Review: MUSIKAL UNTUK PEREMPUAN – What Does It Mean To Be A Woman?

Review by Zahira, editing by Rakaputra Paputungan.

Taking place at Teater Salihara on 26-27 April 2025, Askara’s Musikal Untuk Perempuan is a moving show that’s deeply rooted in a feminist spirit. It unfolds various stories, starting from lighthearted scenes of girlhood into complex adult realities: the societal pressure to marry, body shaming, workplace sexism, and the quiet pain masked by everyday smiles.

Musikal Untuk Perempuan is directed by Lizzie Chan, who also wrote the script together with Ajeng Sharfina. The show features songs by Kunto Aji and Nadin Amizah arranged and played live by the Wishnu Dewanta Orchestra.

The musical pulls us into the lives of three best friends: Diandra (played by Andini Mayang Hardiani), Namira (Kayla Alunandika), and Lintang (Cheryl Mesa Barlianto). Each girl is facing her own struggles. Lintang is constantly asked when she’s having a baby. Namira is undermined at her office, labeled as a “nepo baby.” Lastly, Diandra, working in the cosmetics industry, has her inclusive product idea dismissed by her co-workers as “unmarketable”—simply because it caters to more than teenagers.

Interestingly, the issues that they are facing are external factors that come out beyond their control. They are society’s flaws, and not a woman’s. They are battling other people’s expectations of living in a society that keeps questioning and limiting them. Feminism, after all, is not just about representation—it’s about reshaping the world so that everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive.

Eventually, Diandra quits her job. She opens up to her friends, who then comfort her. Diandra expresses her wish to chase her dreams, though she doesn’t clarify what those are yet. She has the urge to create something empowering for women. This sparks a deeper conversation between the three, which slowly blooms into a shared vision of starting a business together. Lintang is hesitant at first, unsure of the risks, but with Namira’s encouragement, she decides to take the leap.

With this commitment, they attend a meeting with an investor to receive funding. Their business project is to create an age-inclusive makeup product. They decide to start with lipstick and choose to involve single mothers in the campaign.

The musical numbers weave the narrative with grace. The three of them sing a song by Nadin Amizah, their voices soft and luminous, and each voice carries its own shade and soul, distinct but effortlessly entwined. Songs by artists like Nadin Amizah and Kunto Aji aren’t merely used as filler, they’re emotional anchors. As a Nadin Amizah fan, I was genuinely moved by how her music was reinterpreted—each arrangement helped me understand each character’s story. 

The storyline continues with Namira speaking on her podcast, revealing that she’s starting  something new with her best friends. She then invites Elvie (played by Lydia Napitupulu) as a guest and discusses how unsafe it still is for women in the workplace. During their talk, Elvie opened up about the harsh reality of being a woman in the workplace. Even then just existing doesn’t always feel safe, and it often feels like you can never truly win. For example, something as simple as going home late at night can instantly become a risk. She makes a powerful point: if a workplace is safe for women, then it’s safe for everyone.

One of the show’s most touching scenes comes when Lintang confesses to her friends that she can’t have children. Namira and Lintang give her comfort instead of pity. They validate her choice to celebrate her life on her own terms. It’s a moment of quiet rebellion against a world that too often defines women by their ability to bear children.

Interestingly, the ending isn’t a traditional triumph. The girls lose the pitch to their competitor, but one of the investors is intrigued by their product and decides to fund it. Musikal Untuk Perempuan isn’t about instant success. It’s about showing up, lifting each other up, falling, standing back up, and continuing the fight. After all, isn’t that what being a woman is all about? 

In terms of storyline, I feel like I wasn’t fully satisfied with how it unfolded. I wished the script dove deeper into the theme of “fighting the patriarchy,” rather than just hinting at it through misogynistic remarks from side characters. Perhaps it could have explored how the beauty industry capitalizes on women’s insecurities, or dug deeper into the emotional labor that women are expected to perform both at home and in the workplace. A richer discussion on these aspects would have added even more weight to the show’s already powerful message.

Even though the story itself is already simple—a coming-of-age tale about young women navigating the struggles of their 20s as they carve their path towards a huge milestone. But the way it’s executed, how they tell their journey, it is steeped in vulnerability and tender honesty of what it’s truly like to be a woman, that’s what lingers to me the most.

There’s no doubt this script was written by women, for women—and that’s exactly what makes it powerful.

Broadwayworld Indonesia is a media partner of Musikal Untuk Perempuan