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.
