BWW Reviews: '1832' at Graha Bakti Budaya Highlights Strong Message of 'Unity in Diversity'

For two nights, at precisely 8 p.m, staged a new historical drama called 1832 in Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta. The story line is about the history of Indonesia set in Minahasa. The strong national's motto, "Bhineka Tunggal Ikha", or the sanskrit for Unity in Diversity, is a strong message highlighted in every aspect of the play. The theatre veterans like Jose Rizal Manua, Renny Djajoesman, Anang Dasoel and Gandung Bondowoso also took part in this Dapur Teater production.

1832 tells the story of harmony in diversity, set in Minahasa in the early 19th Century. The main characters in the play are Prince Diponegoro, Kyai Mojo, JF Riedel, and D.F.W. Pietermart. History is not just a trivial story, light and easy to understand. The show features slick, humorous variety acts featuring blocks of Minahasa culture. Not to mention every act's  introductory narration is delivered by singing. This is a spectacle that is fresh and entertaining, as well as educational.

The script for 1832 is written by Remy Sylado. He also directed the play. This text is a separate work from his earlier four-volumed novel, "Prince Diponegoro", which was issued in 2007. Remy specifically wrote 1832 to remember the nation's forefathers, who declared the oath in 1928: "One homeland, one nation and one language."

The play is beautiful and it truly makes us realize that we need to stick together if we want to bring progress to Indonesia. It captured the whole essence of Indonesia in one package. I hope there will be many productions like this in the future, with bigger staging and an excited audience waiting to be entertained.

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