TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Teater Koma's 'Gemintang' is a love story set in a corrupt country
Teater Koma's Gemintang shows what happens when love springs in a heartless country.
Change Size
When the stars collide: Sumbadra (left) and Arjuna during "Gemintang" by Teater Koma, performed at Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
L
egendary theater troupe Teater Koma returns with its 153rd production, Gemintang (Constellation). Helmed and penned by Nano Riantiarno, it will run from June 19 to July 8 at Graha Bhakti Budaya in Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Central Jakarta.
Gemintang follows the interplanetary love between Arjuna Wibowo (Rangga Riantiarno), an astronomer working in West Java, and Ssumphphwttsspahzaliapahssttphph, also known as Sumbadra (Tuti Hartati), an alien from the planet Ssumvitphphpah located 12 billion light years from Earth.
Despite of their differences, Arjuna wants to introduce Sumbadra to his family and marry her. He is persistent although his family may not be able to see or hear Sumbadra.
Arjuna himself comes from a money-oriented family. His father, Wibowo Surmadjo (Budi Ros), is a corrupt politician, but he is rich enough to bribe his way out of getting caught. Meanwhile, Arjuna’s mother, Astini (Daisy Lantang), is a housewife who relies on her husband’s wealth.
Arjuna also has two siblings: one older brother, Samudra (Bayu Dharmawan Saleh), who follows his father’s footsteps; and one younger sister, Pratiwi (Bunga Karuni), who excels in high school and opposes her father’s wrongdoings.
Wibowo also has a second wife, Niken (Ina Kaka), who helps him with his corruption. Moreover, Sakiro (Salim Bungsu) and Subrat (Joind Bayuwinanda) are Wibowo’s relatives who often give him absurd advice.
Read also: Teater Koma to debut science fiction play
One day, Sakiro predicts that Wibowo will be caught by the authorities and, at the same time, Sumbadra agrees to visit Arjuna’s family. Will Arjuna’s plan to be with Sumbadra go well? Will Wibowo eventually be caught by the police?
Gemintang is Teater Koma’s first foray into science fiction and one that it has done well, for instance by transforming the venue into an imaginary observatory and using holograms on stage. The play is also shorter than its usual productions, with a run time of three hours with a 15 minutes break.
But for those who are interested in seeing more of Arjuna and Sumbadra’s love story may need to be patient, especially in the first act, as the play mainly depicts Arjuna’s family and how dysfunctional it is instead of focusing on the relationships between Arjuna and Sumbadra.
Meanwhile, if you are keen on hearing criticisms about presidents and a corrupted politician, those are provided in the first act.
It feels, however, as if some scenes are missing from the play and that it may be better to include more scenes to deliver even more powerful message to the audience.
Furthermore, those who watched the troupe’s Warisan (The Legacy) play (2017) may be familiar with Sakiro and Subrat as members of a retirement home for the rich.
Although they were played by different actors, Sakiro and Subrat still tease the audience by talking about many satirical topics, including an imaginary country named Hindanasasa.
If you pay attention, the name Hindanasasa is often referenced in Teater Koma’s plays and is the one thing that connects them.
It is a way for director N. Riantiarno to share his criticism of the country’s current issues, which still revolve around corruption, poverty, social gaps and weak authority figures.
“As long as corruption still exists, I will still talk about it,” Nano told The Post after the show. (mut)
