Renowned theater troupe Teater Koma returned to the stage with a story that pits good against evil in its 139th production, Opera Ular Putih (the White Snake Opera), a reinterpretation of a play that was initially staged back in 1994.

The play is being staged at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center'€™s Graha Bhakti Budaya hall in Central Jakarta from April 3 through April 19.

Playwright and director Norbertus '€œNano'€ Riantiarno said the play'€™s plot had been maintained but was given a modern twist.

'€œThe question the story poses remains relevant: Do we have the ability to keep humans away from evil?'€ Nano says.

Opera Ular Putih is his take on a story from Chinese legend Oh Peh Coa.

The play centers on two snake spirits '€” the White Snake and Green Snake. Both characters are brilliantly played by Tuti Hartati, as White Snake, and Andhini Putri, as Green Snake.

White Snake and Green Snake are sisters who decide to live as humans but it is White Snake who holds the strong desire to become a human. Green Snake, who loves her big sister, follows White Snake, although with a heavy heart.

After a thousand years of meditating, the gods grant their wish and the two spirits turn into humans.

As humans, White Snake changes her name to Tinio, and Green Snake to Siocing.

After landing safely from the sky, they start their lives as humans.

Tinio meets a young man named Kohanbun (Ade Firman Hakim and Dodi Gustaman), who is the incarnation of a good man that helped Tinio hundreds of years ago.

To return the favor, Tinio marries Kohanbun but withholds the truth about her true nature.

The pair '€” who own a medicine shop and are renowned healers in town '€” live contently until evil shakes their happy home.

Soothsayer Gowi (Adri Prasetyo) comes into the picture and tells Kohanbun he is married to an evil white snake spirit.

The good-hearted Kohanbun starts to question his wife and follows the soothsayer'€™s advice to conduct secret tests to find out the truth.

The tests fail, but one night Kohanbun sees Tinio in her true form and he passes out and falls ill.

Realizing that her husband is in great danger, Tinio, who is pregnant, goes on a dangerous trip to find a cure for her husband.

The latest play, while posing philosophical questions, is entertaining.

During the play, the troupe'€™s veteran actor, Budi Ros, who plays wise god Wufu and the puppeteer, shows off his skills, smoothly transitioning from his role as a god to chatty puppeteer.

Chemistry between Tuti and Andhini is thick, resulting in entertaining and moving scenes.

Costume designer of the production Rima Ananda Oemar showcases a mix of Chinese and Indonesian influences as shown in the use of Indonesian batik fabrics in oriental-inspired outfits.

Meanwhile, the production features Chinese traditional music instruments such as guzheng, or a plucked-string musical instrument, and erhu (a bowed-string instrument).

With the latest play, Teater Koma marks another success in creating suspense that thoroughly captures the audience'€™s attention.
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For more information on the play, log on to teaterkoma.org.

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