THE COCKROACH TRILOGY

By Nano Riantiarno; Translated by John H McGlynn and Barbara Hatley

She wanted only to live. She never bothered anyone, never used force. She did what she did because she was hungry. Tell me how else she might have earned some money? Come on, tell me! Ha, you see; you have no answer. All you can do is talk. Talk, talk, talk. Do you think we can eat talk? She worked, wracked her brains, sweated and slaved to earn a living… And she did earn a living. She was a whore. Yes, a whore. What do you think she should have been? A secretary?

Excerpt of a monologue from Cockroach Opera

The three plays translated in this volume, Time Bomb, Cockroach Opera, and Julini’s Opera, share the same setting and cast of characters. Through their songs, colloquial language, and raunchy humor, they illustrate a blending of the energy of indigenous folk expression and the style of a Western musical. The mixture creates a kaleidoscopic presentation likely to appeal to sophisticated urban audiences but these plays, with their graphically literal representation of the dark “underside” to elite prosperity, subvert rather than affirm middle class assumptions.

On the set of Time Bomb, directly below the chairs of a group of oblivious restaurant diners, sits a slum on the banks of a fetid canal where the victims of Jakarta’s transformation into a rich urban center play out their struggle with life. The diners, representing government officials whose role it is to clear the slums, are depicted as corrupt, weak, and hypocritical individuals who are constantly uttering fatuous statements. Meanwhile, the speech and action of the slum-dwelling “cockroaches”—prostitutes, transwomen, and thugs, as well as hardworking newcomers to the city—is tough, lively, and down-to-earth. For all their humor and fun, however, these plays are not “mere entertainment,” but rather purveyors of a stinging critique of the social injustice found in the “real world” just outside the theater doors.

Dimension: 15.5 x 23.5 cm
Pages: 256
Publisher: The Lontar Foundation
Year: 2024
Category: Drama