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'Siti Nurbaya' an old tale gets a modern touch
Ease on down the road: Audiences were astounded and amazed by the two-and-a-half hour production
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Ease on down the road: Audiences were astounded and amazed by the two-and-a-half hour production." border="0" height="333" width="499">Ease on down the road: Audiences were astounded and amazed by the two-and-a-half hour production.A loose adaptation of Marah Rusliâs 1922 book of the same title, the musical play is both visually and emotionally entertaining.
The obsession of director Denny Malik, a renowned choreographer and singer, the show had a premier on Friday that left audiences astounded and amazed with the two-and-a-half hour production.
This version stays close to the roots of the original tale of romance laced with greed, betrayal, anti-colonialism and a critique of tradition and education â issues that are still relevant today.
The complex story was softened by every element of the production: the songs and musical arrangements; the choreography, costumes and sets; the cast, of course; and finally the use of illusions and stage tricks.
Despite some glitches in the delivery of some actors and problems with sound in the Teater Jakarta playhouse at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) art center in Cikini, Central Jakarta, the performance quenched the thirst for cabarets that dominated the countryâs live stages in the 1980s when performers such as Denny were on the frontline.
âIt has been my obsession to produce a play that is both popular and thick with Indonesian culture,â Denny said to reporters. âI hope that the play sells overseas. If they have Romeo and Juliet or Phantom of the Opera, we have Siti Nurbaya.â
It took four months for the cast and crew to prepare for the show â and longer for Denny and musical arranger Otti Jamalus to set up the foundations for the play.
They arranged new songs and background music to blend with traditional Minang music. The orchestra also included traditional Minang instruments.
The theatrical presentation of Siti Nurbaya: Kasih Tak Sampai (Siti Nurbaya: Unrequited Love) is the closest weâve come to a Broadway-style rendition of a classic Indonesian novel.
The play was Ottiâs first in a long career as jazz musician and singer.
The cast included prominent singers such as /rif front man Andi, Ariyo Wahab, Candil, J-Rocks vocalist Iman, Samsons vocalist Aria Dinata and actresses Netta Kusumah Dewi and Vicky Burki.
Main characters Siti Nurbaya and Samsul Bahri were played by newcomers Leona and Arro, both from the singing talent scouting television show The Voice.
The story is set in Padang, West Sumatra, in 1922.
Andi plays Datuk Maringgih, a womanizer and bloodsucking usurer who wants to bring down his two business competitors, Baginda Sulaiman (Ariyo) and Sutan Mahmud (Iman).
His greed brakes up not only the friendship of the men, but also ruins their families and tears apart their childrenâs love lives.
Baginda Sulaimanâs only daughter, Siti Nurbaya, is forced to marry Datuk Maringgih, while Samsul Bahri is disowned by Sutan Mahmud.
The young loves, who fall victim to the arranged marriages that are a custom of the matrilineal cultures of the Minang people, are later reunited in a lavish wedding in heaven.
Ease on down the road: Audiences were astounded and amazed by the two-and-a-half hour production. A loose adaptation of Marah Rusli's 1922 book of the same title, the musical play is both visually and emotionally entertaining.
The obsession of director Denny Malik, a renowned choreographer and singer, the show had a premier on Friday that left audiences astounded and amazed with the two-and-a-half hour production.
This version stays close to the roots of the original tale of romance laced with greed, betrayal, anti-colonialism and a critique of tradition and education ' issues that are still relevant today.
The complex story was softened by every element of the production: the songs and musical arrangements; the choreography, costumes and sets; the cast, of course; and finally the use of illusions and stage tricks.
Despite some glitches in the delivery of some actors and problems with sound in the Teater Jakarta playhouse at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) art center in Cikini, Central Jakarta, the performance quenched the thirst for cabarets that dominated the country's live stages in the 1980s when performers such as Denny were on the frontline.
'It has been my obsession to produce a play that is both popular and thick with Indonesian culture,' Denny said to reporters. 'I hope that the play sells overseas. If they have Romeo and Juliet or Phantom of the Opera, we have Siti Nurbaya.'
It took four months for the cast and crew to prepare for the show ' and longer for Denny and musical arranger Otti Jamalus to set up the foundations for the play.
They arranged new songs and background music to blend with traditional Minang music. The orchestra also included traditional Minang instruments.
The play was Otti's first in a long career as jazz musician and singer.
The cast included prominent singers such as /rif front man Andi, Ariyo Wahab, Candil, J-Rocks vocalist Iman, Samsons vocalist Aria Dinata and actresses Netta Kusumah Dewi and Vicky Burki.
Main characters Siti Nurbaya and Samsul Bahri were played by newcomers Leona and Arro, both from the singing talent scouting television show The Voice.
The story is set in Padang, West Sumatra, in 1922.
Andi plays Datuk Maringgih, a womanizer and bloodsucking usurer who wants to bring down his two business competitors, Baginda Sulaiman (Ariyo) and Sutan Mahmud (Iman).
His greed brakes up not only the friendship of the men, but also ruins their families and tears apart their children's love lives.
Baginda Sulaiman's only daughter, Siti Nurbaya, is forced to marry Datuk Maringgih, while Samsul Bahri is disowned by Sutan Mahmud.
The young loves, who fall victim to the arranged marriages that are a custom of the matrilineal cultures of the Minang people, are later reunited in a lavish wedding in heaven.
Several moments stand out, include one with the town gossips, who light up the play, and those featuring acrobatic choreography during a scene staged at Teluk Bayur Port.
'In this play I included the parkour community, b-boying, hip-hop dance and capoeira to give popular element in it,' said Denny.
He added that the some of the deceptions developed for the play by the illusionist Demian ' such as making the cast vanish and reappear on the other side of the stage ' were designed to entertain viewers.
To get into the story, Denny said that he had to first find the novel, which he did at a used book store in Kwitang, Central Jakarta.
'We worked together with Balai Pustaka, the novel's publisher. Because of the production, the publishing company is reprinting the novel. I really think that the younger generation should read more Indonesian literature and learn more about our own culture,' he said.
An English language translation of the venerable tale is also available from Lontar.
Produced by Kharisma Production and Djarum Apresiasi Budaya, the final two shows of Siti Nurbaya will be staged on Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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