Teater Koma to Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Opera, Biographical Book
Jakarta. Celebrating 40 years of bringing theatrical wonders to the stage, Teater Koma returns with a rendition of "Opera Ikan Asin" ("Salted Fish Opera") previously performed in 1983 and 1999.
The play will hit the stage at Ciputra Artpreneur in Lotte Shopping Avenue in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on March 2 to 5.
Tackling the issues of social inequality and absence of law enforcement, "Opera Ikan Asin" is adapted from Bertolt Brecht's "Die Dreigroschenoper" or "The Three-Penny Opera." Brecht first performed the play at Theater am Schiffbauerdam in Berlin on Aug. 31, 1928.
Teater Koma founder Nano Riantiarno, who is also the writer and director of the play, made some changes when adapting the play. Nineteenth-century London became 20th-century Batavia, or Jakarta, during the Dutch colonial era.
The characters have been replaced by Indonesians, yet the plot stays faithful to the original. "Opera Ikan Asin" narrates the story of Mekhit a.k.a. Mat Piso, the king of Batavia's bandits, who marries Poli Picum without the permission of her father, Natasasmita Picum. Mekhit is soon arrested by the police under Natasasmita's demand. As he is about to be hanged, a letter sent by the governor general changes the game.
"This is a play about an era of uncertainty. The bandit king is hailed as a hero by society. The law enforcers are chummy with the felons and bribery is something common," Nano said at a press conference at Balai Latihan Kesenian, Jakarta, on Thursday (24/02).
The play stars notable stage actors, such as Budi Ros, Cornelia Agatha, Sari Madjid Prianggoro and Alex Fatahillah, among others. The leading role of Mekhit will be played by Nano's son, Rangga Riantiarno.
"It's not a humorous play in essence. Hopefully people can learn from it because it reflects Indonesia's current problems," Nano added.
Elaborate Set Designs
What makes this year's performance special from past ones, besides the fact that it marks the group's anniversary?
Musical arrangements will be an obvious improvement to the performance. For the first time, Teater Koma will perform the complete set list of "The Three-Penny Opera," originally composed by Kurt Weill.
"Back in 1983, we didn't sing one of the bandits' songs, but we sang the final theme. In 1999, it was the other way around. But now, we will perform all of Kurt Weill's songs from the start to the end," said Nano, who described the play's compositions as "chaotic jazz."
Fero made efforts to translate Weill's lyrics and arranged the songs to be as similar as the original. He faced difficulties, because of the complex notations and unusual melodies.
"Weill's music was unconventional back in his time and now. The rhythm and singing often aren't in harmony," Fero said.
Besides the musical numbers, "Opera Ikan Asin" will feature even more elaborate set designs – though it has been Nano's trademark to feature such detailed designs.
In fact, some sets, such as Kampung Cina (Chinatown), are not even finished.
"Hopefully the settings aren't just big in size but can give profound meaning to the audience," Nano said.
Forty-Year Journey
The theater group's 40th anniversary, which will take place on March 1, is also marked by the launch of "Membaca Teater Koma" ("Reading Teater Koma"). It is a biography of the theater group, written by Nano Riantiarno himself.
"It's about the journey of Teater Koma, from the first performance of "Rumah Kertas" to this one ["Opera Ikan Asin"]. It will also include performance photos," the famed playwright said.
The 300-page book will also be available in bookstore chains, such as Gramedia.
Tags: Keywords: