“Sudah lama ga ke Kelapa Gading”
Masih ingat waktu saat saya berjalan kaki dari sebuah mal (sehabis makan di Y*ngdaeri) ke sebuah tempat pertemuan pertama komunitas untuk anggota baru. Sudah beberapa tahun saya mengikuti komunitas tersebut dan baru awal tahun 2023 kemarin saya memutuskan untuk mendaftar, bukan sebagai penampil atau tim produksi, hanya sebagai anggota komunitas Jaksical. One might ask, kalau ga bikin pertunjukan, ngapain aja? I was confused in the beginning as well but the period of time when most of everyone stayed at home putting physical distance with each other, things have got to be more creatively done. Ternyata ada online sing-in, webinar tentang per-theatre musical-an, bahas soal musikal yang akan di-revive atau premiere dan sebagainya. So I decided to join and find people who likes similar stuff as I do!
Di post ini akan ada beberapa poin yang menjadi highlight tahun 2023 kemarin (pardon the mixed language because some of it has been sitting in the draft for too long).
Musikal Kapan Resign
Musikal Kapan Resign is a one-act musical that can resonate with people who have office jobs but also jabs at the absurd expectations on relationship with our working environment. It featured a concept that us Indonesians who grew up with the comedy shows on TV: the likes of Sule-Andre-Parto, the banter between Olga and the audience etc., where improv and getting the audience giggling is one of the goals. That is a perfect kind of vehicle that allows us to make fun of our grim reality otherwise the musical might be too true and makes us even more depressed. However, the “improv” just doesn’t happen out of the blue. I heard it was being prepared for a couple of years by an all-female producers (another thing worth celebrating!). It’s a very exciting idea that actually came to life. I really felt that they were in it out of the eagerness to create something. Since then, everything just feels ground-breaking to me: from the original concept (original everything!), the audience getting to choose the ending they want to see, down to the brand and marketing (I can talk for days about this I have no words because just look at the materials, wow).
Another goal of the musical is to talk about the issues that have been going on for years but only reached or talked about between generation just very recently. I was able to see several people across the seat who were probably at our parents’ age seeing in a performance about “what kids these days are fussing about?”. I wish that generations before us understand that we also would have wanted things to be easier on them. On a more serious note, it is not fair that they had to do go through the highly demanding working environment for themselves and for us, and what some of us are fighting for is not discrediting their generation’s work and accomplishments. Unfortunately, not everyone from their generation gets to sustain a life, remain in a battle, or grow old with unhealed wounds. Won’t it be great if they could look at us making sure that more people will get to live their lives a little better, without the unnecessary stress from work and a much more improved quality of life (by quality, means having all the basic needs covered)? Maybe that’s also part of the reason why they allow the audience to choose the ending they’d like to see — we like to be very much in control of our the narrative for once in a while. Life is like that one Black Mirror episode where we get to choose what’s next.
One thing I realized:
Theatre at the end of the day, offers an experience. It pulls you into the scene with the set, music, lighting, and even the way that the theater building is built, it tries to surround your being and senses. I wonder what happened between the circle of stories around the bonfire — something like the reenactment of Game of Thrones Purple Wedding on a busy street, to the watching experience where everyone is expected to be silent and still, trying not to breathe too audibly. The thing is, engaging with the audience has always been a part of the performance as long as human history created tales. It can be a shared experience too not always a personal one. It’s okay to giggle and throw a quick banter sometimes. We Indonesians have Lenong Betawi and Ketoprak Jawa, Just to name a few. These forms of entertainment, at least the ones accessible to me on TV, make use of improvs and do an exchange of energy where the audience gets to react or respond, kind of breaking the fourth wall.
Festival Musikal Indonesia
Later in the same month, coinciding with the National Youth Pledge Day, ada Festival Musikal Indonesia yang diselenggarakan lagi di tahun 2023. It was my first time attending a festival of any kind and it was very inspiring even just from seeing a stage for less than 30 minutes, the “tidbits”. Even more so, melihat banyak poster produksi teater dan teater musikal, or performance arts in general, yang cukup populer sejak beberapa dekade lalu, dari Pagelaran Karya Guruh Soekarno Putra (Swara Mahardhika was legendary), Onrop!, Musikal Sekolahan, Dreamgirls, Hairspray (the last show before *you know*), dan banyak lagi termasuk musikal daring yang disiarkan di Youtube (“bajunya begitu lusuh!”, anyone?).
Pas di awal tahun mendaftar untuk menjadi anggota komunitas, one thing that I mentioned as something that I look forward to adalah musikal yang menampilkan unsur budaya tradisi; going beyond dari mengadaptasi cerita rakyat atau biografi sosok seseorang. And that wish was finally fulfilled that year. Instead of the falling chandelier or that dragon from Wicked, they have two-story ogoh-ogoh. Suara lirih, the grieving sound with sinden singing technique. Damn, I still remember how chilling it felt. Sangat berkesan sekali menonton penampilan yang meski hanya cuplikan, bukan penampilan dua babak seperti musikal Broadway pada umumnya, tetapi dipertunjukan dengan sangat rapih dan all-out layaknya sebuah show of their lifetime. Jika itu hasil dari persiapan singkat untuk festival, bisa dibayangkan jika mereka lebih leluasa dengan durasi yang lebih panjang.
Another thing I realized:
A semantic thing. “Musical” is an umbrella term, it’s rather difficult to only use the word to define just one approach to a performing arts style. Anna Kendrick explained it best: “[it’s not technically a musical theatre because] the characters know that they are singing and the music doesn’t really move the story forward…” — which is how probably people, e.g. me, will try to explain. Is an Opera a musical? ’Cause even Operet Bobo, as the term operet may be derived from “a lighter version of an Opera”, may also be considered a musical. Is Bollywood film a musical because they have the lead characters sing in the rain, doing cat and mouse, professing love to each other, or confidently strutting across the room to show their bold confidence to their love interest? Can the Ramayana kecak dance performance in Uluwatu be considered a musical as well?
Legally Blonde dan Mamma Mia the Musical
I can’t recall a single calendar year where there was more than one MTI (Musical Theatre International) licensed show. Legally Blonde the Musical in November: one of those film-turned-to-Broadway musical, the original film now considered “classic” by Gen Z, and Mamma Mia the Musical in December, considered as the prime example of a jukebox musical and a way for incredible artists to still get royalty, earning bucks later in life. I grew up with both so of course I was looking forward to seeing them.
I wish I can say more but too bad I was not able to see both — Legally Blonde in particular, karena stuck di tengah hujan badai and my legs just give up karena pernah nonton acara dengan kondisi sepatu dan celana basah then I found myself being uncomfortable for the entire show. I was not able to see the other shows because of time huft don’t we all wish we can go see and support every production and every show? :(
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Some more highlights from last year
The “who’s cutting the onion” moment: seeing Jess LeProtto at the Tony Awards for the A Beautiful Noise performance because I was then reminded again and amazed at how he’s poured into the Broadway community being an ensemble in so many shows since he was a kid. Seeing him on the Tony stage when the world had just started to open up again was a very moving moment. How dedicated the dancers and ensemble (and the swings, the writers, and the crews too! It was another show that went unscripted to due the writers' strike, icymi) are despite not having enough spotlight.
The “whoa I got chills all over my body” moment: speaking of the ensemble, seeing the ensemble of Hamilton. I swear the slime tutorial and pro-shot don’t do them justice. Having seen the lead actors performance on various videos online, it is imperative that I would have an idea more or less about what they’re doing…but that one girl from one corner of the stage, the leap that a guy did, or the synchronizicityzation (yes had to make up a word because it Oxford dictionary can’t explain how in-sync everyone was) were the stuff that we wouldn’t get to see unless we see them directly on stage. Can we request an individual fancam for each of the ensemble cast please. How much budget do you need, I can chip in like 0.0001% but please make it happen.
What to look forward to in 2024? 2025? Sometime in the future?
Many communities and theatre companies are blossoming. They are finding their footing in the scene and they all are driven by the same thing: chasing that feeling of euphoria and obsession with musical theatres. Like many things that are blossoming, their beauty may be affected by the gust of wind or heavy drops of rainwater. Everything is still relatively new — testing the waters and trying to build a strong foundation; the foundation of having skillful talents for behind-the-scenes and increasing the number of musical theatre-watchers. It brings me hope that these communities are willing to learn from each other.
Cheers!
