[Kabar-indonesia] 'Oliver' brings classic Dickens' story to Jakarta

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
September 3, 2006

'Oliver' brings classic Dickens' story to Jakarta

Tam Notosusanto, Contributor, Jakarta

More than one-and-a-half centuries after Charles Dickens created him, Oliver 
Twist roams the streets of Jakarta, still hungry, still needy and still 
miserable.

Of course, he is no longer a child of Victorian-era London. He is now Oliver 
Siregar, a 10-year-old who escaped the brutal factory where he worked in his 
native North Sumatra to seek a better life in Indonesia's capital.

This character, from one of Dickens' most famous novels, was brought to the 
stage by Jakarta's children theater group Teater Sanggar Permata. The group's 
founder, J. Yuswin Permata, adapted the story into a contemporary Indonesian 
setting and gave Indonesian names to the characters. So the Artful Dodger became 
Nico, Bill Sikes became Dodi, Fagin was Mr. Mojo, Monks was Monang and Mr. 
Brownlow became the ethnic Arab businessman Pak Burhan, complete with a 
Turkish-style hat. But the lead character got to keep his original name.

"The reason why I made him a North Sumatran boy," said the Palembang-born 
Yuswin, "is so that I could retain the name Oliver. It's not unusual for North 
Sumatra people to have western names. It wouldn't have worked if I made him a 
Javanese boy."

Titled Oliver, this was not Lionel Bart's 1960 musical adaptation, which was 
later made into the Oscar-winning 1968 film. In fact, it was another one of 
the countless film versions that inspired Yuswin.

"I saw the film directed by Roman Polanski, which was shown here in January," 
said Yuswin. "I liked it, it was a very moving story. Immediately I decided 
to bring it to the stage."

Yuswin was not shy to admit he had never heard of Oliver Twist before seeing 
the film. After watching the movie, the 60-something stage director read the 
book and found it to be far more superior than the 2005 film.

"The film left out the part about Monks, Oliver's half-brother who tries to 
kill him for an inheritance," he said. "I found it very interesting and decided 
to put it in the show. Eventually I stayed true to the book."

Yuswin himself directed Oliver. The rags-to-riches story of a boy who goes 
through grueling experiences before finding happiness was turned into a 
two-and-a-half hour show, complete with songs adapted from well-known international 
tunes that were given Indonesian lyrics. Yuswin was assisted by co-director Nino 
Yulindo, a long-time Permata actor, who also played Burhan. The show had a 
single performance Aug. 27 at The Jakarta Arts Hall (GKJ).

It didn't take the group long to prepare the show. The 32 actors, including 
15 children, went right into rehearsals following their May show, Ayahku (My 
Father), which was also performed at the GKJ. The two-and-a-half month process 
was interrupted slightly when the actor who was supposed to play Oliver left 
the group. Yuswin immediately chose 11-year-old Andre Istanto as his replacement.

"He's very talented, very diligent," said Yuswin of his lead actor, who has 
been with the group since 2004. "And charming and good-looking too."

It's just a coincidence that Andre lives a life that is only slightly better 
than Oliver Twist's. Yuswin describes visiting the tiny house in a cramped 
alleyway where Andre lives with his older sister, mother and father, who works as 
a driver at a car rental company.

"They're not better off than the other kids and parents here, but they have 
high spirits, they're good folks," said Yuswin.

And how is Andre handling his first ever leading role?

"I like playing the lead better, because it's easier," smiled the 
fourth-grader, without any hint of vanity. How is playing the lead role easier, 
especially when he gets beaten, kicked, jailed and shot? Andre just shrugged his 
shoulders, producing another sweet smile. And what does he think of Oliver?

"Oliver's strong, not a crybaby, despite the bad treatment he gets. And he's 
taller than me," said Andre, apparently conscious that at 11 years of age, he 
stands 149 centimeters tall.

Oliver was Teater Sanggar Permata's 69th production and was the group's third 
show this year. Since the 19th century novel's depiction of cruelty to 
children can still be found in modern-day Indonesia, it's easy to assume Yuswin was 
using Dickens to make a comment on social conditions in modern Indonesia.

"No," he said, "I just wanted to tell a good story."

The group, founded in 1984, performs regularly at the GKJ, putting on four 
shows a year. In December, the group will return to stage an original play, 
Anak-anak Rumah Susun (The Children of Low-Cost Apartments). 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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