Prinsen Park
Prinsen Park was a swanky entertainment and cultural hub in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. Founded by Tan Hin Hie (1891-1969) and opened on 29 March 1939, the Park was home to the pioneers who shaped Indonesia's arts and entertainment industry.[1]
Prinsen Park boasted theatre venues, outdoor arenas, dance halls, inns, pubs and bars. Japanese, Dutch, and British troops frequented the pubs and bars so the Park was never short of visitors to keep its lively atmosphere. Its entertainment center, the only one at that time, was named NV Broven Handels Matscapay Princes Park.[2]
Film screenings could take place inside the cinema, where tickets were 25 cents for 4 people, or outdoor for the public.[3] The price of food and consumption were affordable. Culinary chefs created a comfortable atmosphere for families. Guests can even choose which music they wish to be played or performed, such as requesting a violin recital. Performers put up traditional dances such as Lenong and Topeng, as well as modern theatre shows and acrobatics.
Prinsen Park also featured an outdoor pool built by a developer who had already built a swimming pool elsewhere in Batavia. The swimming pool at Prinsen Park is meticulously designed and built to international standards, with smaller pools that can accommodate those who cannot swim and young children.
Background[edit]
Initially, the land in which Prinsen Park was built was simply one of Batavia's city parks, such as Deca Park in Monas, Hertog Park in Pejambon, and Wilhelmina Park (now Istiqlal Mosque) in Central Jakarta.[3]
Tan Hin Hie, an Indonesian-Chinese merchant moved to Jakarta in 1913 to open a store. He eventually built and managed an entire building, and and then created Prinsen Park. Known for his generosity, Tan Hin Hie also took the initiative to establish the artist settlement later nicknamed Tangkiwood.
Opening and Reception[edit]
On March 30, 1939, the newspaper Nieuws van den Dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië freported, "The Management of Prinsen Park had organized a special evening for special invitees. For the first time, lighting systems in the theater space were tested. The Lindeteves-Stokvis machine installed was tested, though lights were turned off and we used candles to light up the room. After the lights turned back on, guests rushed to rendezvous at the La Gaite ballroom as they are accompanied by music from a band consisting of various small orchestras."[1]
The Park's soft opening party was considered by journalists at that time as the best party in Batavia. Journalists who were invited to tour Prinsen Park at its soft opening reported, "We have written all about the place, but even after elaborating each and every opinion, our piece is incomplete without guests feeling the experience themselves. There is nothing in the space that is not able to entertain you."[1]
The public was completely fascinated by this new, extravagant locale.
Theatre Troupes and Tangkiwood[edit]
Prinsen Park started to come alive after the theatre troupe Komedie Stamboel from Surabaya, East Java, performed there from March 30 to May 24, 1894, with a net income of 10,000 gulden. This prompted the growth of other theatre groups.[4]
Researcher Fandy Hutari writes that unlike the Komedie Stamboel members who are mostly Indo people of Eurasian descent, the new theatre groups featured many native Indonesian and Indonesian-Chinese performers. Nevertheless, they still use Komedie Stamboel comedy styles in the form of tango, cabaret, tableu, waltz, and polka in Western nobility costumes. They did not follow a script. All the conversations on the stage are improvised because the performers were still illiterate.
In the 1920s came the Opera Melayu group whose performers lived behind Prinsen Park.[5] Other performers soon followed suit. That was how the artist settlement known as Tangkiwood came to be. The name Tangkiwood was given by the late comedian Bing Slamet as a wordplay on Tangki district and Hollywood.[6]
The artist settlement grew after Tan Hin Hie set up lodging for performers. The walls were of woven bamboo, while the roof was made of zinc. Tan Hin Hie took the initiative to build these rooms because he pitied the numerous stage performers who got so exhausted that they slept on the stage. He wanted to attract artists from out of town. The Tangkiwood residential area was especially made for the actors, musicians, dancers, singers, and crew members so they don't have to live far from the performance venues.[7]
Tangkiwood stretched from Jalan Tangkiwood I to Jalan Tangkiwood V and ending at Gang Tangkiwood.[7] In its glory days, residents included Mas Sardi, Hadidjah, Bing Slamet, Fifi Young, Tan Tjeng Bok, Laila Sari, A. Hamid Arief, Aminah Cendrakasih, Wolly Sutinah, Lies Noor, Ali Yugo, Netty Herawaty, Misbach Jusa Biran, Eddy Sud, Ateng, Iskak, Ireng Maulana, and Benny Mustapha, among others.[2] Though cramped and crowded, it was a place of artistic emergence, growth, and regeneration where creative powerhouses gathered, shared ideas, and experimented with new concepts.[5][7] Famous artists hung out on the sidewalks when they are not rehearsing or performing in a show. They would even put up street performances or teach the local children traditional art forms such as Lenong.[8] For instance, Bing Slamet and Idris Sardi, son of Mas Sardi and Hadidjah, formed the instrumental pop band Eka Sapta. Bing Slamet was the vocalist while also playing the bongo and konga, Idris played the bass and violin, Ireng Maulana played the guitar, and Benny Mustapha the drums.[9] Aminah Cendrakasih, daughter of A. Hamid Arief and Wolly Sutinah, started her film career in her teens by starring alongside Lies Noor in films directed by Ali Yugo. Comedians Ateng, Iskak, Eddy Sud and Bing Slamet formed the comedy troupe Kwartet Jaya which toured and dominated the field in the 1970s.
Prinsen Park became even more lively after the emergence of competition between theatre groups Orion (1925) and Dardanella (1926). Both groups became the forerunners of modern Indonesian plays, breaking many traditions from the Stamboel period. They often created more concise and striking acts by dropping certain scenes, eliminating set pieces, and dancing in the middle of a scene. Both these theatrical groups gave birth to the big names of Indonesian theatre. Orion gave birth to Miss Riboet and Fifi Young. Dardanella gave birth to big names Ferry Kock, Devi Dja, Tan Tjeng Bok, and Astaman.
In 1934, Orion stopped performing and disbanded, allegedly after losing to Dardanella. At the time, a producer of the film company Java Industrial Film (JIF), The Teng Chun, was just starting his business. He know that to attract audiences to the movies, he required the presence of the stage stars. He asked the help of Tan Tjoei Hock to persuade the stage stars at Prinsen Park to join JIF. After all, he has often helped out at theater activities at the numerous venues there. Good acquaintances of Tjoei Hock, the stars who joined JIF included Tjeng Bok, Moh Moctar, Bissu Usman, and Hadidjah. In 1939, Teng Chun gave Tjoei Hock a chance to become a film director. Film companies eventually began to spread around Prinsen Park to Molenvliet (now Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk).
One after another, these film stars started becoming household names: Bissu from Tjoei Hock's films Oh Iboe and Tjiandjoer; Tjeng Bok made his film debut in Black Wolf, playing alongside Moh Moctar and Hadidjah; and Roekiah who exploded into stardom from Terang Boelan. Roekiah, who died at the age of 28 years, is the mother of flamboyant singer Rachmat Kartolo. Hadidjah is Lukman Sardi's grandmother.
Birthplace of Jazz in Indonesia[edit]
According to Remy Silado, the history of jazz music in Indonesia also originated from Prinsen Park. First appearing at Prinsen Park, jazz music in Batavia was influenced by New Orleans music in the style of march, ragtime and dancehall music. In the 1920s Indonesian songwriter Wage Rudolf Supratman formed the jazz band Black & White, and often performed at Prinsen Park. Another band that later transition into Indonesian mainstream jazz was the Melody Makers, formed by Jacob Sigarlaki in the 1930s. Bootje Pesolima, Hein Turangan, Nico Sigarlaki, and Tjok Sinsu (aka George Rudolf Wilhelm Sinsu or George Shin Soe) also made up the group.
Decline and Name Change[edit]
In the 1970s, prestige of Prinsen Park and Tangkiwood had faded. The area was finally revitalized by the Jakarta Provincial Government in 1985. Prinsen Park was renamed Plaza Lokasari. The Lokasari complex housed four cinemas, basketball courts, swimming pools, souvenir stalls, dance studios, bars, and restaurants.
By 1990, Lokasari had turned into a nightlife destination. Its clubs, discotheques, karaoke bars, strip malls and hotels became synonymous with drugs, sex, alcohol and prostitution. The place of former cultural vitality no longer carries any trace of cultural or artistic creativity. Tan Hin Hie continued to own the Plaza Lokasari complex but became more widely known as the "king of salted fish," with his cured-meat business based in Bagansiapiapi in Riau.
According to Laila Sari, the area which used to be Tangkiwood is still densely populated, but current residents are newcomers whose work is in various fields outside the arts. The environment is extremely unorganized and arguably a slum, often experiencing Jakarta floods. Where there used to be forested areas and rivers passing through Tangkiwood, now only a narrow winding alley separates one block to another. Houses seem to have been built without proper planning.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Kembalikan Prinsenpark, Kembalikan Taman Hiburan untuk Rakyat". Tribun News. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Mengenal Tangkiwood, Kampung Artis Jadul". Viva News. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Prinsen Park, Kenangan akan Taman Budaya". Kompas. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ "Komedie Stamboel dari Istanbul". Tribun News. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kennedy, Dennis (2010). The Oxford companion to theatre and performance. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 43–45. ISBN 9780199574193. 0199574197 Search this book on
. 9780191727917 Search this book on . 0191727911 Search this book on . Search this book on
- ↑ Shahab, Alwi (2002). Robinhood Betawi. Indonesia: Republika. ISBN 9793210001. 9789793210001 Search this book on . Search this book on
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Yang Tersisa dari Kampung Artis dan Kapal 'Mesum' Tangkiwood". CNN Indonesia. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ "Tangkiwood, Kisah Sedih Kampung Artis Tempo Dulu". Detik News. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ↑ "Tangkiwood: Generasi Mak Bibah Hingga Idris Sardi". CNN Indonesia. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
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