New Life for an Ancient Bugis Epic
Two nights of sold-out seats and standing ovations at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre-on-the-Bay last week marked the world premiere of I La Galigo.
March 23, 2004
WHILE the honors go to the all-Indonesian cast and their director Robert Wilson, the spectacular performance is a tribute to Restu Imansari and Rhoda Grauer, whose labor of love succeeded in pulling this Galigo epic out of obscurity.
The performance was indeed the debut of the Galigo epic, held sacred by many Bugis—the people of South Sulawesi—on contemporary stage. Until then, the 14th century pre-Islamic epics were virtually un
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