Review: ARAH PULANG: a Heartwarming, Contemporary Christmas Tale

This original musical premiered on January 11, 2025 at Santa Maria Regina church, Bintaro.

On January 11, 2025 the catholic youth group OMK SanMaRe (Orang Muda Katolik Santa Maria Regina) produced one of the first musicals of the year: Arah Pulang (‘Towards Home’). The production ran for two shows at the Santa Maria Regina church in Bintaro.

The show is directed and choreographed by Robertus Darren Radyan in his solo directorial debut, after previously co-directing Little Women for Censtacom in 2022. The script is similarly the debut work of Windy Liem as scriptwriter, who’s known as a musical theater performer and stand up comedienne. The artistic team also includes Dimitrij Ray as composer, Christa Parengkuan as vocal director, Leo Hubertus Dimas Avianto as music arranger, and Claudia Tri Aplabatansa as lyricist.

On the production side, Arah Pulang is led by the church’s diocesan priest, Hadrijantan Dermawan, Pr, as the executive producer. Working alongside him is Maria Carmelita Ome Leba as the producer and production head.

Arah Pulang tells the story of four young people trapped inside an airport on the night of Christmas eve, due to unfortunate bad weather. Chief among them is Audrey (Gabriella Tandiarrang), a career woman hailing from Silangit, North Sumatra, who’s struggling to break the news of her recent layoff to her proud mother. She meets Ben (Adven Filipi Baresi), an upbeat man from east Indonesia who loves to joke around. Unfortunately, he’s also under immense pressure from his boss to do his work through the Christmas holidays. The two of them commiserate over each other’s problems, giving suggestions and words of support.

The other duo is a couple of lovers, Jesslyn (Olivia Samosir) and Justin (Vincentius Theo). Jesslyn is a popular social media personality with a penchant for endlessly making content based around the couple’s romantic life. Meanwhile, Justin is a more down-to-earth man who’s prepared a ring for their engagement and subsequent marriage. Their story revolves around figuring out what each of them seek from this relationship.

Of course, being set in a busy airport, the four main characters interact with a myriad of other characters, including the helpful yet naive Javanese janitor Cahyo (Marius Prima Prayuda) and his coworkers Wara (Kresentia F. Winanda) and Wiri (Aurelia Avaniswarin). The show is further brought to life by its colorful ensemble cast: Trio Tandungan, Claudia Tari Aplabatansa, Theresia Ginona, Helena Tirza Marselly, and Clara Beatrice.

After a series of meetings and happenings, new friendships are forged, and a relationship comes to an end. As characters gather to watch a special Christmas performance (performed by the church’s kids choir), the bad weather finally subsides. And these stranded travelers finally go their own ways.

The most striking thing about Arah Pulang to me is just how charming and universal its story is. Despite being produced by a Catholic church, the show itself never beats you over the head with overt religious themes. Its messages of connection, family, and prudence can be construed as Christian, yes, but at the same time they’re important and timely to people from all religious backgrounds. It is a clear testament to the church’s strong sense of community and humanity.

Additionally, the show isn’t all saccharine and sterile. It’s not afraid to portray problems that feel real and even harrowing, including the shame and guilt that comes with a lay off and even a broken relationship. Yet there is a sense of hope and warmth in Arah Pulang’s ending – not through a happy ending where everyone gets their heart’s desire, but through a tacit understanding that, even during dark times, things can get better if we can communicate sincerely with others. It is just the right blend of hopefulness and realism for the modern audience.

Furthermore, the script is also rife with jokes, owing to the writer’s experience in stand up comedy. There is a particularly gut-busting scene where Audrey and Cahyo try to convince Ben’s boss to give him some time off for Christmas – by pretending to be Ben’s mother and father, respectively. Things quickly went wrong as Cahyo inexplicably portrays Ben’s father as both Muslim and Javanese.

Arah Pulang’s cast is made up of youths from the church and they put on a solid and enjoyable performance. Although not everyone had prior experience in musical theater, they still approached the show with earnest dedication to each of their characters, bringing a joyful energy and charm. The vocal performances were, in particular, enjoyable, with lovely and considerably polished vocals. The dancing might have not been as strong, but it worked fine.

The stand-out performers include Gabriella Tandiarra as Audrey, who managed to maneuver the character’s different sides – meek when calling her mother, and strong-headed when helping a new friend; Adven Filipi Baresi as Ben, immensely jovial and likeable; and Marius Prima Prayuda as Cahyo, the best possible combination of helpful and silly. The duo of Olivia Samosir as Jesslyn and Vincentius Theo as Justin also played off each other really well, bringing a wonderfully painful dynamic between a pushy girlfriend and his henpecked boyfriend.

Dimitrij Ray’s music is performed live by Leo Dimas and his music team (which includes pit singers). The songs are lively with a contemporary sound, with the standout being the title song Arah Pulang. The orchestra is also remarkably complete, with violins, violas, cellos, flute, melodica, harp, castanets, and a band (keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums), making for a rich sound.

Arah Pulang unfolds on a small stage in the middle of the room, with seatings arranged on all four sides. The set (by art director Constantia Aning Atrinindiarti and scenographer Mariana Rasendriya Zivanka) consists of various set pieces that can be rearranged to evoke various spots at the airport and beyond. Some of them are more explicit – like an Airport Gate sign and a sign pole – while others are more modular and can be smartly arranged for different settings. The costuming (also by Atrinindiarti and assisted by Ilona Sacharissa) similarly helps bring the world to life, especially with actual uniforms for the pilots, flight attendants, and cleaning crew.

The lighting design seeks to imbue the various scenes with the appropriate hues. However, due to the venue not being a traditional theater, the lighting doesn’t always work as effectively as they could have. Similarly, the sound has some balancing issues, which is always tricky even at actual theaters. Still, the technical aspect doesn’t take away too much from the performance and it’s a good attempt for a creatively staged musical.

Despite being performed a good couple weeks after the day itself, Arah Pulang embodies the best things about Christmas: togetherness, family, and spreading cheer to those around you. And although it’s a joyous affair, it’s not afraid to tackle relevant modern issues like being in a sandwich generation, overworking, and obsession with social media fame – showcasing not only OMK SanMaRe’s considerable talent but also enormous heart.
 

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