Indonesia Theater Reviews

Review: Teater Keliling Celebrates 50th Anniversary with the Psychedelic Musikal Mega Mega
by Rakaputra Paputungan - March 21, 2024

What did our critic think of MUSIKAL MEGA MEGA at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta? On February 24th and 25th, Teater Keliling celebrated their 50th anniversary by putting on a production of Musikal Mega Mega at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. The show is based on the non-musical play Mega-Mega by writer and direct...

Review: OBROG OWOK-OWOK EBREG EWEK-EWEK is a Fascinating and Bewildering Look into the Past
by Rakaputra Paputungan - March 17, 2024

What did our critic think of OBROG OWOK-OWOK EBREG EWEK-EWEK at Teater Kecil?...

Review: Anak Jaksel the Musical! is A Mishmash of Nostalgia, Friendship, and Missteps
by Rakaputra Paputungan - March 12, 2024

What did our critic think of ANAK JAKSEL THE MUSICAL! at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta? Yasmara Creation & Boss Creator’s Anak Jaksel the Musical! ran for two shows on Saturday, March 9th, 2024 at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. This is the showrunners’ comeback show after Sumpah 100 Tahun back in 2016. ...

Review: Polarisasi, Indonesia's Contemporary Answer to Hamilton
by Rakaputra Paputungan - February 20, 2024

What did our critic think of POLARISASI at Graha Bhakti Budaya?...

Review: Arendi's THE ADDAMS FAMILY: Creepy, Kooky, and Captivating
by Rakaputra Paputungan - February 06, 2024

The performing arts education Arendi returned to the stage on January 27 and 28 2024 with The Addams Family musical at Teater Besar, Taman Ismail Marzuki. This production marks their return after 2019’s Into the Woods Jr. Arendi collaborates with leading Indonesian musical theatre creatives for the ...

Review: Teto Maranatha's Production of A Christmas Carol Melts Hearts
by Rakaputra Paputungan - January 18, 2024

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Teater Topeng Maranatha? A Christmas Carol is Teater Topeng’s latest show and their first major one after the pandemic. Adapted for the stage by script writer and director Jessica Nangoi, it tells the timeless story of one Ebenezer Scrooge and how he...

Review: Jakarta Art House's MAMMA MIA! is ABBA-solutely Spectacular
by Rakaputra Paputungan - January 01, 2024

What did our critic think of MAMMA MIA! THE MUSICAL at TEATER BESAR?...

Review: CERITA BEDA HAK SAMA 2 Sheds Light on the HIV/AIDS Stigma
by Rakaputra Paputungan - December 20, 2023

What did our critic think of CERITA BEDA HAK SAMA 2 at Gedung Wayang Orang Bharata?...

Review: Svatuhari's SESAK Seeks to Clear the Air on Pollution
by Rakaputra Paputungan - December 13, 2023

What did our critic think of SESAK at Svatuhari? Teater Svatuhari’s latest work, SESAK ran for three shows on December 2nd and 3rd at Gedung Kesenian Miss Tjitjih. This original show is written by Rizky Bayuputra and Sashi Kirana, produced by Gitta Indreswari, and directed by Rinaldy Zulkarnain. SES...

Review: LEGALLY BLONDE: Time to Get Serious with You
by Rakaputra Paputungan - November 30, 2023

What did our critic think of LEGALLY BLONDE at JAKARTA PERFORMING ARTS COMMUNITY?...

Review: KAPAN RESIGN Helps Us Laugh at the Farcical Corporate World
by Rakaputra Paputungan - October 17, 2023

What did our critic think of KAPAN RESIGN at TEATER SALIHARA? The musical community JAKSICAL’s first original musical KAPAN RESIGN (“When Are You Resigning”) had a great marketing campaign. For months, the creative minds created designs and content that invite us to laugh at the bitter world of mode...

Review: SMILE CLUB Seeks to Bring Happiness to All
by Rakaputra Paputungan - October 13, 2023

What did our critic think of SMILE CLUB at NITTY GRITTY?...

Review: The Whimsical THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by HJP is a Sweet Treat for the Whole Family
by Rakaputra Paputungan - August 19, 2023

What did our critic think of THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at HI JAKARTA PRODUCTION?...

Review: Performing Artists Sing and Dance Through Their Woes in THEARAPY by CENSTACOM
by Rakaputra Paputungan - August 13, 2023

What did our critic think of THEARAPY at CENSTACOM?...

Review: IDEALITA Teeters on the Boundaries of Idealism and Reality
by Rakaputra Paputungan - August 07, 2023

What did our critic think of IDEALITA at SVATUHARI? IDEALITA is the tenth original theatrical work by SVATUHARI that ran for five shows between 9-11 June 2023. It is also the result of their inaugural SANGGAR SVATUHARI, a theater program that seeks to teach the art of theatre-making holistically, fr...

Review: TRUST ORCHESTRA's THE LEGENDS 8 Enchants with Magical Ghibli and Dreamworks Tunes
by Rakaputra Paputungan - May 20, 2023

What did our critic think of THE LEGENDS 8 at TRUST ORCHESTRA?...

Review: GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES by JAKARTA PLAYERS Cuts Deeply into Friendship and Trauma
by Rakaputra Paputungan - May 13, 2023

What did our critic think of GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES BY JAKARTA PLAYERS CUTS DEEPLY INTO FRIENDSHIP AND TRAUMA at JAKARTA PLAYERS?...

Review: Young Thespians Showcase Their Talent in SOUND OF MIRACLE III's MELANGKAH and KANDITA
by Rakaputra Paputungan - April 15, 2023

What did our critic think of KANDITA at CIPUTRA GALLERY?...

Review: KEN DEDES'S Spectacular Showmanship Outshines Its Revenge Narrative
by Rakaputra Paputungan - March 22, 2023

KEN DEDES is an original musical by EKI DANCE COMPANY and CIPUTRA ARTPRENEUR, loosely based on a well-known legend surrounding the founding of the medieval kingdom Singosari. The script is written by industry veteran Titien Wattimena alongside EKI's script writing team and brought to life by directo...

Review: THE GREAT RAHWANA Made Its Grand Return to the Stage
by Rakaputra Paputungan - March 13, 2023

As part of their 49th anniversary, TEATER KELILING revived THE GREAT RAHWANA for a 2-show run on Saturday, March 4th, 2023 at Teater Besar, Taman Ismail Marzuki. THE GREAT RAHWANA was previously shown in 2019 at the Ciputra Artpreneur. This revival brings great acting, bombastic music, spectacles, a...

Review: SVATUHARI'S Musical VIOLET is an Overpowering Explosion of Colors
by Rakaputra Paputungan - January 30, 2023

What did our critic think of SVATUHARI’S VIOLET?...

Review: CENSTACOM's LITTLE WOMEN Showcased the Community's Heart and Talent
by Rakaputra Paputungan - January 24, 2023

What did our critic think of LITTLE WOMEN at SALIHARA? CENSTACOM (Center Stage Community) is a relatively new performing arts community, having started in 2019. Even so, their output is striking: six shows in three years featuring up-and-coming performers and a variety of show tunes. On January 20-2...

Review: CEK TOKO SEBELAH Stocks Up on Love and Laughter
by Rakaputra Paputungan - December 18, 2022

All in all, CEK TOKO SEBELAH is a worthy addition to the modern Indonesian musical heritage. It’s a great follow-up to MUSIKAL PETUALANGAN SHERINA and proof positive that JAKARTA MOVIN can’t only adapt a musical movie to a great stage show, but non-musical movies are fair game as well....

TEMAN's RENT Ignites the Air with Artistic Fire and Communal Warmth
by Rakaputra Paputungan - December 02, 2022

TEMAN (Teater Musikal Nusantara) did what many Indonesian thespians thought impossible: bring Jonathan Larson’s 1996 RENT to the country. The show’s themes — which proved to be just as relevant in 2022, if not more so — were powerfully brought to life through effective direction, heartrending perfor...

Review: SUDAMALA: An Ageless Folklore that Tells an Ever-relevant Story
by Rakaputra Paputungan - September 29, 2022

What did our critic think of SUDAMALA: DARI EPILOG CALONARANG at Gedung Arsip Nasional?...