Teater Mandiri hits Singapore stage
JAKARTA (JP): Putu Wijaya's Teater Mandiri will perform for three consecutive nights at Singapore's prestigious Victoria Theater next week.
In its upcoming shows, scheduled from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16, Teater Mandiri will stage its own interpretation of The Coffin Too Big for The Hole by noted Singaporean writer and director Kuo Pao Kun, which has already been staged in the country many times.
Teater Mandiri, a theatrical company set up in 1971 by Bali- born I Gusti Ngurah Putu Wijaya -- better known as Putu Wijaya, has made it to the present reform era after safely coming through the difficult period when it has to wage a kind of guerrilla war against the authorities.
Their latest play, which has already been staged in Bandung, Jakarta and Japan, promises more than just entertainment. There is also terror on offer.
During the 75-minute show, the audience will tune into the strong musical beats performed by noted musician Harry Roesli and his DKSB band while watching expressive, dynamic and poetic images shown on giant screens in the background as part of the theater troupe's efforts to bring mental terror to the stage.
Terror is known as being typical of Putu's works. The man really enjoys himself when he can mentally terrorize his audience, shocking them to a catharsis. This terror can come from the theme of the story or blown-up visualizations in the style of pop art or shadows. For over a decade, Putu has explored shadows as his theatrical idiom, which he derived from leather shadow puppet play.
The play, which is freely interpreted by Putu Wijaya with Kuo Pao Kun's approval, is titled Luka (Wound). Members of the theater troupe left Jakarta for Singapore on Friday, getting ready for the shows, a collaborative work which will also involve six Singaporean actors.
The story centers on a grandchild who has problems getting his grandfather's coffin into the cemetery due to its large size, larger than a standard coffin. A conflict then erupts, with the grandchild threatening to stay the night at the cemetery if the authorities do not come up with a solution.
Putu -- a renowned short-story writer, a novelist, a screenwriter, a theater/film/TV film director and a columnist -- does not stop there. He also includes the Indonesian context in the play. Luka illustrates how after the grandfather -- the symbol of unity -- dies, the family is torn apart. Even the burial is difficult to make, while the authorities are only willing to tackle problem after being threatened. The painful thing is, the ruler soon becomes an idol after only handling a single problem.
The play ends with the song Jangan Menangis Indonesia (Don't Cry Indonesia). (ste)