DRAMA IN JAVA

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 72, 18 December 1928, Page 57 (Supplement)

DRAMA IN JAVA

♦ * * Two Days’ Duration The Javanese take their drama very seriously. For hours they sit and watch a wordless pantomime staged in slow detail, a practice that would grow boring to the outsider, but of which the Javanese never tires, for the legends portrayed have a dramatic signficance because they are pages from the history of his own country. So full of Incident are the legends that the most popular, a performance of “Sutjiptahening Mlntarga” takes two full days, from eight o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock at night. Even the most enthusiastic of our movie fans could scarcely endure that. Each incident Is drawn out and held lingeringly before the spectators to artistic advantage. The prolonged love scenes of Hollywood are seriously rivalled by those of Java. A scene between two lovers may continue for three-quarters of an hour,, while the whole course of a courtship, with Its doubts, its pangs, its quarrels, its peace-makings, and at length the plighting of the troth,' is aetted In slow gestures that hold the audience spellbound. The actors are lavishly dressed, although the settings are left severely plain. Their costumes are made of gorgeous fabrics, Hindu red and green silk, finely figured batik and velvet. Head-dresses of wonderfully carved leather are set with diamonds and other precious stones, while arms and chests are decorated with serpents or intricately designed plates and heavy necklaces. Faces and arms are elaborately made-up by massage with a yellowish powder which produces an exotic pallor. The eyebrows are shaved offi and replaced by painted ones that fix the expression of the Oriental calm which is maintained throughout the performance.

A medley of strange sounds accompany the action. These are produced by an orchestra composed of a number of noisy instruments and the monotonous voice of an old man who reads in Javanese.

Symbolism plays a great part in these productions, and the actors leave a great deal to the imagination. Between scenes the tense situation is relieved by the antics of a pair of clowns, introduced with the same nonchalant irrelevance that Shakespeare occasionally used. Their fooling is immensely popular.

Unlike the movies, there are no doubts entertained among the Javanese as to which class the actors belong. The native drama is supported by native royalty and often the leading parts are taken by relatives of the Sultan. A grand performance was staged in 1926 by the Sultan of Djokjakarta (one of the four kingdoms) In honour of Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, whose Government rules the island and who was then celebrating her silver wedding. The entertainment lasted four days and cost about £20,000. This expense was borne by the Sultan, who also personally supervised the casting and the rehearsals. There were nearly 400 persohs in the cast, many of whom served without pay. Rehearsing was carried on for nearly a year, and when the performance was finally given, they had to be up to dress at 3 o’clock each morning. When the' final scene was over on the fourth day, many of them collapsed from the strain. These performances are looked upon with a kind of reverence. They must never be left unfinished and at times the actors have continued in the pouring rain, ruinous to the gorgeous costumes, without change of expression. Their devotion reveals their little understood mystic belief in the legends.