Disclaimer: This review is part of my personal takes on the works presented at Pesta ARTI 2.0. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer (i.e. me, myself and I) and do not reflect the views of the organizers, jury, or any affiliated parties. The intention is to engage critically with the work while supporting the growth of indie theater.
Team 3:
By EJKLS Seni
Written and directed by Tedd Louis
Let’s be clear — it’s not a musical. Sure, there’s some music and a brief glimpse of basic Sumazau steps, but that’s about it. The play revolves around Aduh and Sanda, two brothers from the Bobohizan lineage who hold opposing worldviews on how to save a dying Earth. Aduh believes in returning to ancestral teachings, where nature is sacred, every element has a spirit, and balance must be maintained through adat. Sanda, on the other hand, insists that only science and data-driven solutions can address the environmental crisis. Their ideological clash becomes the heart of the play.
Midway through, they reveal that it is just a play, with the characters pointing out that everything we’re seeing is just a set and that they’re characters of the play. A revelation that feels a bit unnecessary. I mean, I did buy a ticket knowing it was a theatre show.
So far, it’s the only play in ARTI 2.0 that is fully interactive and completely breaks the 4th wall. At one point, even members of the audience (limited the number may be) were invited to step in and play the roles of Aduh and Sanda. I’d go so far as to say this might remain the only production among the 10 competing teams that takes such a fully immersive, no-4th-wall approach. Other plays (there are still seven more teams to go) might include moments of breaking the 4th wall, but it’s unlikely any will push it as far as this one did. Then again, this boldness isn’t surprising, considering EJKLS Seni’s signature style, particularly in The Young Blood Experiment program, where Tedd Louis himself was once an alumnus.
I can’t help but think this play would have resonated more at Pangkin @ EJKLS Seni. It’s not merely about the venue (both Pangkin and Revolution Stage are office lots repurposed into studio spaces) but about the atmosphere and the kind of audiences each space attracts. At EJKLS Seni, I feel the crowd would have given the kind of energy this performance thrives on. Audience size, of course, also matters. Watching this made me reflect: staging a play isn’t just about the script, the team, or the directing. External factors, like the character of the usual audience and the spirit of the space can shape the performance's execution and its overall impact in ways we sometimes underestimate.
I believe that in the case of interactive play like this, the audiences are not just passive spectators. They are active participants who complete the meaning of a performance. Different venues tend to cultivate different audience profiles, each bringing their own expectations, energy, and ways of engaging. A work that leans heavily on interaction, like Lagu Terakhir Bobohizan, relies on this shared energy to truly land its impact. Had it been staged at a space more familiar with experimental forms, the play’s intent and emotional resonance might have amplified even further. It’s a reminder that crafting a production also means thinking beyond the stage itself, considering how the environment and the people within it can transform a performance from the inside out.
Breaking the play into two main parts (the pure acting scenes and the interactive segments) I found myself enjoying the interactive portions much more. They felt livelier, with the actors appearing far more at ease and genuinely having fun. In contrast, the scripted sections felt tighter and less natural. Honestly, the overall structure gave the impression of a short play (maybe 10–20 minutes of core material) that had been stretched into a full hour mainly by relying on the interactive elements. Even with that, it ended up being the shortest performance so far, clocking just 45 minutes. For context, the competition permits a maximum of 1 hour and 10 minutes, and the previous two teams came much closer to the limit, averaging about 1 hour and 9 minutes each.
All in all, Lagu Terakhir Bobohizan stands out for its willingness to disrupt the conventional audience-performer boundary. It’s an ambitious, playful piece that leans heavily into interaction, and when it clicks, it offers moments of real charm. However, the balance between scripted storytelling and spontaneous engagement still feels uneven, leaving the piece slightly stretched thin in parts. It’s a work with much potential, one that could be more impactful with more preparation time, greater familiarity with the space and perhaps most crucially, the right kind and number of audience.
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