An Indonesian Love Operetta Set at a Low-Cost Apartment

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

The Aku Anak Rusun choir community sings children’s songs during the staging of the Anak Rusun operetta at Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Thursday (21/9). In the operetta, 19 children and regional songs were sung.

Chelsea, 6, the daughter of an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, and Dimas, 11, the son of a road paver, were among the approximately 150 performers in the operetta titled Aku Anak Rusun: Ada Gulali di Hatiku (I am a Child of a Low-Cost Apartment: There is Cotton Candy in My Heart) held at the Ciputra Art Preneur on Thursday (21/9/2017).

The theater building located on Jl. Prof Satrio in South Jakarta once staged a performance of legendary Broadway musical The Sound of Music. On the other hand, in the world of shows, the young residents of rusun (low-cost apartments) are “nobodies”. Their names are never mentioned or even thought about in the world of show business. However, through the operetta Aku Anak Rusun: Ada Gulali di Hatiku, they were involved in disciplined training for a serious production. And, voila! Their performances charmed and wowed an audience that included Addie MS, Titiek Puspa, Triawan Munaf, theater owner Ciputra, Martha Tilaar who helped with make-up and their “parents”: Jakarta Governor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat and Happy Djarot as well as Veronica Basuki Tjahaja Purnama as the event’s initiator.

Diversity

They were all children aged between 6 and 20 years old from five rusun in Jakarta, namely Rusun Albo, Rusun Tipar Cakung, Rusun Tambora, Rusun Pulo Gebang and Rusun Marunda. Apart from them, there was also singer Naura and visually-impaired pianist Fira Christianto guest-starring in the production. Some 100 children sang and another 50 danced. It was pretty “colossal”.

The operetta centers on the lives of rusun children and their role model, Pak Gulali. He instills in the children the idea that a rusun is like a tiny Indonesia comprised of people from various backgrounds. The house will stand strong if the children safeguard, nurture and appreciate the diversity among them.

The underlining theme that Veronica proposed was then translated into the light, entertaining and joyful language of a stage performance. Musician Andre Lizt and his orchestra Soundkestra tackled the music; Kwee Pao Tjoe’s children choir from the Gloriamus Music School helped with the singing; Vanda Parengkuan wrote the story; and choreographer Elza Simanungkalit arranged the dances. Director Rita Dewi Saleh brought together these important elements in a performance that entertained children and adults alike.

Andre used the music inventively. He mixed music from various genres to avoid the 70-minute show from becoming monotonous. Acehnese folk song “Bungong Jeumpa”, for instance, was sung in a Broadway style. Certain parts of the song sounded like John Barry’s James Bond theme tune. North Sulawesi traditional song “Sipatokaan” was packaged in a soul fusion music a la James Brown. This refreshed the songs while not diminishing their traditional origins.

Ibu Sud’s popular children’s tune “Naik Becak” was performed in a pop jazz style. Pak Kasur’s “Dakocan” was turned into a Disney-esque song. AT Mahmud’s “Pelangi” was fused with hip-swaying dangdut music.

The dangdut music was inspired by the various dangdut songs used by the rusun children during the audition. “There was a kid singing Ayu Ting Ting’s ‘Sambalado’ during the audition,” chief event organizer Dovieke Angsana said.

The song was arranged beautifully without fully turning into a dangdut song and yet still having dangdut’s unique hip-swaying feel. This dangdut version of “Pelangi” was one of the highlights of the Operet Aku Anak Rusun.

“Bu Veronica told us to promote Indonesian children songs and folk songs. The event organizer told us to infuse the songs with a sense of grandeur,” Andre said of his musical ideas.

Andre said that a challenge from the event organizers truly set him free in exploring his wilder ideas for the stage performance. “I asked them how far I could push the envelope regarding the music. They told me to just get my idea out there and they would train the kids,” Andre said, quoting his exchange with the event organizers.

Self-confidence

After the show, Veronica said that the idea to create the operetta came to her when she and Happy Djarot watched a series of events at the National Monument (Monas) square. The events reminded them of the children living in the rusun buildings across Jakarta who needed space to express themselves, including their artistic desires. An idea then came to them to create a performance involving the children to nurture their sense of togetherness, diversity and unity.

A creative team then turned the idea into an operetta. “Bu Veronica wanted the performance to be in line with the program to develop and empower rusun children through positive activity,” Dovieke said.

Dovieke and her team began preparing for the show in November 2016. The people behind the stage needed to work hard and smart to prepare the children, who did not have any previous singing experience.

“A few of them had a messy pitch and some were tone deaf. However, I knew they could do it once they learned,” said Kwee Pao Tjoe, a singing coach for the rusun children.

Three vocal coaches were then deployed to teach the children of the five rusun buildings to sing. A few hidden talents were then found, including Gaby who was chosen to be the operetta’s soloist. “They deserve to get an equal opportunity just like any other children,” Dovieke said.

The operetta is a good start in the efforts to develop rusun families. From the training, the children also learned about orderly life, discipline, punctuality, respecting others and appreciating differences. The experience has also boosted the children’s self-worth and self-confidence. During the training, some of them arrived one or two hours late.

“We told them that if they were late, it affected the other children, too,” Dovieke said.

Afterward, they began to be more on-time with the schedule. “I arrived at 11 a.m. for the general rehearsal,” said Ildan, 12, from Rusun Albo. This was despite the general rehearsal not starting until 2 p.m.

There was a clear sense of pride and self-worth among the children for being involved in the performance. “I am so glad tomorrow I will perform [in the operetta]. My parents and many other people with watch me, it’s going to be fun,” said Dimas, another boy from Rusun Albo.

“Not everyone can perform here. This is a very valuable opportunity,” said Ferdian, 15.

A feeling of love for the homeland was nurtured in the performance. Noted composer Addie MS was given the podium to lead everyone in singing “Garuda Pancasila”, “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa” and “Gebyar-Gebyar”. At the end of the show, Veronica played the song “Ibu Pertiwi” on a cello with her daughter Nathania who played the violin.

“This is our collective spirit as we wish Indonesia to stay united amid the prevailing differences,” said Veronica before playing her cello.

The atmosphere of love for the homeland truly enveloped the arena…

(DD16/XAR)