THE
CALON ARANG PLAY
It is in a performance
of Tjalon Arang, the legend of Rangda, that the Balinese
theatre reaches the height of its magnificence. It combines
the fine music and delicate dancing of the legong with the
elaborate staging, the acting, singing, and comedy of the.
classic plays, besides the element of mystery and suspense.
The
calon Arang is not an ordinary play, but a powerful exorcism
against leyaks, because by dramatizing Rangda's triumphs,
the Balinese aim to gain her good will. Preparations for
staging the great show start 'days before; it is essential
that a male " papaya tree, which bears no fruit, be
first transplanted from the wilds to the middle of the dancing-grounds,
because such a tree is the favourite haunt of the leyaks.
A tall house on stilts is built at one end for Rangda, reached
by a high runway of bamboo, flanked by spears, pennants,
and umbrellas, all symbols of state.'The entire dancing-space
is covered by a canopy of streamers made of palm-leaf and
tissue-paper flags; as many petrol lamps as are available
in the village light the stage.
By
midnight the audience is assembled, waiting patiently, listening
to the special Tjalon Arang music, perhaps the finest in
Bali, played by a full legong orchestra augmented with large
bamboo flutes. A full moon is propitious for the performance
and the company waits until the moon comes out from behind
the black clouds, silhouetting the temple roofs, the palm
trees, and the long aerial roots of the village banyan tree,
a hanging black curtain of long tentacles against the sky,
the perfect setting for the magic play. Offerings are made
beforehand and consultations are held so as not to offend
Rangda and to ascertain whether it is safe to hold the performance.
The
show begins after midnight and lasts until dawn, when the
witch makes her appearance. The play approaches our dramatic
literature more nearly than anything else in Bali. It relates
the episodes of the struggle between Rangda and the great
Erlangga. Dancing interludes by six little girls, the pupils
of the witch, alternate with slapstick, the encounters of
the king's subjects with leyaks, and with dramatic songs
by the prince sent to kill Rangda. She is impersonated by
an old actor gifted with such great powers. that he is able
to withstand, in his own body, the dangerous spirit of the
witch herself.
Towards
dawn the atmosphere becomes surcharged with mystery as the
old actor goes into Rangda's house to enter into the trance.
Watchmen are appointed to wake all the children that have
fallen asleep lest their tender souls be harmed; a priest
stands ready to conjure Rangda, who will make her triumphal
appearance at the end of the play. A flickering lamp can
be seen through the curtains of the house ' and there is
an occasional groan from the actor as he undergoes the painful
transformation. Meantime below, as the music becomes violent,
the prince advances across the dancing-space with his kris
drawn. With a yell of defiance he starts up the bridge,
just as a blood-curdling howl is heard inside the house,
the voice of Rangda. Unexpectedly, fireworks, strung on
invisible wires all over the trees, begin to explode over
the beads of the crowd. The audience is on edge as the curtains
part and the frightful form of Rangda appears, shrieking
curses upon the prince, who is put to flight as the old
witch descends, bellowing, amidst clouds of smoke, sparks,
and explosions.
The
climax is a critical moment, as it is never known what will
happen next. It is not unusual for Rangda to run wild and
go about the village moaning, or to disappear into the blackness
of the ricefields. The actor, who is possessed by the spirit
of the real Rangda, is bard to bring under control. I have
been told of an old actor from Tedjakula who, after impersonating
Rangda, ran amuck and went insane when. captured. He is
said never to have regained his mental balance. To the Balinese
this was, once more, the evidence of the danger of releasing
uncontrolled magic powers.
INDONESIA
