An oil lamp flame licks and glimmers through a thin white cloth screen as melodies air from the gamelan ensemble. A crowd gathers in front of the center of attraction. Their eyes struggle to adjust as they begin to focus in the dimly it space. Silhouettes dash across the screen to the typical knocking of wood. The dalang (puppet master) is set and his show about to begin. The screen flutters with hazy objects, moving in the time to the music. The image suddenly becomes clear as all the other puppets appear, pressed against the screen and appearing more in focus.
These shows can be magical, with audiences entranced by the shadow puppets’ movements and the beautiful sounds of the gamelan. Even though most foreigners witnessing the show won’t understand the ancient Kawi or Balinese used in the dalang’s dialogues, most are still entertained by the story. Recently, the next generation island puppet masters have twisted the custom a bit and displayed out of the box creativity, such as Nardayana and his humorous Cenk Blonk puppet characters, and many other dalangs occasionally interject some Indonesian slang, Balinese accented English, and quirky Japanese, inviting the grins of foreigners and the laughs of the locals.
Wayang Kulit shadow puppetry has many in-depth lessons and are the ideal portrayal of good conduct rooted in centuries-old Hindu text. The puppeteers themselves would easily be regarded as the island’s version of Mel Blanc, with their versatile and dynamic vocal skills. Some of the clown or battle scenes are easily reminiscent of the grotesque humor of Punch “n Judy, with the dashing and clashing of opponents.
A dalang must have among the most rare skills on earth. He must master many character voices – a voice actor on his own through a whole screenplay. He is a single person who controls the play, thus he must know the various stories and folklore and be able to cue in time with the music.
Shows always start with a simple ritual to ask for divine permission and guidance to achieve the best performance, and blessings are made also for the puppets. And it is the day of Tumpek Wayang, the Balinese 210-day Pawukon calendar system, a day for the blessing of the puppets and show items that accompany the performances.
Gifted dalangs bring the live even apparently ordinary puppet shapes, which in turn represent a distinctive character from popular Hindu epics, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The usual Wayang is performed at night. Variations on this style of puppetry have been especially popular in Asia for hundreds, and possibly thousands, of years. There are special occasions when Wayang is performed in the light of day, a performance named Wayang Lemah.
In Bali, Wayang Kulit performeces involve between 3 and 15 personnel, including the puppeteer, an assistant, and the gamelan orchestra. Wayang Lemah is performed sans the kelir screen and blencong oil lamps. The dalang plays his puppets against a white cotton string that acts as a frame of the scenes, and tied at either side to an end of dapdap or Erythrina wood, stuck into a length of a banana tree.
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