The 90-minute family drama is a relevant and timely narrative that plays out against the backdrop of the current global situation, with its six protagonists stuck in quarantine under one roof.

The ensemble cast consists of veteran playwrights and stage actors Butet Kartaredjasa, Ratna Riantiarno, Susilo Nugroho and Happy Salma, who produced the play. The remaining two are prominent film actors Reza Rahadian and Wulan Guritno, both of whom have a theater background despite their more notable popularity in the mainstream film industry.

The play revolves around the Wijaya family and the house they live in. The family head is Raden Wijaya Sastro (Butet), a retired public official with a troubling past and bad reputation stemming from corruption allegations.

Living in the same house is Raden’s wife, Amelia Wijaya (Ratna), his stepson Rendy Wijaya (Reza), and long-time housekeeper Parto (Susilo).

The inhabitants fill the house with tension until one day, Raden’s daughter Mutiara Wijaya (Happy) comes home after 10 years, bringing along a friend, Mona (Wulan). The audience learns that Mutiara left home because she disapproved of her father's marriage to Amelia, her stepmother.

The prodigal daughter's return quickly makes things even more awkward for the family, especially between Mutiara and her stepbrother Rendy, who is clearly not shy about showing his dislike for his stepsister.

Told in narration through Parto's perspective, Rumah Kenangan takes the audience on a nostalgic trip down memory lane into the family’s past in the same house, starting from Mutiara as a child to when she leaves home, during which she maintains contact with her father and Parto.

The play culminates in a huge family argument around Mutiara’s lies to her family and Mona’s growing attraction to Rendy, showing that no one has been telling the truth.

The mix of stage and film actors offers top-notch quality acting. The online performance also maintains an authentic theatrical experience, with no video cuts during or between the scenes.

“The play was performed as a play should be, without any cuts aside from changes in the set," said Happy. "I and my fellow performers believed that we had to keep the stage dynamic.”

“The entire process of producing the play took about two months,” said Happy.

Prompted by the COVID-19 restrictions, Rumah Kenangan premiered as a  prerecorded performance without a live audience, and using technical camerawork that brought out the actors' and actresses' portrayals.

The director, playwright Agus Noor and the cast rehearsed the play on Zoom. For the final, recorded performance, the production gathered at the Bagong Kussudiardja Arts Complex in Yogyakarta, following health checks, quarantine and other appropriate precautions.

The production was supported by veteran theater professionals, including artistic directors Iskandar Loedin and Deden Jalaludin Bulqini, music director Indra Ing and costume designer Reto Ratih Damayanti. The decades of theater experience between them turned the production into high-quality theater, no matter the medium of the final performance.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

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