Written by Kristia Davina Sianipar
Photography by Michael King
ICN 2010 began on the deathbed with a father asking his son to continue his quest to find the Tropical Jewel (Zamrud Khatulistiwa) in Indonesia. The son with the company of his two friends would travel across Indonesia to search for the jewel, only to find out that this gem is Indonesia’s beautiful culture: a thoroughly predictable plot.
Before we begin, an awkward silence fell upon us. It was finally broken by a breakdancing performance. I looked at the booklet. It read, Guest Performance. They were lacking energy and finesse. Yet another long painful silence fell upon the stage. This is the first 15 minutes of the show. ICN lost its momentum at the very beginning, a crucial moment for any production to set the mood for the audience.
PINTU, I admit, has the best and largest group performances among its peers. PINTU is well known for its choir, Saman dance, and Kecak dance. In this, they did not disappoint. The Choir was charming. The Irian dance raised a few eyebrows, and I applaud their bravery. It’s about time we recognize the less acknowledged parts of our Indonesian cultures but certainly it can be done more tastefully. The Saman dance was refreshing, with its play of light and dynamism across the stage, providing something new instead of the usual straight line of yellow and blue.
My favorite was definitely the fusion of Kecak and Pendet dances. The harsh glares from the Kecakers were fierce and the sharp movement of the Pendet dancers was enticing. The solo guitarist and the band played a decent performance, but lacked stage presence. The poetry reading was delivered with much fire and passion. This is as much praise as I could give for this show.
It took some effort to come to that theatre, tucked away on the western corner of Singapore. After much effort, I was disappointed. Only after peeling the exterior and dissect individual sections of ICN was I able to appreciate the performances. As a whole, it lacked unity.
The storyline is predictable. That is forgiven. Many great stories out there share similar formulas. However, the acting and the script could be a whole lot more sincere. To illustrate, the scene where the Trio barged into a Javanese wedding seemed haphazard as they walked nonchalantly in front of the bride and groom. Surely, there is a more engaging way to present this. Abruptly, they met their friend whom they had met in Bali. I must say the supporting actress in that scene was probably one of the best actors for the night. Overall, the execution of the play seemed random and chaotic.
I came to ICN 2010 expecting great things. PINTU have always had the strongest performing troupe with such a firm sense of solidarity. I have always admired it as one of the most proactive and talented groups out there. ICN exhibited their strengths as dance troupe but also displayed their lack of experience in theatre and storytelling. They ought to have played to their strengths or focus more resources on the theatrical aspects of the show. Truthfully, I was disappointed. However, even after feeling what I felt at the end of that Saturday, 30 January 2010, I still believe that PINTU could give a much better performance in the future.
Probably not in a form of another musical drama, though.
