Theater in Indonesia has long fascinated scholars of Southeast Asia as a site of cultural production. Recently, Laurie Sears (1996) and Jan Mrázek (1999, 2000, 2002) have drawn attention to intersections between theater and popular culture as a means to investigate articulations of self and society, the impact of mass media, and relations of power. In so doing, they have contributed insights into processes of identity formation, politics of knowledge and representation, and the shaping of tradition in the changing socio-political contexts of Indonesia--primarily through analyses of central Javanese shadow theater (wayang kulit). In his book Power Plays, ethnomusicologist Andrew Weintraub breaks new ground by critically discussing these issues in relation to a tradition of the Sundanese people in West Java: wooden-rod puppet theater (wayang golek).
Specifically, Weintraub focuses on “superstar dalang”--a small number of puppet masters who have achieved celebrity status through new systems of publicity since the 1970s (6). The purposes of Power Plays are to determine the conditions that allowed for the development of superstars in a specific socio-political context, and the strategies these performers have employed to negotiate competing pressures from the Indonesian government, audiences, and industries of culture, while also exercising their own agency to be innovative and, in some cases, subversive. By investigating their careers and performances, Weintraub argues that “the production of meaning in wayang golek…is intersected by social struggles over power and authority” (233).
Weintraub convincingly supports his argument through analysis of language, discourse, and music drawn from over twenty years of experience with Sundanese arts, including several years of field research. While in West Java, Weintraub worked most closely with superstar dalang Asep Sunandar Sunarya and the musicians in his troupe, but also consulted other Sundanese performers, critics, and officials (2). The author uses and privileges their perspectives to emphasize how individuals engage with cultural politics in their daily lives in tangible ways that have material consequences.
The first of three parts that comprise Power Plays is “The State of Wayang Golek,” wherein Weintraub introduces the tradition. In chapter 1 he establishes a historical context for particular types of relationships between performers, audiences, and political centers of power in different socio-political eras since the nineteenth century. Chapter 2, “Cultural Policy and Canons of Performance,” is an analysis of these relationships within the circumstances of the New Order regime under former President Suharto (1966-1998). Particularly noteworthy is Weintraub’s comparison of reference materials about wayang golek by Sundanese writers. He shows that although this discourse did shape criteria used by judges to evaluate performances for government-sponsored competitions, it did not necessarily control the ways Sundanese artists performed because dalang were also responding to different demands from audiences.
Part Two, Poetics and Politics, takes the reader further into the lives of individual superstar dalang and their conventions of performance. In chapter 3, Weintraub analyzes the socio-economic conditions of New Order Indonesia that enabled the rise of superstars and their impact on the conventions of wayang golek. In the following chapter, Weintraub analyzes the text of a performance to demonstrate that by using humor, dalang voiced audiences’ perspectives to both reinforce and challenge the New Order government. The development of a new type of gamelan ensemble--one capable of playing in multiple tuning systems--is the subject of the fifth chapter, “The Spectacle of Sound.” Weintraub argues that these ensembles contributed to the dominance of superstar dalang and “brought about corresponding changes in musical repertoire, playing style, and social organization of troupes” (128).
Chapter 5 is the only musically technical chapter of the book. As an ethnomusicologist, I appreciated Weintraub’s investigation into cultural production through analysis of musical sound. Those without a musical background, however, might find the chapter a challenge to read with its dense terminology regarding pitches, tuning, and mode; charts of instruments; and transcriptions. At the same time, a knowledge of music is not necessary to understand the main points, and audio examples on the accompanying CD-ROM help all readers to “hear” Weintraub’s evidence.
In Part Three, Cultural Technologies and Representations, Weintraub examines mediated forms of wayang golek. In chapter 6, Weintraub argues that the cassette industry contributed to the popularity and dominance of superstar performers, who, because of their popularity, “became the focus of official attempts to shape wayang golek into an instrument of government policy” (165). He examines the dynamic relationship between cassette and live performance, demonstrating that cassette performance created new forms of wayang golek (188). He also considers the impact of censorship by the government and recording industry. Turning to television programs in chapter 7, he focuses on challenges to the New Order through constructions of local, ethnic, national, and global identities (207).
To comment on the changing politics articulated in wayang golek since the end of the New Order, in chapter 8, “Mediating the Nation in Post-Suharto Indonesia,” Weintraub examines the increased amount of direct criticism towards the government on cassette recordings of wayang golek produced since Suharto’s fall from power in 1998. Weintraub also identifies a sense of uncertainty that characterizes the current “Reformation Era” and the increased acceptance of women as political leaders (227). He brings the book to a close--summarizing his arguments and opening the door to studies of dalang who are not superstars--in chapter 9.
Power Plays is a productive contribution to ethnomusicology, Southeast Asian studies, and related fields. Weintraub convincingly supports his argument, accomplishes his aims, and invites future inquiries. The accompanying CD-ROM--which also includes written explanations, photographs, and brief video excerpts introducing users to West Java; the history, context, stories, and structure of wayang golek; puppet iconography and character types; and basic principles of the gamelan music that accompanies the performances--is an informative and useful resource on its own or in conjunction with the text. I have found this book valuable in my own research and teaching, and enthusiastically recommend it to those interested in Indonesia, performance, and/or popular culture.
Works Cited:
Mrázek, Jan. “Javanese Wayang Kulit in the Times of Comedy: Clown Scenes, Innovation and the Performance’s Being in the Present World. Part One.” Indonesia 68 (1999): 38-128.
---------------. “Javanese Wayang Kulit in the Times of Comedy: Clown Scenes, Innovation and the Performance’s Being in the Present World. Part Two.” Indonesia 69 (2000): 107-172.
Mrázek, Jan, ed. Puppet Theater in Contemporary Indonesia: New Approaches to Performance Events. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Centers for South and Southeast Asian Studies, 2002.
Sears, Laurie. Shadows of Empire. Durham: Duke University Press, 1996.
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[Review length: 1070 words • Review posted on June 26, 2008]