INDONESIA THEATER REVIEWS

Visiting the Great White Way is any musical theatre lover's dream. Last July, that dream came true for 13 winners of Indonesia Menuju Broadway (IMB) as they attended musical theatre workshop on Broadway. Now they return to perform WHAT I DID FOR LOVE, a musical showcase featuring Broadway hits....

It has been 14 years since poet and playwright Arifin C. Noer's passing, leaving behind a trove of cinematic and stage classics. One of those, the stage play PADA SUATU HARI is still relevant, if not even more so. KELOMPOK POJOK theatre must have thought the same as they walked on stage on August 16...

Pulitzer winning rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL is not the most obvious show to bring to Jakarta, much less by young actors still in school or college age. But despite the idiosyncrasy, musical community JAKARTA YOUTH FOR PERFORMING ARTS (JYPA) together with suicide prevention community INTO THE LIGHT ...

On May 23rd, a new contemporary ballet show, KINTSUGI, ran for one show only at Teater Kecil, Jakarta. It is the brainchild of dancer Elhaq Latief under the banner of ELHAQ LATIEF PRODUCTION and tells the story of a romance that devolves into an abusive relationship. The show is followed with a disc...

In May of 2009, a little new Fox series called Glee aired for the first time. It exposed theatrically-inclined Indonesian youths to the highly energetic and often drama-prone art of show choir. A decade later, JKT MOVEMENT OF INSPIRATION (JKTMoveIn) held their inaugural competition JAKARTA SHOW OFF,...

The timeless story of Annie and the orphans are back on stage in Jakarta, after 2016's limited run of the Broadway cast. This time, however, the musical is produced by Indonesians, specifically by the performing arts training center Hi Jakarta Production School. Furthermore, Hi Jakarta licensed the ...

Only a few performance venues in Indonesia can match Ciputra Artpreneur's sophistry and prestige. The theatre has hosted international engagements throughout the years. And on Saturday, April 20th, 2019, its stage transformed into the colorful world of PULAU ELEGI ('Island of Elegy'), an ambitious m...

The sorceress slumps in grief as the bodies of her victims are strewn around her. Durga, the fearsome goddess, watches with indifference. It is one of the many sorrowful scenes from RATNA MANGGALI: PERIH SANG PUTRI PENYIHIR (RATNA MANGGALI: GRIEF OF THE SORCERESS' DAUGHTER) by Studi Teater Mahasiswa...

TEMAN (Teater Musikal Nusantara), an Indonesian professional musical theatre company founded by alumni of LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, held their first musical production: Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS. The two-day run consisted of three sold out shows at the Salihara blackbox theater in Jaka...

Seven unruly children wreak havoc in their home, scaring away the latest woman unfortunate enough to be hired as their nanny. The widower father is left in exasperation until one day a seemingly magical and definitely very mysterious nanny showed up at their front door....

Tick Tock Tick Tock. That was the sound that we heard the moment we enter the auditorium. All the casts were already on the stage, sitting on a chair with tables in front of them, acting as if we are not even there to saw them. Behind them there was a blackboard that says 'Perfectly Useless Movement...

After the 2-hour show of untamed expressions of love and longing for peace, the logic and passion behind HAIR are made clear: it's an outcry against the growing injustice of contemporary Indonesian society....

GEMINTANG is Teater Koma's 153rd production, the latest in a long line of theatrical entertainment combined with contemporary social commentary. The script, penned by Nano Riantiarno, is also one of the few original Indonesian plays incorporating science fiction elements....

The date was May 25th 2018. On the Friday evening blessed with clear skies, Graha Bhakti Budaya was filling out with people coming to watch the 9th musical drama production by Jakarta Performing Arts Community (JPAC) - DREAMGIRLS. It was the opening night and the anticipation coming from everyone w...

Cheers and boos from the raucous crowd filled Burhanuddin Stadium. BIG RIG, a stubby robot clad in yellow, threw a hefty punch at B-BOP. The latter, a three-headed robotic monstrosity, easily parried the attack. Its looming build countered with a direct hit at its opponent, smashing it against the r...

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Victory Plus school conducted a musical performance of Aladdin Jr. in the Amartha Hall, 24th of February at 18.30 PM onwards. The hall was packed with a lot of enthusiasm and joy of parents, musical aficionados, and children who are already familiar with the Disney Classic itself....

Situated at L'INSTITUT FRAN AIS D'INDONESIE Central Jakarta, The Jakarta Players will be performing an exclusive run on one of Christopher Durang's famous and funniest play, Beyond Therapy from the 8th and 10th December 2017...

Teater Abang None (Abnon) supported by Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation performed a theatrical concert titled BABE, MUKA KAMPUNG REJEKI KOTA in Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta....

In Setember 6-7, as part of LIFE's 2017 (Literature and Ideas Festival), Komunitas Salihara presenting the play +51 AVIACION SAN BORJA in Teater Salihara, South Jakarta....

In 25 and 26 August 2017, Project Indonesia Kita 2017 performed their 25th show titled LASKAR BAYARAN in Teater Jakarta, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini....

Under the roof of Jakarta Performing Arts Community (JPAC), Director Fonnyta Amran and the rest of her team from the production succeeded in bringing Jakarta theatre goers to Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki to see West Side Story from the 12th to 14th May 2017. This mammoth of JPAC's 8th p...

Legenda Balada Baladi opened up in GRJS Bulungan, Jakarta from the 24th to the 26th of March 2017. The musical tells a story about two young lovers, Jaka and Poet. Envious of the legends' stories such as Sangkuriang to Situ Bagendit, they set out to establish themselves as legends, and met the st...

TIN Republic opened up in the Graha Bhakti Budaya Theatre for a limited time only from the 24th to the 26th of February every 6.30 PM Indonesian time. The musical depicts a story about two young and aspiring journalists, Gaby Martini and Joni Latuputy, who are always eager to find the truth in an...

THREE PENNY OPERA is a legendary manuscript with such a simple plot in conveying social criticism. A scoundrel is in a tainted friendship with a police chief. A daughter-loving local entrepreneur disguised as a social worker, but it exploits poverty. The male characters are busy with their own affa...