ABSTRACT
This is a transcription and translation of Kakul's improvised performance as recorded by Emigh in 1975. I Nyoman Kakul is acclaimed in Bali as one of the preeminent Topeng performers and teachers of the 20th Century. This translation of his improvised performance—complete with descriptions of its non-spoken elements—gives evidence both of Kakul's genius and of the potential range and power of Topeng Pajegan as a theatrical form. Dancing multiple characters—heroic, foolish, kingly, and demonic —and speaking in Sanskrit, Kawi, Middle Javanese, all three status levels of Balinese, and modern Indonesian—Kakul presents the story of I Gusti Made Jelantik Tengahan, an historical figure who was sent from the Court of Gelgel to Java to defeat the King of Blambangan. Performing as the prelude to a cremation, Kakul uses this story to alternately extol and humorously question the values of the fabled past in light of present social conditions, and to focus on the complex web of obligations in Bali between the living and the dead.
