Lenong

Lenong
A modernlenongperformance
Types	Traditional theatre
Ancestor arts	Betawi people
Originating culture	Indonesia

Lenongis a traditional theatrical form of theBetawi peopleinJakarta,Indonesia.

Description

Lenongis a form oftheatretraditional to theBetawi peopleofJakarta,Indonesia. Dialogue is generally in theBetawi dialect.Actions and dialogue are often presented in a humorous manner on top of a stage known as apentas tapal kuda,so named for the way actors enter the stage from the left and right. Audiences sit in front of the stage.The number of performers is determined by the needs of the story. Male performers are referred to aspanjak,while female performers are known asronggeng.

A performance is generally opened with a prayer, known asungkup,and a ritual offering before introducing the performers.Gambang kromongis one of the musical genres which may accompany a performance. Musicians may use various instruments, including flutes, gongs, accordions, or drums. The songs are traditionally quite formulaic, and several songs are common in performances, including "Cente Manis" and "Jali-Jali". Chinese musical influences can be seen.

Performances can be classified under many genres, although most are about heroes or criminals; tales adapted from folklore, such as from theOne Thousand and One Nights,are also common. In broad strokes there are two main subdivisions oflenong,namelylenong denesandlenong preman.Stories inlenong denesfocus on the exploits of the nobility, the rich, and the powerful.Lenong premanstories are always about commoners or folk heroes. The type of performance will affect the costumes worn.Stories are not memorised from a script. Rather, performers will memorise an orally-presented outline and follow that, with improvisation as necessary.

History

Lenongdeveloped from the earlier formGambang Rancag.In its earlier years, beginning around the turn of the twentieth century, it was promoted byethnic Chinese.This has left fairly extensive Chinese influences in the genre.

Lenongperformances from the 1920s and 1930s often focused on the exploits of bandits, includingSi PitungandSi Tjonat.These bandits, though portrayed as despicable people by Dutch and ethnic Chinese writers, became moreRobin Hood-like inlenong;Si Pitung, for instance, became a humble person, a good Muslim, a hero ofBetawi people,and an upholder of justice.

During the 1950s, Sudiro, the governor of Jakarta, restricted performances of traditional theatre such aslenong.Meanwhile,lenongperformances were unable to compete in the market due to the boomingdomestic film industry.Troupes had to go fromkampungtokampung,offering performances for money which, ultimately, was not always enough to survive on.By the early 1960slenongwas nearly extinct.

During the 1970s, GovernorAli Sadikingave greater freedom to traditional culture.In this atmosphere, cultural critic and film directorD. Djajakusumaworked to promote and preservelenong,with regular performances atTaman Ismail Marzuki;as a result, S. M. Ardan considers him as having saved the genre.Manylenongactors, includingBenyamin Sueb,Mandra, and Enung Tile bin Bayan, began making films in the 1970s.

In the early 1990s, Lenongstarted to be televised when Harry de Fretes combined lenongandsitcomsto createLenong Rumpi(literallyGossip Lenong). This was aired onRCTIfrom 1991 to 1992. Unlike stage performances, performers on this televisedlenongwere mostly not native Betawi speakers.

See also

• Ketoprak
• Ludruk

Works cited

• Ardan, S.M. (1 November 1987). "Djaduk Djajakusuma Bukan Cuma Pengabdi Seni" [Djaduk Djajakusuma Was Not Only Into the Arts].Suara Pembaruan(in Indonesian). p. 11.
• "Lenong".Encyclopedia of Jakarta(in Indonesian). Jakarta City Government. Archived fromthe originalon 16 January 2013.Retrieved13 October2013.
• Loven, Klarijn (2008).WatchingSi Doel:Television, Language, and Culture Identity in Contemporary Indonesia.Leiden: KITLV Press.ISBN9789067182799.
• Shahab, Alwi (2001).Robinhood Betawi: Kisah Betawi Tempo Doeloe[Robinhood of Jakarta: Tales of Old Jakarta] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Republika.ISBN9789793210001.OCLC48517713.
• van Till, Margreet (1996)."In Search of Si Pitung: The History of an Indonesian Legend".Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde.152(3): 461–482.doi:10.1163/22134379-90003007.ISSN0006-2294.OCLC770588866.
• Toer, Pramoedya Ananta,ed. (1982).Tempo Doeloe: Antologi Sastra Pra-Indonesia[Earlier Times: Anthology of Pre-Indonesian Literature] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Hasta Mitra.OCLC9797224.