THE house is located down an alley in Ngawi, a small town in East Java. The front area is shaped like a pendopo, the large, Javanese-style open veranda, with dazzling white ceramic tiles. Opposite is a garage housing a Toyota Kijang car and a minibus. Another car, a Honda Stream, worth around Rp220 million, is in Jakarta. The house belongs to Topan Sugianto, someone who dedicated 12 years of his life to Siswo Budoyo and is now a well-known comedian.
Topan's good fortune is the complete opposite of most of the other members of Siswo Budoyo, who are reduced to working as street vendors just to survive. Together with his younger brother, Leysus Winarso, he appeared in Ketoprak Humor (a historical comedy drama), aired by private television station RCTI. The program launched his name and earned him the title of favorite comedian in an opinion poll conducted two years ago.
Topan and Leysus quit Siswo Budoyo in 2000 after a disagreement with management. In the past two years, they managed to make a number of successful programs, such as Ronda-ronda (patrolling) and Toples (jar), and appear in Ludruk Glamour (Javanese folk theater). They're much in demand outside television as well, and earn a comfortable living.
Last week, for example, Topan just returned from Malang and had to go to an Independence Day event in Blitar, bringing home a cool Rp5 million.
His younger brother, also his partner in cracking jokes, is just as prosperous. The framework of Leysus's house in Jakarta is made from expensive teak wood, especially taken from his house in Tuban, East Java. A Suzuki Escudo car is parked on the grounds.
Compare such a life with the fact that when he was in Siswo Budoyo, his highest fee was a mere Rp7,500 a night. Topan's was less than that. His joint income along with his wife's, Tinuk Nurhayata, also a ketoprak player was “merely Rp7,000 a night". Even when the hall was packed, they could only pocket Rp15,000 at most.
Even that was considered not bad. Before becoming a ketoprak actor in Siswo Budoyo, Topan sold tickets and painted stage sets. In 1982, he joined the group for a simple reason. He married Tinuk, who was already a member.
Two years later, he started playing as a comedian. His stage name was Joisin, complementing Siswo Budoyo's legendary pair, Jorono and Joleno. Later, in 1987, Topan's younger brother, Leysus Winarso, also joined up using the stage name Jolewo.
They were trained there by Siswondo, the founder of the limekiln. “He's a unique director," said Topan, remembering his late leader. “Imagine, for a crying scene he could give a perfect example. Topan adored Siswondo as a “maestro".
Topan and Leysus learned their style of cracking jokes from Siswo Budoyo. “For those who know, their style of joking is stage-comedian style," said Yati Pesek, dancer and comedian who was a member from 1970-1982.
Yati herself was practically brought up by the troupe. When she joined in 1970, she was both a dancer and dance instructor. Sometimes she played as well but not as the main character, only as an extra to sweeten the story. Once, however, Siswondo tested her skill by giving her the main lead. “If you're successful, you'll be promoted. If you fail, well, you'll remain an extra," said Yati, quoting her former teacher. Yati was considered successful.
It was her ability to act that led Yati to play in the movies My Skies, My Home and Malioboro-Malioboro. She also stars in sinetrons (TV soaps), and today has three mixed groups and a restaurant.
Yati left Siswo Budoyo because her children were starting school and she wanted to devote more of her time to them. Therefore, Yati didn't encounter any problems starting her solo career because she'd had 600 students whom she'd trained.
Unlike Topan and his wife, they took the risk of leaving in 1994, two years before Siswondo passed away, because “I felt I couldn't develop." Topan didn't have a permanent job waiting for him at his hometown of Malang. To put rice on the table, Topan worked as an emcee at weddings. Sometimes he also took the job as a commentator at football matches between villages.
But that didn't last long. Three years after living like that, he moved to Ngawi, where his wife is from. The move seemed to have struck gold. Near the end of 1997, he established a mixed group called Elek Yo Ben (I Don't Mind Being Ugly) with a rate of Rp500,000 for each appearance. This rate has now multiplied tenfold. Three months later, Leysus, who'd been in Jakarta since 1991, invited him to play in Ketoprak Humor, which made him famous.
His success didn't make Topan forget Siswo Budoyo. For example, he claimed that he once prayed for the departed soul of Siswondo-Siswo Budoyo's founder-at his grave in Kalangbret, Tulungagung. Something that he didn't even do for his late parents. Topan also “guest-starred" at a Siswo Budoyo stage in Surabaya's public amusement park. His fee of Rp2 million was donated to the other players.
Topan still remembers his colleagues. “I want all my friends who used to be in Siswo Budoyo to be as well off as I am," he said, pointing to his car, the carthat takes him from Ngawi to Blitar to earn even more money.
Nurkhoiri, Dwijo U. Maksum (Ngawi)
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