So Friday evening marked the first time I've ever been to a play.It was Jiwo Jiro (Javanese for Zero Soul) by Najib Soiman, in case for some reason you're still using dial-up and the picture above is taking two hours to load.
I was pleasantly surprised by my first theater experience; the stage set-up was something else, unlike any of those crappy plays I used to see back in my secondary school days. (English Language Drama and Dance Society, you reading this?)
I had my mind open for anything I was about to experience; knowing the arts scene, subtlety is not one of their many traits. The performance played out pretty much like an indie film; emotions were raw and unadulterated, and, trust me, when it came to the issues discussed, there were NO holds barred.
Even though the overall experience was enjoyable, I have to nitpick a little at this point. Some of the scenes were a little confusing, like they didn't contribute much to the flow of the story and, as such, seemed to serve no purpose other than being a warped imitation of a half-time show at American football games. If there's one thing I learned from my scriptwriting teacher Ms Kumaran (I'm giving you free publicity here, Miss K!), it's that every scene you write into the plot should serve a purpose in driving the story forward. And that whole abrupt and absurd closing scene? GAH.
But meh, this isn't my attempt at a review here. Just calling it like I see it. I AM looking forward to more installments in the series though; this looks promising.
I must say, there's this weird allure about the stage that I find addictive. Here's to me watching more plays!
