Surabaya abounds with comedians

Surabaya abounds with comedians

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The capital of East Java province, Surabaya, has popularly become known as comedy central as its produced a batch of successful comedians.

Tessy, who always appears as a transsexual, portraying Tarzan, and Asmuni, who always appears as a wise old man, are just a couple of examples of Srimulat Surabaya's comedians that have enjoyed nationwide popularity.

Though they are not native to Surabaya, the three are all "graduates" of the Srimulat Laughing Company, which was initially founded in Surakarta by musician Teguh.

Today, many young comedians have also emerged from Surabaya as evidenced by the ongoing talent scouting program run by Televisi Pendidikan Indonsia (TPI), the Audisi Pelawak TPI more known by the acronym API, with a number of groups from the city.

Surabaya, with a population of nearly three million, has also made a name in the international comedy world as world-famous comedian Charlie Chaplin performed here in 1932 during the opening ceremony of the Taman Sampoerna, the first factory owned by PT Handjaja Mandala (HM) Sampoerna Tbk.

The site is now known as the House of Sampoerna. Chaplin's visit was made at the request of Liem Tjiang Nio, the wife of Liem Seeng Tee, the founder of the giant tobacco company.

It is noteworthy that Srimulat, which was initially founded in Surakarta, Central Java, prospered so well in Surabaya because Srimulat comedians frequently used people of Surabaya's habits of referring to someone as something that represents his or her characteristics.

As it is very usual in Surabaya to dub someone according to his or her own physical characteristics -- a fat person, for example, will be called a genthong (a large earthenware for water) -- Gus Dur is known to the people of Surabaya as a political comedian.

Srimulat, founded by Teguh and named after his first wife, had its first performance at Balekambang Amusement Park in Surakarta. It was originally a musical group, but changed gears a decade later into a true comic company.

In the 1950s Srimulat performed in Surabaya and that was followed by the establishment of a the Srimulat group in Tegalwaren, Central Java, with Jakarta (Slipi) being the most recent.

According to Didik Mangkuprojo, one of Srimulat's senior comedians, the group gained a lot of popularity in Surabaya because it could provide the people of Surabaya with an alternative to ludruk, the original East Javanese folk theater performed by all males.

In its position as an alternative to ludruk, Didik said, Srimulat was specially designed to present things that the audience had never got from a ludruk performance. A ludruk performance is more expressive and structured as it uses a script.

Srimulat, on the other hand, stresses improvisation. All the comedians in Srimulat memorize their lines or ad lib as they are given all the freedom to spontaneously express their jokes.

"The strength of Srimulat is that the comedians must be creative in expressing fresh, spontaneous jokes," he noted.

Meanwhile, noted Surabaya artist and elder, Cak Kadar, said that the language style of the Surabaya people is flexible and open. It is this language style that has greatly influenced the development of comedy here.

In this context, Teguh was right to pick up the language style of Surabaya people for his group. In this way, Srimulat could easily win the hearts of the people of Surabaya.

"The people of Surabaya not only enjoy comedy, but they also like to create fresh jokes or parodies," he added.

In a parody, the comedians must create a comic atmosphere with humor, without necessarily mastering a theatrical technique. Besides, a parody needs neither a particular setting or a fixed plot.

Cak Kadar added, that the people of Surabaya have the potential of a comedian because of their habit of creating a humorous atmosphere in their day-to-day lives.

"Interestingly, few people in Surabaya have a penchant for a real comic art. Once a school to groom comedians was set up here but it had to be closed down because it failed to attract participants," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Edyson, an anthropologist from Surabaya's Airlangga University, agreed that Srimulat prospered in Surabaya and later became a new icon of the contemporary art of comedy in Indonesia. He also agreed that Surabaya was a storehouse of comedians as many of Indonesia's famous comedians used to perform in Srimulat building in Surabaya.

Yet, he added, it was too early to conclude that Srimulat was a reflection of the Surabaya people's penchant for parodies. A special study is yet to be conducted on this matter, he added.

Comedy is not only found in Surabaya, but also in other places across the country, In Jakarta, for example, the indigenous Jakartans are familiar with their Lenong, which is close to a Srimulat performance.

Unfortunately, as the native Jakartans, known as the Betawi people, have become marginalized with the massive arrival of people from outside the city, this indigenous art form has barely survived today.

Srimulat is different. The style is greatly influenced by the culture of Mataraman -- based in towns like Jombang, Nganjuk, Kediri, Madiun and Ponorogo. This culture is still part of the people of Surabaya, who mostly come from those areas.

However, Edyson argued that Srimulat could thrive in Surabaya because in the years when the group enjoyed its greatest fame, not many people owned televisions or radios.

"In those years, electronic media could be enjoyed by the well-off families. Those who were below the middle class could only watch a Srimulat performance," he said. That's why, he added, Srimulat shows were always full.

He also said that while Surabayans like humor, they get fed up with the Srimulat-style jokes now. A more complex social development demands a change in entertainment. In addition, the public can easily enjoy entertainment on TV.

"So, Surabaya's comedians are facing the challenge to create a new form of comedy that meets the needs of the public," he added.