Review: The Vibrance of Interactive Theatre in Jakarta Movin's “Interaksi”

(Review by Nabila “Hana” Hananti, editing by Rakaputra Paputungan)

On August 16th, 2024, in collaboration with Tiga Dua Satu and Indonesia Kaya, Jakarta Movin performed the media preview of the musical Interaksi (“Interaction”), adapted from the lyrics of the most-streamed musician of Indonesia, Tulus. Directed by the founder of Jakarta Movin, Interaksi brought forth a powerful performance that provoked laughter through its interaction with the audience.

The story of Interaksi starts in Act 1 with Dio who’s had one-sided feelings for his best friend Nadia since high school. Nadia is known to be a notorious player, said to have had seven exes by the time she met Dio again. Dio himself has been single and lived for his career. Amidst his growing success in the office, he plans to confess his feelings to Nadia, but she’s already in a relationship with his childhood bully, Fajar. This devastates Dio, especially when Fajar tells Nadia to not meet with Dio again. Heartbroken, Dio attempts to move on by starting a relationship with his co-worker Matahari. However, as their relationship progresses, Dio begins having doubts about himself, especially since he can’t forget his old flame, Nadia. Eventually, after meeting Nadia again – when she’s having rifts in her own relationships – he decides to end his relationship with Matahari. But, when Dio returns to Nadia, he comes to realize that Nadia has only been using him. He’s left all alone.

Uniquely, Interaksi doesn’t anchor itself in telling the main story. It approaches the show from an interactive point of view in which the ENSEMBLE (on-stage performers other than the main cast) serves as the audience surrogate. They presented themselves as spectators who found themselves inside of the story. Through the show, they actively commentate the story, and even at some point, influence what the main characters do.

Act 2 begins with a reintroduction of the four main characters by the ensemble before we cut to Dio in his house who has received an invitation to Fajar and Nadia’s wedding. The news plunges him into a deep depression which causes him to abandon his life, love, and career. This leads to a fourth-wall break in which the ensemble offers Dio a chance to change the past.

Will Dio be able to change the past? And will Dio be able to get together with Nadia, or will he settle for Matahari and find happiness there? Interaksi's Act 2 answers these questions and provides a more introspective look into the entangled romance threads of the four main characters.

The decision to convey the story of Interaksi through an interactive performance was nothing short of brilliant. The interactive nature provoked plenty of laughter through fresh and well-delivered jokes. These interactions sometimes influence the ensemble’s dialogue in the story, making each show truly unique. These interactive parts shined the most during moments in which the ensemble ‘paused’ the main story to commentate them. It didn’t feel too fast or too slow and was an enjoyable performance throughout.

The use of multimedia and bright neon colours brought to life the touch of modernity in the performance. The set is layered with LED screens, allowing it to transform between different settings and even into more abstracted, impressionistic backgrounds as required. Everything complemented the modern approach of Interaksi that the production chose to deliver the story. Art director and co-founder of Jakarta Movin, Farras Safira, crafted an incredible design for Interaksi.

The synchronization between the behind-the-scenes team and on-stage performers was likewise incredible. The stage technicalities had perfect timing, and it was supplemented by the emotions of the music—showcasing the skills of the music director Wishnu Dewanta as well as the vocal director, Ranu Pratyakso. Lastly, the powerful and inventive choreography made by Imazka Arto and Dimas Praditya was there to complete the harmony of the whole performance.

The unity of Interaksi was a showcase of Nuya Susantono’s masterful directing. The show was imaginative and fun, and her vision was conveyed on stage in the best way possible. Fourth wall breaks tend to be tricky and could sometimes be a bit ‘too much’. But, Interaksi’s pacing was right and it didn’t overdo itself. This is through no small contribution of the writers: Pradipta Kartika, Kristo Immanuel, and Nuya Susantono herself.

Unfortunately, the show does get quite dull during the moments the story tries the strait-laced approach. The moments that didn’t provoke laughter were the moments that shined the least. However, a major exception to this was during Matahari’s scenes. Rahmania Astrini’s vocals and acting shine during her every scene. A certain show-stealer through her chemistry with Alvin Lapian (Dio). Despite the minimal background for the character, Rahmania Astrini managed to convey everything we needed to know about the character Matahari and brought forth a heartfelt performance.

Interaksi’s problem had everything to do with the story they were trying to tell. Dio and Nadia’s relationship was cliche and uninteresting, in big parts due to a lack of deeper motivation behind the romance. The moment the ensemble stopped ‘interacting’ with them, it too became nothing short of disappointing. All four main characters were written as a caricature of themselves (which, notably, the show itself made fun of at the beginning of Act 2). They move according to the plot that the writers have written instead of making their own choices, which is highly detrimental in writing fully realized characters.

All in all, the writers have been successful in stringing together a story through the use of Tulus’ discography. Although sometimes it does feel a bit montage-y, and some tracks sound a bit similar, the songs were still placed accordingly and adequately to complement the story. Jakarta Movin has managed to deliver a successful theatrical musical performance through Interaksi, and I’m looking forward to their next production.

Jakarta Movin has extended their show until the 25th of August. If you have the time, I encourage you to catch the show at Graha Bhakti Budaya. It’s a monumental work that might pave the way for more jukebox musicals in Indonesia. But, more importantly, it’s a show with spectacular energy that doesn’t just perform for you, but invites you to be a part of the show. It’s interactive. It’s Interaksi.

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