Review: CEK TOKO SEBELAH Stocks Up on Love and Laughter

The production company JAKARTA MOVIN is best-known for MUSIKAL PETUALANGAN SHERINA (MPS). A highly successful stage adaptation of a beloved Indonesian movie, Petualangan Sherina, the show was revived multiple times to sold-out audiences. It was MPS that led to their latest production.

When comedian, writer, and director Ernest Prakasa watched a showing of MPS, he had a flash of inspiration: to bring his own successful movie, Cek Toko Sebelah, to the stage. After years of preparation, CEK TOKO SEBELAH took to Teater Jakarta on December 9-11, 2022.

Screenwriter Widya Arifianti wrote the script and worked on the treatment in collaboration with Ernest (who also serves as a co-producer) and JAKARTA MOVIN cofounder Nuya Susantono (who leads the production as producer and director). The 16 songs in the score were written by Nuya and Widya and brought to life by co-music-directors Wishnu Dewanta and Nic Edwin. Dimas Praditya provides the choreography while Ranu Pratyakso works as the vocal director.

CEK TOKO SEBELAH tells the story of a family of a Chinese-Indonesian family and their intrafamily dynamics. A Fuk (Chandra Satria) is an elderly owner of the general shop Jaya Baru, which he built after he and his late wife Lili (Lea Simanjuntak) made their escape from the 1998 riots.

A Fuk wishes for his second son Erwin (Kristo Immanuel) to inherit the store. But Erwin, an upstart employee working for a big corporation, hopes to focus on his own corporate career instead. His dream is supported by his fiancée, Natalie (Dwynna Win) and seems to be coming true, as he receives an interview invitation to be the brand director for South East Asia.

Meanwhile, A Fuk's first son, Yohan (Morgan Oey) is a photographer-for-hire who's trying to build his own business. Despite his hardwork and the undying support of his wife, Ayu (Nisa Haryanti), he still struggles to make ends meet. Yohan also often reminisces about the time he spent as a child with his late mother, with the young Yohan played by Abirama Putra.

The main conflict arises when A Fuk's health worsens and he insists on Erwin to try running the store for one month. Though conflicted, Erwin gets the approval of his lively and chatty boss Bu Sonya (Patty Sandya) to take a leave for a month and try his hands on managing the shop.

During the course of a month, Erwin builds a bond with the store's workers and a rivalry with Makmur Abadi, the store next door owned by Pak Nandar (Hakiki Kamil). But as the month comes to a close, Erwin chooses to accept his new job, which will place him in Singapore. The heartbroken A Fuk agrees to sell the deeds to his store to Robert (Arthur Nainggolan), a sly real estate developer.

Not wanting to see his family torn apart, Yohan speaks to Erwin and has a heart to heart with his brother, with each one confessing their respect for one another. After a slight nudge from Bu Sonya (whose company turns out has their own rivalry with Robert's), the two employ the employees of Jaya Baru to carry out a heist to retrieve the store's deeds. With their family bond mended, A Fuk agrees to let Yohan run the store and let Erwin go to Singapore, but not before apologizing for his stubbornness.

As an adaptation, CEK TOKO SEBELAH diverges more from its source material as compared to MUSIKAL PETUALANGAN SHERINA. Yet, this change actually improves on the film's script. Extraneous jokes and cut-aways (a trend among films featuring Indonesian comedians) were excised; the female characters were given more dialogue and moments that expanded upon their personalities; and the resolution to the store ownership crisis relied on making use of criminal law instead of drugging Robert in a honey pot trap.

Despite the cut jokes, I find CEK TOKO SEBELAH funnier than the movie, due to the comedy being written into the story itself and never felt distracting nor too much.The joke that earned the biggest laughs was a meta-joke that involved Erwin lampshading Morgan Oey's past as a boyband member.

As a result, the stage version could dedicate its time more to the characters' emotional journey, creating more pronounced heartfelt moments. Of particular note is the relationship between Yohan and Ayu, which is expanded by showing scenes where Ayu reassures Yohan on his insecurities while the two share a plate at a street-side food cart.

But even beyond the main characters, the show also provides a sense of warmth through both the camaraderie between the Jaya Baru's employees and their rivalry with the Makmur Abadi gang. Although each individual character gets less focus, overall the gang feels more united, as they spend more time together to accomplish one end or another.

Yet, by excising the extraneous jokes and elements, it also made the obvious antagonistic role of Robert feel rather gratuitous. He is the closest thing the show has to a traditional villain: his ploy to get A Fuk to sell his store was cast in an overtly negative light, with red lights, sleazy choreography, and a villainous song to match. While, yes, unbridled capitalism and gentrification is bad, and we later learned that Rober employs questionable tactics, his shallow involvement and influence over A Fuk doesn't make his comeuppance feel cathartic. The family drama itself is strong enough without having to resort to a designated bad guy; if the script ever goes another round of editing, I suspect we might have to bid good bye to Robert and his brilliant scarlet suit.

But how's the music in this musical?

The 16 songs - mostly written by Nuya, with some contribution by Widya as well - served the story's purpose well. They were placed in the right moments in the plot, never feeling out of place. The accompaniment, performed live by the Wishnu Dewanta orchestra, highlighted the book's modern and very accessible musical theater sound in the ilk of Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill.

The stand-out songs for me include: the title song, Cek Toko Sebelah, which joyfully showcased the cast's vibrant personality as the rival stores join a decorating competition (I often put this song on loop lately to get a dose of that infectious jovial energy); Takkan Mampu, a powerful number where Chandra struggles with Erwin's refusal to inherit the store as a vision of Lili reassures him; and Lewati Apapun, which put a spotlight on each of Yohan-Ayu's and Erwin-Natalie's relationship through a double duet.

Performing these songs, of course, were the cast. Among the leads, Chandra Satria stood out the most. The veteran musical actor (who acted in seminal modern Indonesian musicals such as MUSIKAL LASKAR PELANGI and GITA CINTA) beautifully brought out a facade of stubbornness that hides the emotional vulnerability typical of fathers. The moments when the mask slipped and we see the almost desperate way he tries to balance between his own hopes and dreams with those of his children's are something quite special.

Lea Simajuntak, another longtime master of the musical stage, gave her best to the character of Liliana, despite the meager stage time. A trained vocalist, her singing enchanted the whole audience as she brought a gentle reassurance to A Fuk or Yohan in their times of need.

This is Morgan Oey's return to the musical stage after TEMAN's HAIRSPRAY back in 2018, where he played teen heartthrob Link Larkin. Compared to the pretty boy love interest role he had then, the character Yohan is much more nuanced with a lot of material and subtlety. And Morgan's turn here is truly applaudable; he brought the right amount of maturity to the role, with realistic woes that never felt too much nor phoned-in.

Playing opposite him is singer-songwriter Nisa Haryanti. The two had great chemistry between them, with Nisa as Ayu becoming an indispensable emotional support to Morgan's Yohan. The scenes where the two share a plate together is especially sweet, but not overly saccharine; the romance here is mature, realistic, yet still enthralling just the same.

As for Erwin, actor and impersonator Kristo Immanuel is a newcomer to live stage musicals, though he held the leading role in PENSI NETFLIX, a recorded musical show by, well, Netflix Indonesia. His most endearing moments were the one he shared opposite Morgan, with the two having a believable brotherly bond. However, although he can carry a tune, his singing is still a bit stilted compared to the more accomplished vocalists on stage.

Rounding out the main cast is singer and LASALLE alumni Dwynna Win. Though Natalie doesn't get as much material as Ayu, she sets herself apart as a more outspoken advocate to Erwin's dreams, holding him to his career commitment. In other works Natalie might have ended up as a disapproving girlfriend character, thus it's refreshing to see her fully supporting Erwin's decision towards the end of the play. This side of her character makes me wish we could've seen more of Natalie and her own aspirations.

The most prominent supporting characters are Erwin's boss Bu Sonya, played by Patty Sandya, and real estate executive Robert, played by Arthur Nainggolan. Bu Sonya is such a crowd-pleasing role, with hilarious lines embodied beautifully by Patty Sandy, with just as hilarious mannerism (there was even a moment where she nearly breakdanced on stage!). Likewise (despite the questionable necessity of his role in the story, the sly and sleazy Robert is played by Arthur with great physicality and charisma.

Of course, as a big show, the wonderful supporting cast deserved a shout-out too. There's the supporting Jaya Baru cast (Fathur Rizky, Rangga Yogata, Urip Waluyo, and Nada Novia) and the considerably large ensemble members (Aviva Nur Alika, Arsalnati Indraprasta, Mutiara Bertha, Made Aurellia, Kayla Alunandika, Shanna Miaziza, Dorotea Sonya, Tyas Callista, Ryan Andreas, Wolo Krisna, Ezechiel Litaay, Mahendra Harimurti, Manache Moivre, and Ilham Fadel).:The ensemble members played their role with such conviction that it's an absolute joy to watch them act, dance, and sing their hearts on stage - not to mention greatly entertaining as well.

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. It's particularly notable that the cast recording CEK TOKO SEBELAH is available on all major streaming platforms, allowing a wider audience to listen and enjoy the songs and some of the story even beyond its original run in Teater Jakarta.

Just as Jaya Baru was closed and revived into a new venture at the end of CEK TOKO SEBELAH, it is with great excitement that I await JAKARTA MOVIN's next production to open its doors.