Here is an experiment: Take a decent moviegoer in Indonesia and ask if they know the “City of Stars” song from 2016’s La La Land, parts from Disney’s animated film Moana or whichever songs come to their minds at the mention of Frozen. They will know these movies and will even be able to sing the tune.

In the traditional sense, these are movies in the musical genre; the characters express their feelings through musical numbers in exchange for words. They are what audiences see in a musical theater show or its adaptations, from last year’s remake of West Side Story, the famed 2012’s Les Misérables or even the panned Cats and Dear Evan Hansen.

Indonesia has them, too: 2008’s Laskar Pelangi, beloved by many, has been adapted into a successful run of musical theaters. Usmar Ismail’s Tiga Dara in 1956 is a musical film, and -- perhaps most famously -- so is Sherina’s Adventure in 2000, which is loved by generations across the country. 

But if those titles are the only answers most Indonesians have when asked about local musical films or theaters, one has to ask: Are they all we have?

The state of local musical theaters

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