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View all search results‘Bukan Cinta Galih/Ratna’ brings high school memories back to life
A cross generational cast reimagines Gita Cinta dari SMA as Jakarta alumni from the 1980s turn opening night into a reunion filled with music and memory.
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First glance: Young Ratna, played by Salsha Indradjaja, meets young Galih, portrayed by Xavier El Masrur, in a scene on Feb. 7, 2026, from the musical 'Bukan Cinta Galih/Ratna' (Not Galih and Ratna’s love story) at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta (Sthana Pentas 6/-)
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choir of dozens of senior citizens danced and sang at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on a weekend earlier this month, their black uniforms catching the glow of stage lights as they moved in steady rhythm.
They were alumni of several Jakarta high schools who graduated in the 1980s. That evening, they served as the opening act for the musical Bukan Cinta Galih/Ratna, or Not Galih and Ratna’s love story. Yet their presence felt larger than an introduction. It set the tone for what the night would become: a reunion wrapped in theater.
The musical draws from the legendary romance Gita Cinta dari SMA (High school love song), first a popular novel by Eddy D. Iskandar before becoming a hit 1979 film directed by Arizal. The film starred Rano Karno, now Jakarta’s deputy governor, as Galih, opposite Yessy Gusman as Ratna. For many Indonesians who grew up in that era, the story defined young love, tender and restrained, unfolding under the watchful eyes of parents.
Classic songs written by Guruh Soekarnoputra for the 1979 romantic drama resurfaced during the show, including “Galih dan Ratna” (Galih and Ratna) and “Puspa Indah” (Beautiful flower), the original soundtrack from the sequel Puspa Indah Taman Hati (A beautiful flower in the garden of the heart). Popularized by Chrisye, the songs remain deeply embedded in the country’s pop memory.
“[The choir members] are all professionals. This is a reunion, so we’re really happy to perform for the audience,” said Happy Pretty, 62, after the performance. An alumna of SMA 6 Jakarta state senior high school, Happy rose to fame in the 1980s with the song “Rindu Ketemu Rindu” (When two longings meet). On stage, her voice carried both experience and familiarity.
While the opening performance belonged to senior alumni, the musical itself brought together generations. Produced by Guruh’s art collective Kinarya GSP and the SMA 6 Jakarta alumni group Sthana Pentas 6, the production featured a cross generational cast led by 18-year-old director and writer Mikail Edwin Rizki.
