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'€˜Homo Reptilicus'€™: Ambition, aggression, sex & politics

Bad guy: The character of corrupt police general Bagus is played with a devilish air by Toto Prawoto (right)

Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, March 26, 2015

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'€˜Homo Reptilicus'€™: Ambition, aggression, sex & politics

Bad guy: The character of corrupt police general Bagus is played with a devilish air by Toto Prawoto (right).

In Homo Reptilicus, the Teater Kosong troupe makes the case that ambition, aggression and sex are the key ingredients in the stew of politics '€” and the best chef is the one who can mix them all together with skill.

The two-hour play tells the story of President Raung Itibar (Meritz Hendra), who is elected by the people but finds himself inundated in conspiracies and power struggles by his party, his staff, the media '€” and the police, who will do whatever it takes to regain their iron grip on the unnamed nation.

The conspiracies involve former top model and sex lobbyist Ratih Lestari Asa (Olivia Zalianty), police general Bagus Girang (Toto Prawoto) and his two loyal subordinates '€” Prawoto (Siswandi) and Jumadil (Subur Sukirman).

A more sympathetic character is Marwah Hajat (Supri Boemi), a mid-ranking police officer who must choose between following his orders or his conscience '€” and whose wife shares a dark past with his boss.

There is also the hapless Smoga Daton (Eko D. Zenah), a human trafficker who collaborates with the police and is betrayed as part of Bagus'€™ plan to become police chief.

To ensure the human trafficker'€™s silence, Bagus rapes Smoga'€™s wife, Turi Ranum (Krisniati M), and tries to force him to sign a confession with constant mental torture.

Meanwhile, Raung suspects that there is something more behind the arrest of Smoga. Aware of Bagus'€™ dirty reputation, the President hesitates to name him police chief, despite pressures from his party, which backs Bagus.

Aware of Raung'€™s discontent, Bagus plays dirty politics. While the police general displays constant concern for Raung'€™s safety, he also sends his mistress Ratih to seduce the President.

When that gambit fails, Bagus sets a trap to create public perception of a sex scandal in the palace to blackmail Raung.

Raung resigns when he can'€™t follow his heart amid pressure from politicians and his allies. In the end, it seems that Bagus will see his ambition fulfilled - although there is a last twist.

Homo Reptilicus portrays politics bleakly and graphically, with actors sporting lizard masks in some scenes to underscore their villainy and selfishness.

Toto delivers a magnificent performance as Bagus, cultivating a subtle devilish aura that creates an empathy, of sorts, for why the police general turned dirty cop.

Olivia, a mainstream celebrity who made headlines after a picture showed her vacationing in the Maldives with former Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, gives a natural performance as the femme fatale Ratih: a woman who knows how to use sex to control powerful men.

The stage, divided into two, allows scenes to flow smoothly due to masterful lighting by Parulian, who manipulates light and dark to underscore the contrast between democracy and corruption '€“ as well as between malicious authorities and citizens.

Hot seat: Eko D. Zenah (right) as Smoga. The stage for Homo Reptilicus is lit masterfully by Parulian.
Hot seat: Eko D. Zenah (right) as Smoga. The stage for Homo Reptilicus is lit masterfully by Parulian.

Homo Reptilicus, steeped in recent real-life events, was directed by Radhar Panca Dahana, a playwright and cultural observer who frequently speaks out on politics.

The 49-year-old began his theatrical journey when he was 14. Radhar founded the Teater Kosong dramatic troupe several years after he wrote his first play Gamang in 1983.

However, bringing Homo Reptilicus to the stage was a halting process, due to a lack of funding, among other issues. The troupe had been on hiatus since 2007.

Among other targets in the play, Radhar takes aim at the media and intellectuals who ditch their integrity and professionalism to climb the so-called greasy pole.

Politics as dramatized by Homo Reptilicus evokes Shakespeare '€” '€œOne may smile, and smile, and be a villain'€ '€” and reminds us of what lurks behind the '€œpleasant faces'€ of those in power.

Homo Reptilicus will have its final performance at the Teater Kecil at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts complex in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.

Pawn: Eko D. Zenah (center, sitting) as Smoga is made a pawn in the plans of a police general, in this scene from Homo Reptilicus.
Pawn: Eko D. Zenah (center, sitting) as Smoga is made a pawn in the plans of a police general, in this scene from Homo Reptilicus.

'€” Photos by JP/P.J. Leo

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