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Teater Koma questioning our legacy
‘Warisan’ makes us think about what we can leave for the next generation.
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Happy outside: The clown (Febri Siregar) enjoys himself in “Warisan” (The Legacy), Teater Koma’s latest play. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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lap! Clap! Clap! Dozens of elderly people clap their hands as part of a routine exercise. The director of the retirement home stands in front of them as exercise instructor, fluidly providing an example of the motion. The last clap sounds and the group returns to back stage.
This was the opening scene of Warisan (The Legacy), the 149th production presented by the Teater Koma troupe as a part of its 40th birthday celebration series. The play is being staged at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta art house from Aug. 10 to 20.
Written and directed by Nobertus “Nano” Riantiarno, Warisan is the story of a retirement home. Once, it was the pride of the city as it provided a shelter for old and neglected residents. Many philanthropists happily made donations to the home.
However eight years later, the retirement home has gradually transformed its social purpose. The management has started leasing the rooms to rich people and the growing number of these newcomers has created social segregation within the home. In fact, the property is literarily divided into two sections — one side for the rich and the other for the poor. A tall wall that has no connecting door stands between the two areas.
The wealthy section is home to Miranti (Ratna Riantiarno) and Munan (Budi Ros), who have a good relationship, perhaps romantic. They live with Yula (Rita Matu Mona) and Kadirun (Rangga Riantiarno). The group also has a trio of mahjong players, Dahlia (Daisy Lantang), Yunantira (Elly D. Luthan) and Kadran (Ohan Adiputra).
Among the group are two people, Sakiro (Sir Ilham Jambak) and Subrat (Bayu Dharmawan Saleh), who are constantly involved in critical discussion about political parties, corruption and debt that occur in another country called Negeri Hindanasasa. A question lingers in their minds: Is this also the legacy of our country? Corruption and debt?
Another affluent resident of the retirement home is a writer named Kirdjomuldjono (Idries Pulungan), or Samana Sama. As a writer, all he wants is a quiet place to write, but he can’t find peace in the home. Munan often hallucinates about his son and will start cursing him for being corrupt when the hallucination strikes. He can live in the retirement home because of his son’s money but Kirdjomuldjono feels annoyed to the point that he wants to kill his noisy neighbor.
However, when Munan stops having hallucinations, Kirdjomuldjono becomes restless. He somehow realizes that he needs some form of emotional stimulus to get inspiration for his writing. Thinking that he may achieve his goal through pain, he prepares equipment and starts torturing himself.
Meanwhile in the other part of the retirement home, the poor live in a miserable condition, neglected as their numbers grow, with little food to eat. They spend their evenings gazing at the tall wall that separates their world from the rich people. Two people who can afford to move to another retirement home leave the group, while the others can only try to survive.
The play touches on the irony of a society where the rich can live a comfortable life, enjoy newfound love and have the time to talk about another country’s problems while the poor can only imagine what it feels like living in the other part. The poor are unable to think of anything but their poverty, while the rich only think about surreal things and neglect their poor neighbors.
A conversation between Sakiro and Subrat serves as a reflection of our own country, containing satirical comments.
“What did the previous president ever do, eh?” Sakiro asks.
“Uhm, uhm, he could sing and his voice was sweet,” Subrat replies.
The makeup and costumes are superb as they transform the actors and actresses into geriatric men and women in their 70s and 80s.
The cast expresses well despair, confusion, anger and madness, amplified by complete silence among audience members, who we deeply immersed in the emotional scenes.
Munan and Miranti excel in expressing their sweet love, which has come to them in their lonely days, evincing the sympathy and compassion of the audience.
Teater Koma refrains from any music throughout the production. Instead, it utilizes the sound of props such as a wooden stick, an abacus and, of course, the actors’ voices.
Warisan is a fascinating show it brings together a combination of strong acting capability and wonderful artistry. It presents the audience with joy and sadness that serve as two sides of the same coin.
***
The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
