unforgettable venue for him as it was here that he and his fellow comedians, some now very famous, like Tessy, Basuki and Tarzan, brought Srimulat to the peak of its fame.

"In those days, we devoted our entire lives to Srimulat. We entertained the people and enjoyed a great reputation," he recalled.

Every day they enjoyed loud applause from the audience, he said. All the comedians, he added, felt elated because the audience treated them like famous stars. In those days, Srimulat was the one of the only sources of entertainment available to the people of Surabaya.

Today, however, the Srimulat building is dilapidated and empty.

Didik, however, never wants to give up being a comedian. And so, he has decided to perform door to door.

"Now I earn just enough to feed the family," he said.

Wiwik Sudjito also prefers to remain in the city. He also performs house to house. Although he earns little, he is proud to be able to preserve Srimulat's brand of humor in Surabaya.

"If you want to be famous, move to Jakarta. However, if you're content with being able to feed the family, you can just remain in Surabaya," he told The Jakarta Post.

Wiwik and his musicians are paid Rp 2.5 million per show. By contrast, a famous comedian will receive between Rp 6 million and Rp 10 million for a performance in Jakarta.

Travelling comedians can expect to earn more on auspicious occasions such as circumcision or wedding parties.

Like Wiwik and Didik, Sri Nurida, a Srimulat singer, who is better known as Marlena, also prefers to remain in Surabaya. Aside from jesting and singing, she also runs a garment business.

"If I have only a few orders for performing, I accept orders to make dresses for weddings and other events," she said.

Marlena and Wiwik are more fortunate than many other members of the Srimulat Surabaya group. Dozens of them live in poverty as they rely on orders to perform at special events only.

Sookie, chairman of the Srimulat Surabaya Foundation, said that for one performance the Srimulat group was now paid only Rp 4 million. This, he added, had to be shared among 30 players.

"To raise the standard of living of our members, we are trying to revive Srimulat Surabaya. At least we will try to ensure that the group can perform on a routine basis," he said.

The director of the Regional Technical Executive Unit (UPTD) at the Surabaya Youth Amusement Park, Prawoto, said that his unit was talking to the Surabaya mayor with a view to reviving Srimulat Surabaya performances and having the Srimulat Building in the park renovated.

"With the revival of Srimulat performances, Surabaya would regain its reputation as the most humorous city in Indonesia," he said laughing.