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.