Review: A Brilliant Tribute to Indonesian Literature in GPU's MISTERI PEMBACA TERAKHIR

As part of Pesta Literasi Indonesia (Indonesia’s Literation Party), Gramedia Pustaka Utama hosted a theatre performance titled Misteri Pembaca Terakhir (Mystery of the Last Reader) from August 30th to September 1st, 2024. The show ran three times at Graha Bhakti Budaya. Agus Noor acted as the writer and director, with Dexara Hachika as the assistant director. Alongside the Gramedia Team, they’ve crafted an amalgamation of famous Indonesian literary works in Misteri Pembaca Terakhir.
 

Misteri Pembaca Terakhir tells a story about a group of friends who love to read even when literacy is at an all-time low. They lamented this as their bookstore got vandalized by hoodlums, risking closing. Then suddenly, one of them, RonRon, mysteriously disappears. This group of friends then goes on a journey to find him, discovering the truth of his disappearance through encounters with book characters that come to life.

It’s revealed that RonRon was kidnapped by a group of mysterious beings. These beings seek to eliminate all books and readers as they fear that readers are able to take hold of knowledge and truth. Eventually, the people who are loyal to reading manage to unite their power and defeat this antagonistic force. In the end, RonRon and his friends renovate their bookstore so that they can keep encouraging people to read and there won’t ever be ‘The Last Reader’.

The show didn’t anchor itself to the story’s eventual  conclusion as much as to the journey there. The group of friends alongside the audience encounters characters that you may or may not recognize from iconic pieces of literature—some as they are, while others adapted for the sake of storytelling. This brought a sense of nostalgia for loyal readers and a delightful introduction to those who are just now getting familiar with the characters. The five friends even had names adapted from popular pieces, such as Twilight & Harry Potter.

The creation of this performance was a testament to Agus Noor’s brilliance. The core of Misteri Pembaca Terakhir was his incredible writing, as it intricately weaved multiple literary characters into the five friends’ journey. Their appearances not only excite laughters, but challenge the audience’s logic, provoke thinking, and even criticize the government. 
This play was made to satirize the nation leaders’ proclivity to build ‘castles’ for themselves as opposed to creating libraries that would serve everyone. It’s sobering that we’re laughing at this satire while in reality the ones in power do nothing to solve the rampant inequality.

This fantastical storyline was delivered with an incredible artistic design, courtesy of artistic designer, D. Bulqini, and the stage designer, Arief Ocklay. They used a few physical sets to set the staging of the area, but what made this show truly come to life was the sheer multimedia screen in front of the stage which projects a visualizer while allowing us to see the actors behind. The screen added layers to the scenes, adding an atmospheric quality never seen before in Indonesian theatre. It’s further enhanced by a play of colors and lighting – by lighting designer, Deray Setyadi – without overpowering one another. It made for a fantastical exploration as we follow these characters’ journey in “another world”. Truly magical.

Agus Noor also decided to approach this story by making it partially a musical—a well-growing art form in Indonesia. The characters sang legendary songs such as ‘Lingsir Wengi’, the musicalization of the poetry ‘Hujan Bulan Juni’, and many, many more. Original songs were also written for the story, with lyrics by Agus Noor himself. They were all orchestrated by the music director, Bintang Indrianto.

I would like to give a shout out to Sruti Respati who played the Ronggeng Srintil as her vocals were chilling in every word, yet she also managed to be comedic if the moment calls for it. Ify Alyssa (Bella) and Ravil Prasetya (RonRon) also shone in their duet and each of their solo numbers. Mia Ismi who played Jeng Yah also acted as vocal coach for the cast, and the results were satisfying. Truly an appreciation of the best litterateur in Indonesia.

The jokes written in the show were witty and were delivered by an equally shrewd cast. Cak Lontong and Akbar Kobar were a deadly duo playing the Inquisitor who wanted to eliminate all book readers. The joke selection was cleverly stupid, and that plays into their character who the audience might perceive as less than bright. It was almost an idiosyncrasy, but it syncs with their personality so well that it works. All types of comedy were written into the script of Misteri Pembaca Terakhir: political, situational, and also physical. This made for an enjoyable show indeed, but some parts were quite irrelevant to the storyline and the cause they supported, and stretched for a duration that’s too long to my liking. Still, the supporting casts, veteran actors, and comics showcased their ability to their utmost using these jokes to criticize and entertain. 

For a story that relies so heavily on its writing, it’s quite unfortunate that the main characters besides RonRon and Bella didn’t get much of a development. The other three friends: Lupus, Karmila, and Alif were just along for the ride, following a single-minded goal to save their kidnapped friends. The actors and actresses: Monita Tahalea, Danu Kusuma, and Mahatva Zakie played their roles well for the minimum material they got, but not enough to stand out. They didn’t impact nor deliver much—most likely an issue in writing compared to a testament to the actors' ability.

Misteri Pembaca Terakhir brought pleasant visuals, incredible vocals, and an entertaining as well as intriguing storyline. And, to top it all off, it was a hilarious show throughout. It tried to do many things and was successful in many regards. I believe the people who watched this show would be able to reflect on the reality of this world and begin to read more, accomplishing its main mission.

Book characters will only persevere as long as their books are read. With literacy at an all-time low, Misteri Pembaca Terakhir was made to remind us of these characters who long to have their stories read. Reading entertains and educates, and a book is a treasure like none other if we were to pay closer attention to it. 
Congratulations on Gramedia’s 50th birthday. We hope they will keep nurture young people’s interest in reading with the books they publish.

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