Review: MIMIC THEATER’s GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH is a Warm, Eclectic Offering

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MIMIC THEATER presented this original play on May 24th at Gedung Kesenian Miss Tjitjih.

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Review by Rakaputra Paputungan .

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MIMIC THEATER presented the original play GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH on May 24th at Gedung Kesenian Miss Tjitjih. The show is created by Sari Setyorini as its director and scriptwriter. Furthermore, the show is also part of the Jakarta Directors Lab, an initiative with a focus on empowering nascent theatremakers.

Before the show, the audience members at the lobby are greeted by supporting characters from the story: Hanum (Aziz Athar), Ning (Ghia Baskara), Sutomo (Brillian Arafat), Ayu (Deandra Syarizka), and Tumirah (Alia Silooy). After welcoming the audience, they explain that the evening’s event is the opening of Gudeg Nanik, a restaurant specializing in gudeg (a sweet and savory jackfruit dish). It’s an interesting attempt at setting the show’s central premise. However, the lack of a sound system in the open hallway, combined with the actors’ soft vocal projection, makes it hard to catch the explanation.

Once the audience is ushered into the theater, we’re welcomed by a musical performance by the MC (Elzan Aziz) accompanied by a live band, as part of Gudeg Nanik’s opening. Then, Hanum and Ning – two of Nanik’s adult children – took to the stage to introduce the restaurant, mentioning that the food is made by their oldest sister, Seruni (Riri Aisyah). The family had decided to open the restaurant to memorialize their late mother and her food.

Next, the audience members are welcomed to sit on the stage, depending on their ticket category. Thus, with this immersive framing, we’re then ushered into the full story of Nanik (Kunti Dewanggani), her food, and her family – particularly, her eldest, Seruni.

Throughout the 1,5 hour show, Nanik and Seruni take us through a journey of their evolving relationship, their self-discovery, and, eventually, scandalous family secrets. The core of the GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH is the monologues by Nanik and Seruni (the show itself had initially started as a monologue piece). These monologues allow us a deep insight into their joys and worries. The show ends with a vocal-and-violin performance of an original piece.

The story that GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH tells is not overly dramatic. Rather, it feels grounded, the kind of story one might find in one’s own family, or perhaps hear from a friend of a friend. Therefore, the show is a character exploration piece of both Nanik and Seruni. Furthermore, it mainly concerns Nanik and Seruni’s respective roles in the family – as mother and wife for Nanik, and eldest daughter for Seruni – and how they come to shape their choices.

The show very intentionally centers these unique female perspectives, never explicitly showing either Nanik’s father nor Seruni’s father, despite their considerable roles in the story. Rather, the show platforms Nanik’s and Seruni’s internal struggles and the decisions they eventually reach.

Consequently, GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH might not be an easy watch for those looking for a more traditional theatre experience or a straightforward narrative. However, if you’re looking for a character-centric show, GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH doesn’t disappoint. It’s quite satisfying to see how Seruni begins to understand her mother more and more as Seruni herself grows older, or Nanik’s past and be reminded that she too was once a child, and even how Seruni regrets that she couldn’t carry out some of her plans to reconnect with Nanik in the end.

Riri Aisyah as Seruni and Kunti Dewanggani as Nanik have the formidable task of carrying the show. Riri Aisyah is a tour-de-force as Seruni, the headstrong eldest daughter who doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with her mother, but grows to appreciate her. Her emotional journey is easy to follow thanks to Aisyah’s strong, steady acting. During some parts, she also used a traditional Javanese dance to convey her frustration, a surprising but welcome change of pace.

Meanwhile, Kunti Dewanggani’s Nanik is a quiet, elegant, and steadfast presence. Clad in traditional kebaya and kain, she embodies a different generation and way of thinking compared to the modern Seruni. Dewanggani’s subdued, graceful acting suits the character perfectly well.

Among the ensemble cast, a stand out personality is the MC as played by Elzan Aziz. Despite being only a bit player to the actual story, she injected the show with a much-welcome dose of energy and enthusiasm. After all, the GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH is a serious show with few moments of levity.

The artistic direction is simple but effective. The main set consists of the family’s dining room and kitchen; the kitchen often stands for the character’s safe space for reflection and self-exploration, while the dining room is a space where the different personalities meet, clash, and, sometimes, connect. Little details elevate the set, such as the glowing embers of the coal stoves and the light coming in through the window panes, casting long and dramatic shadows.

But what stands out to me the most in GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH is the plethora of storytelling methods deployed. From the supporting characters’ welcoming speech, to the MC and live music, recorded interview segments about mother-daughter relationship and family life, the immersive seating, the short dance sequences, the little interactive moments with the audience, up to the original song performed at the end, it felt like director Sari Setyorini invited us to observe this theatrical experiment (fittingly enough for a show supported by Jakarta Directors Lab).

The result of this experiment, in my opinion, is mixed. Some elements were interesting but could have been executed better – particularly, the interaction with the supporting characters in the hallway was difficult to understand due to the acoustic problems. While other elements were solid on their own but didn’t mesh together well (for example, having Seruni also address the audience in-between monologues, creating for an unexpected fourth wall break; or having the recorded interviews presented without us knowing whether the interviewees were intended to be characters in the story or actual people). This hodgepodge approach was quite interesting, but it left me wanting for more focused and well-integrated elements that could serve the story better.

As director Setyorini has expressed her interest in further developing and expanding the lore of GUDEG NANIK, I am intrigued to see her takeaway from this experimentation; to see which elements she’ll keep, and which ones she’ll excise. After all, there is a strong foundation in the story; it is honest, heartful, and can be messy in a human way. Now, just like a good plate of gudeg, it’s only a matter of choosing and cooking the right ingredients into one delectable plate of harmony.

Broadwayworld Indonesia is a media partner of GUDEG NANIK: WUTAH. Photos by @mitaluvthemoon.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/indonesia/article/Review-The-Warm-Eclectic-Platter-of-GUDEG-NANIK-WUTAH-by-MIMIC-THEATER-20260614)._