Review: New Horror Musical IBU Delivers Frights and a Mother Lode of Drama

IBU tells the story of Atikah (Andrea Miranda), a girl whose mother died during childbirth. Her father and plantation owner, Pieter (Chandra Satria) grew to be emotionally distant, leaving young Atikah in the care of Bibi (Sita Nursanti), her loving caretaker.

As Atika blossomed into a young woman, she fell in love with Soma (Nino Prabowo), Bibi's son. However, their love was not meant to be, as Surya (Morgan Oey), the son of a rival plantation owner, came into their lives. He intended to take not only Pieter's plantation but also his sole daughter. What followed was a melodrama that ended with tragedy and, ultimately, horror.

The show began with a prologue narration by Pieter, still grieving from the passing of his wife as he held baby Atikah. The opening number was a sad dramatic ballad that served mostly as exposition. And although this in itself was not particularly problematic, it was followed by several more narrative numbers that told us of the characters' feelings, instead of showing them to the audience.

Thus the very early parts of IBU might feel meandering at times, as we listened to the characters professing their sadness, confusion, or love, without actually witnessing them, expecting us to take them for granted. This part of the show felt clunky and could've been told better.

Thankfully, the action and drama picked up as we actually got to see the characters interacting. What unfolded was a classic drama with star-crossed lovers, a dastardly evil villain, and many deaths. And only then the show changed gears into full-on horror.

The drama parts made up the majority of the show and the story beats would be familiar with most viewers. However, there was a moment that was a little baffling, where Pieter agreed to meet Surya alone, knowing just how unabashedly ruthless Surya was. Needless to say, the meeting didn't end well for Pieter. But, despite these small flaws, the show was enjoyable enough that viewers looking for the horror should definitely stick around to see the payoff.

As for the horror itself, the scenes were mostly familiar but can still be quite effective. There were jumpscares, a long-haired ghost, and a grudge paid full in blood. However, the scene that left the most impression on me was the one where Bibi sang an incantation meant to help Atikah enact her revenge. Sita Nursanti's hauntingly beautiful voice, intense expression, and the crescendo of music made for an almost unbearable intensity.

All in all, the cast was a highlight of the production. They were able to play these characters with the right nuance needed as the story transformed from drama into horror, and it was a treat to see several of cast members playing against type - here, Andrea Miranda played a vengeful figure with bloodchilling stare while Morgan Oey played an irredeemably evil character.

It should be pointed out, however, that Morgan's take on Surya, while a joy to watch, was a slight mismatch with the other characters. His energy felt like it might belong better in a more satirical take on the genre. On the other hand, it was hard to fault the actor all that much, as we didn't get to see layers to his character that would make his actions more understandable.

Meanwhile, it was Sita Nursanti's Bibi who surprisingly got the bulk of the dramatic weight. She was the one who raised Atikah and her only confidant. And seeing Bibi's selfless love for Atika, even beyond the latter's death, was a treat, and Sita Nursanti was the glue that held the show's emotional core together.

The music, written by Ammir Gita, was all around satisfactory and performed well by the cast. Although it's difficult to convey dread through show tunes, he succeeded in delivering a bone-chilling and otherworldly composition in the aforementioned Bibi incantation scene. Furthermore, the sound design was rich and superb, with ambient sounds that really helped bring the scenes to life.

As for the visual aspect, the show was an absolute powerhouse. The interplay of the set design (an almost conceptual take on it, with some backgrounds being merely drawn representations of a dining room or the outdoors) and lighting was a beauty to behold. Years passed and the atmosphere flipped from lighthearted to scary and oppressive through clever use of lighting, the handiwork of Ricardo Marpaung as the artistic director.

The cinematography didn't disappoint either, bringing to mind Wes Anderson with its use of symmetry. A lot of the shots were shot smack dab in the middle of the living room set, creating a playful theatrical look. But the camera isn't shy to move around as well during the high octane scenes of confrontation or scares. And as you can see through the images in this article, the musical can look astoundingly gorgeous at times.

Overall, horror is a hard genre to tackle, and even more so in the format of a musical. The whole creative team and cast of IBU should be applauded for their work. Despite slight pacing problems, the horror parts themselves were memorable, the cast was a joy to watch, and I believe IBU can lead to even better Indonesian horror musicals in the future. If you are a fan of either horrors or musicals, you should consider seeing the show for yourself...if you dare.

IBU's story concept was created by IMP Creative and expanded upon by Titien Wattimena as both scriptwriter and librettist. Aditya Purwa Putra served as the director alongside co-director Rusmedia Agus, with Ammir Gita as composer and music director. The creative team also includes Yunus Pasolang as cinematographer, Ricardo Marpaung as artistic director, Andhy Pulung as video editor, Ursula S. Gayatri as costume designer, and Aktris Handrajasa as makeup artist.

To post a comment, you must register and login.