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'Chang Brothers' greet New Year on a brighter note
Chang senior bows to the Wangs
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Chang senior bows to the Wangs.
The latest production of Teater Legiun, entitled Chang Bersaudara (Chang Brothers), shows how far the Jakarta based theater community has developed after 10 years in existence.
An adaptation of a short story taken from Xingshi Hengyan (Stories to Awaken the World), written by Feng Menglong during the Chinese Ming Dynasty in the early 17th century, the play was performed on Feb. 6 and 7 at the Jakarta Play House, Central Jakarta.
Chang Sanbao (Ricky Qmunk) and Chang Nushu (Hendry Trsrah) are the sons of poor carpenter Chang Jisong (Win the Duck).
Their acquaintance with jade merchant Mr. Wang (Alvin Salim) and his wife Mrs. Wang (Kesthi Nandini) changed their lives as series of unfortunate events ensued.
The Wang couple, who longed for a son, adopted Sanbao and planned to marry him off to their youngest daughter Yu (Wina Baeha).
They also paid for Sanbao and Nushu's school tuition in a wish that they would become jinshi, or scholars working for the Emperor.
Wang's eldest daughter Rui (Pepita Holy) and her husband Jinglong (David Efkay) are not happy knowing that Sanbao will later inherit the family's wealth and they make a plot to cancel the inheritance.
Jinglong used his connection with Imperial officer Yang Taibo (Harold Pama) to sent Jisong to jail over false accusations and schemed with the help of Wang's household workers to cause the expulsion of Sanbao.
Jinglong also hired a hitman to drown the brothers in the Yang Tze River while on their way to submit a plea to the higher court. The brothers survived and were stranded in different provinces where they met new patrons who supported their ambitions to become jinshi.
Named as the best jinshi graduates, Sanbao and Nushu at first didn't recognize each other as they bore new names given by their patrons. They finally return home to Suzhou to find justice for their father and the Wang family.
Director and scriptwriter Ibas Aragi undertook extensive research about the writer and the era he lived in to stretch out the short story into a solid three-hour play.
Chang Brothers was the troupe's seventh production, which according to Ibas was the hardest to prepare.
'The stage sets and costumes were made according to the original details of that era. I looked up many references, such as movies, but the artistic aspects have been modified for commercial purposes,' Ibas says.
'It took us almost two years to prepare the play as I needed to revise the script a few times and we had to find the right costumes and musical instruments in many places in Singapore and China.'
Although the performance was initially slated for March last year, it arrived on time to greet the Chinese New Year that will fall on Feb. 19.
Despite the sad-themed plot, the play was a success in bringing out laughter from the audience thanks to the witty lines and the lively acting with unmistakeable improvisation.
Near the climax, Sanbao and Nushu made an oath to become respectable jinshi to fulfill the dreams of their father and Mr. Wang.
'What are we afraid of? We're smart and full of vigor,' said Sanbao, which Nushu repeated.
'We're good-looking, too,' added Sanbao.
A pause. 'Don't make me repeat that one, big brother,' said Nushu.
The pause became a pattern throughout the play, as if the actors gave time to the audience to digest the lines and to expect the unexpected.
The Wang household's head butler, Siamao (Ranu Yo), stole the limelight with his happy feet dominating the blocking.
Some of the actors played multiple roles and most of them danced. The most prominent was the jinshi choreography in which the actors lined up as they sat for the exam.
The theme of corruption, collusion and human rights abuses ' a norm during the Ming Dynasty ' mirrored the current situation in the country.
'The message I wish to convey through the play is that good things will come to those who wait in resilience. Be patient because no matter how long it will take, justice will eventually come,' said Ibas.
Teater Legiun was established in 2005 by a group of churchgoers with Ibas as the leader. Their first play, Legiun (Legion), was performed at the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) in Kedoya, West Jakarta, that year.
' Photos courtesy of Teater Legiun
