April 22, 2022 - 7:30pm
Wayang Purwa
Shadow Play
UC Berkeley
Midiyanto, dhalang (shadow master)
accompanied by Gamelan Sari Raras, directed by Midiyanto and Ben Brinner
featuring Heni Savitri, singer, and Darsono Hadiraharjo, drummer
This is a performance about political intrigue that drives two kings to war, about one country chipping away at the territory of another, and about family conflict. The kings are Boma Narakasura and Gatotkaca, their kingdoms are Trajutrisna and Pringgandani, and their family ties go to the heart of the Mahabharata epic. Boma Narakasura is the son of the god Visnu, incarnated as King Kresna. Gatotkaca, is the son of Bima, the biggest, brawniest of the five Pandawa brothers who are the central figures in the Mahabharata. Since the Pandawas are cousins of Kresna, family strife erupts when the scheming prime minister of Trajutrisna makes a land grab across the border in Pringgandani. Kresna and Bima - accustomed to being allies in the ongoing struggles of the Pandawas against their cousins the Kurawas - are forced to side with their own sons against each other.