Review: A-Class Act in Teater Pandora’s Constellations

Review by Nabila 'Hana' Hananti, editing by Rakaputra Paputungan.

I had my first experience of watching Nick Payne’s Constellations on The National Theatre website. The production I watched was produced by DONMAR, directed by Michael Longhurst, and performed by Peter Capaldi and Zoë Wanamaker. Although the stage was empty, the use of colour and empty space enhanced by the blue and white balloons surrounding them made the play feel spectacularly otherworldly. I was instantly in love.
So, when I heard that there were going to be Constellations in Jakarta, I knew I had to watch it.

It was a production from Teater Pandora, taking place on the 13-15 December of 2024 at Museum MACAN (also collaborating with Museum MACAN as part of the museum’s Education and Public Outreach program), performed in Bahasa Indonesia with the second day involving a sign language interpreter. This was the 30th production in their history of theatre-making since 2014. Yoga Mohamad directed and adapted this play into Bahasa Indonesia, and alongside the troupe, they delivered a truly unforgettable tear-jerking performance that might as well have driven a stake into my heart.

The performance began once we entered the museum, as a guide led us towards ‘INTO THE SIXTH’ – the offstage experience for Teater Pandora’s Constellations. Here, we are introduced to an exhibition of the first five dimensions: line, area, volume, time, and possibilities. Then, the show Constellations itself was the sixth dimension we ended up traversing, and thus we are welcomed into the story.

Constellations was a story of the multiverse—of the possibility that there are many different outcomes in life and they all exist simultaneously, in parallel universes. Thus, also exist multiple versions of our two main characters: Marianne, a physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, who happened to stumble upon each other at a barbeque party. In some universes, they were not meant to be together; but in others, that was the beginning of their romantic endeavour. 

They became lovers, and their relationship led up to a point where one of the two had an affair with someone else, leading to their separation. Until the pair met each other again at a ballroom dancing class, and they rekindled with each other. Eventually, one universe’s Roland proposed to Marianne, and she accepted his proposal, and they got married.
Time passed and Marianne began to develop brain cancer. This led her spiralling down, as the disease compromised her ability to work, speak, and even think. She began seeking treatment from outside the country, trying to do it all on her own despite her incapacity. Marianne was struggling to ask or let Roland assist her. Although she finally let him in, her end was steadily getting near. Thus, the pair had to accept that they would eventually be separated, but they would always love one another, marking one of the few bittersweet endings of Marianne and Roland’s story.

Nick Payne’s script was a masterpiece – that much is no doubt. However, to showcase its true brilliance, the play needed a great director and actors who were willing to push their craft to the limit. And Yoga Mohamad as the playwright & director, alongside his co-director Rajib Rakatirta did an incredible job in bringing this play to life.

Their approach to this play was quite unconventional. Instead of having it performed as the two-hander play it was, they instead brought three generations of actors from Teater Pandora to perform it. These actors are Cindy Nirmala-Elmo Muller, Margareta Marisa-Ravi, and Maharani Megananda-Faisal Ashraf. He had all three pairs inside of the play, with each pair playing the respective Marianne and Roland in their different phases of life.

We started off with the first phase: Cindy Nirmala & Elmo Muller, entering as ‘young’ Marianne and Roland. Their interaction was incredibly charming, a meet-cute (or even, meet-rude) between two people who were entranced with one another.

And as time passed, thus began the second phase: Margareta Marisa & Ravi. Their first appearance on stage immediately exuded the jadedness of a couple falling out of love. So, when the confession of infidelity came out from either of their lips, it became something that we, the audience, have expected.

Then, comes the third phase: Maharani Megananda & Faisal Ashraf, entering as the old-married couple that they’ve been. Marianne’s cancer was plaguing the both of them, and their repetitive scenes were a representation of how the two went through the stages of grief together.

Presenting the idea that three different actors are the same character in a single play could be challenging. But, with strategic pausing, the chemistry between all of the actors, and the help of the wardrobe, make-up, and hair-do team, Teater Pandora made it work. Occasionally, these actors would even play “outside” of their life phases, further reinforcing the idea that they represent the same person—Marianne and Roland. This directorial choice made the ending of Constellations much more painful as Yoga Mohamad had these different generations of actors interact with one another. And we, as the audience, know that they are not just communicating with each other past a sense of space and time, but also through the infinite multiverses.

Every single scene brought by these six actors was visceral. Some made me laugh, some made me wince. Some made me incredibly excited, especially when the relationship between Marianne and Roland developed. And, most importantly, and most often, they made me cry. The authenticity of the acting, even through the different changes of emotion, was outstanding. I would even describe to be an A-Class Act; these Mariannes and Rolands did a very great job.

Having a play performed inside of a museum was already outside of the norm. But, once we look even deeper, from every standpoint, it seems that Teater Pandora loves to go outside of the box. Their collaboration here with Museum MACAN was a continuity of Teater Pandora’s campaign since 2019, #MempermainkanRuang (#PlayingWithSpace), where they perform their production in unconventional places. Having a theatre production not take place within a theatre building comes with its own risk—such as having a venue that is not equipped with the standard theatre setup (e.g. backstage, lighting, a stage). But, they persevered with their ideals, and for Constellations, they hurdled through this obstacle.

Art Director Janetta Indrayani collaborated to create an elevated set made of detachable levels that could be moved across the stage. These detachable levels were used on the ground floor, as background for the scenes, serving as seats, beds, et cetera. There was a bit of an uncomfortable distance for the audience in the frontmost seats, as the scene sometimes happened right in front of their eyes. Still, it made for an immersive experience as we were glued to our seats to witness these day-to-day activities happening between these starstruck lovers before our very eyes.

The sets were minimalistic, as they had the audience imagine where exactly these scenes playing out could be taking place. But, it was effective, as we are focused more on the relationship between Marianne and Roland rather than the artistic fiasco of the play. It served its purpose: to support the story of Constellations. And this also includes every other artistic aspect, such as the lighting, music, and wardrobe. They were simple but effective, and the power was in its simplicity.

Ultimately, that focus on the story of love is what unified Constellations as a theatre piece. I was blown away by this performance, and to know that it was brought by generations of the theatre troupe means that it truly was the result of time, hard work, and perseverance. It truly was a production made by the whole theatre group, and it taught a lesson that no one generation is above any other. Generations are not meant to be replaced but are meant to collaborate and present a united front. And for their 30th production in their 10-year history of theatre-making, they did an astounding job.

I’m thrilled to see how Teater Pandora will keep exploring, enjoying, and going outside of the box in their upcoming theatre production.
 

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