Review: ArtSwara’s MAR: A Delightful Love Story Inspired by Ismail Marzuki

  Inspired by the legendary composer Ismail Marzuki, ArtSwara brought their 13th production onto the stage of Ciputra Artpreneur. This production was titled Mar and follows a story line crafted around Ismail Marzuki’s songs, notably a composition titled the same name as one of the two main characters of this play: “Aryati”. Mar was performed on 26-28th February 2025, and the team from Broadway World Indonesia had the opportunity to watch their preview show on the afternoon of the 26th. 

Mar is framed as a grandparent telling tales of their youth to their grandchildren. The storyteller is Aryati (endearingly called “Nin” by her granddaughter), who shared a story from her youth about her and her now-deceased husband to her grandchildren, Mara. Then, we jump into the past. Bandung, 1946 – a moment in time that Aryati held dear, for it was her first meeting with her soon-to-be beloved. 

Sergeant Major Mar (played by Gabriel Harvianto) was a renowned bachelor in the army. He was pursued by plenty of women—one of those women being Neneng (played by Made Aurellia) who worked at a food stall near their camp. Not having the heart to reject her bluntly, his fellow soldiers suggested that Mar court another woman. Thus entered Aryati (played by Gallaby), a nurse who worked at a hospital where the soldiers got treatment. Just in an instant, there was immediate attraction between Aryati and Mar, and after several other encounters, under the moonlight, Mar asked Aryati to become his lover, and she gladly accepted. 

That was until they had to be separated. Mar was to be stationed at Jogja, while Aryati was to be sent to Jakarta. Tension grew in their separation, as the lover struggled with their own battle while yearning for one another. Aryati grew fearful that Mar was going to lose his life in a battle, but they made a promise that Mar would “die in Aryati’s arms”, and they were holding on to their faith in that promise.

Months passed, and they reunited in Jakarta, with Mar proposing to Aryati. They had their wedding in Bandung, but that was right before the incident that triggered the events of “Bandung Lautan Api”. Literally meaning Bandung Sea of Fire, it was an event where the Indonesian Republican army deliberately burned much of Southern Bandung to prohibit the colonial troops from taking over the buildings and supplies.

 As a sergeant major, Mar was responsible for evacuating the people and leading the defence. So he did, but in doing so, he suffered a mortal wound. Aryati who was evacuated with the other civilians hurriedly returned to Bandung to be by Mar’s side on his deathbed. As they had their final embrace, Mar passed away, fulfilling his promise to “die in Aryati’s arm”, and Aryati grieved him for the rest of her life.

Then we return to “Nin” and Mara. An old woman now, Nin didn’t remarry and remained a widow for the rest of her life. She remembered Mar before his death, and as she lived a fulfilling life, she had no more regrets and let out her final breath. The two reunited after death, and that is the ending of Mar. 

Overall, the story was very classic. It was a romance that took place within a tragedy (namely, the Bandung Sea of Fire) that ended with a happily ever after (read: afterlife). This was the work of scriptwriter Tittien Wattimena and director Wawan Sofwan, as they incorporated Ismail Marzuki’s songs seamlessly into the story. As part of this story took place in Bandung, some of the dialogue also used the Sundanese language, making for a much-grounded setting. This was incorporated into the play and was delivered with succinct comedic timing that transcends language itself.

Unfortunately, even though we get to witness their life tragedy, we really never get to know who Aryati and Mar truly are.  The two main characters were lacking in any history whatsoever as their background. As the story progresses, we don’t know what they truly want, what drives them, and everything else in between. The only thing they shared in common was their working ground—setting the stage for their first meeting. This made for a very plot-based narrative, as we simply hop from point to point between the conflicts within the story. Even Aryati & Mar’s relationship happened almost instantly with no understanding of how and why they grew to love one another.

Still, while it may be lacking in a character-driven approach, in its entirety, it was a well-acted and gorgeous show that was presented to the audience full of love.

Let me state that the music in Mar was truly something else. 

Songs written by Ismail Marzuki are certainly ones that persist through time. Various creative works have reinterpreted his songs in so many different ways, and Mar was no different. Composer, music, and vocal director Dian HP assisted by Violin Siahaan brought an incredibly lovely arrangement of his songs. Brought by a full-blown orchestra, the music of Mar was lighthearted, complementing the enchanting direction that director Wawan Sofwan went for in this play, making for such a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

The direction was simply beautiful. Beginning with a relaxing jazz arrangement—one that is rarely found in the usually suspenseful musical theatre. This theme persisted throughout the show, a naturalist theme that accompanies this story about life. Even up to the end, by the time of Mar’s death, the music never falls to being harrowing. It was pretty. It was beautiful.

One of the highlight numbers of this show would be the end of Act 1, as Mar and Aryati were separated due to their respective duties. The cast and ensemble brought forth an acapella rendition of the songs “Sepasang Mata Bola”, “Sapu Tangan dari Bandung Selatan”, and “Selendang Sutra” to describe their struggles and longing, being away from each other. The lack of instrumentals in these moments after such gorgeous orchestration brought about tension into the scene without distressing the audience. This scene reached its full impact due to the previous number having such gorgeous organum that the lack thereof was enough to create a sense of unnerve. That was brilliant, and that was proof that sometimes, less is truly more.

 The choreography and the rotation of the set for Mar was a testament to the power of collaboration. Artistic director Iskandar Loedin collaborated with choreographers Davit Fitrik & Hamada Abdool to create the vision of Mar. By itself, the choreography was incredible; the combination of synergy and power was a joy to behold. However, that movement was elevated as the dancer and stage crew collaborated to make a seamless transition between locations and scenes, supported by the music to make a quick transition with rarely any wasted moment. And, even when there are prolonged periods in between transitioning, that moment felt intentional as the mood slowly and steadily changed while still maintaining the approach the show had. This made the transition time feel earned, as we were gently welcomed into the next scene. 

The set was a combination of physical set and multimedia, with the added help of lighting. The physical set was used as the groundwork for the actors, creating a semi-realistic setting of each different location where the actors act around. With the help of lighting by lighting designer Alim Jeni and the multimedia, the same set was reimagined plenty of times in several different settings. It was simple, and yet, that simplicity smoothly welcomed us into the imaginary scenes.

Technical-wise, the show started off a bit late, beginning at 14.30 even though it said the show was going to start at 14.00. It was a tolerable time delay. I do however have another menial complaint, which is about the high-pitched ringing – likely from a malfunction in the sound system – that I heard and persisted till the end of the show. While it didn’t cause any disruption to the play as a whole, it was just a small thing that annoyed me slightly. 

Overall, it was a wholly exquisite show. The beauty and spectacle that Mar brought on stage were wonderful, and I am extremely excited to watch what ArtSwara is going to bring in their next production.

  

To post a comment, you must register and login.