Power plays : wayang golek puppet theater of West Java /

Using a multidisciplinary approach that fuses ethnomusicology, cultural studies, and media studies, Weintraub (music, Univ. of Pittsburgh) offers an insightful examination of the complex social, political, and aesthetic interactions influencing wayang golek, the popular Sundanese rod-puppet theater of Indonesia. The author begins with a brief overview of this puppet form then addresses the promulgation of these performances via the mass media during the Suharto regime (1966-98). Concentrating on the media-generated superstar status of the dalang (the principal puppeteer), Weintraub is able to explore the contradictory demands of adherence to artistic tradition and dramatic convention; the audience's requirement for entertainment; the dalang's new role as spokesperson of government policy; and the dalang's influence (and by extension the art form's influence) on the creation of Indonesian societal identity. The accompanying CD-ROM--which includes interesting video clips of wayang golek performances and an interactive introduction to Indonesian puppetry and culture--extends the book's audience to those unfamiliar with this art form. These readers should view the CD-ROM before approaching the book itself. Appendixes include biographies of four principal dalang and instructions for using the CD-ROM. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. R. A. Naversen Southern Illinois University Carbondale