Traditional puppet show

The other day I had a chance to see a real wayang kulit (leather puppet) performance, which I had longed to see even before I came to this country.

On the Sunday morning my husband and I got to the Musium Wayang on Jl. Pintu Besar Utara and asked the price of the ticket. I could hardly believe the answer. I wondered if I had misheard the Bahasa Indonesia, and asked again to make sure of the price. The same answer: Rp 250. I was correct. Only Rp 250 per person. (Rp 150 for entrance, Rp 100 for the performance).

When the dalang (puppeteer) sat in his place and all the players of the gamelan music and singers were ready to begin there were some 20 spectators in the theater, which is not so large. The gunungan (leaf-shaped symbol used to herald the beginning of a story) lit up against the white screen. Introductory music began. I was all eyes and ears, trying not to miss a single move of the dalang or any of the sounds of gamelan orchestra. A spectator went to the other side of the stage and I noticed we could enjoy the shade from the back. So I went to the other side, and found a different world there. I was fascinated, especially by the fighting scene where even the shadow arrows flew, but it was a great pity we could not follow the plot, as we had no means of knowing the plot.

Some foreigners came and stayed a while, but they severally left. During the four-hour performance, people came in and went out, while the performers continued playing for us with the same zeal and sincerity as at the beginning.

When the performance ended, we found ourselves, my husband and I, alone. As the performers did not seem to be expecting to be applauded and began to leave one after another, we even hesitated to clap our hands not knowing whether it was polite to do so. It had been such a nice experience, and I felt sorry for the performers. I also wished badly to know the story.

As a foreigner I would like to ask: Couldn't the Wayang Museum prepare a simple pamphlet outlining the story in English, for which we foreigners would be willing to pay a reasonable amount? It would enable us possible to enjoy wayang all the more, and more people might stay to the end and show their appreciation properly.

I guess the reason the ticket is so cheap is so that the museum and show is affordable for anyone, but I want to ask: Do you think it is the proper price, now that parking for only a few minutes costs Rp 500 everywhere?

I don't know how the performance and the artists concerned are protected by the nation, but shouldn't we pay a little bit more to show our appreciation of the performance, for which each performer has had to train for a long time?

I believe such appreciation would enhance the artists' creative efforts all the more, and heighten the quality of the traditional art in the long run.

SACHIKO EGUCHI

Bogor, West Java