TRANSFORMASI SENI PERSEMBAHAN TRADISIONAL MEK MULUNG: ANALISIS ADAPTASI TEATER MUZIKAL PUTERI DARAH PUTIH

TRANSFORMATION OF THE TRADITIONAL PERFORMING ART OF MEK MULUNG: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MUSICAL THEATRE ADAPTATION OF PUTERI DARAH PUTIH

Abstract

Abstrak

Kajian ini menganalisis transformasi seni persembahan tradisional Mek Mulung menerusi adaptasi teater muzikal Puteri Darah Putih yang dipentaskan di Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre pada September 2025. Sebagai warisan hidup yang berakar di Kampung Baru Wang Tepus, Kedah, Mek Mulung berhadapan dengan cabaran kelestarian akibat perubahan cita rasa khalayak, pemodenan dan perkembangan industri hiburan kontemporari. Kajian ini bertujuan menganalisis proses adaptasi naratif dan hibridisasi estetika yang berlaku apabila struktur persembahan tradisional dipindahkan kepada format teater muzikal moden. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif berasaskan kajian kes, data diperoleh melalui pemerhatian langsung terhadap pementasan, analisis naskhah dan dokumentasi serta rakaman audiovisual. Analisis berpandukan teori adaptasi Hutcheon dan konsep hibriditi Bhabha dengan memberikan perhatian kepada struktur dramatik, muzik, gerak, ritual dan teknologi pentas. Dapatan menunjukkan bahawa beberapa elemen teras, termasuk Buka Panggung, Lagu Bertabik dan Gerak Timpuh, dikekalkan sebagai penanda identiti, manakala susunan vokal, naratif, pencahayaan dan sinografi diolah untuk memenuhi konvensyen teater muzikal kontemporari. Pertemuan antara unsur tradisional dan moden menghasilkan ruang perundingan estetik yang memperlihatkan kesinambungan fungsi asal dalam bentuk persembahan baharu. Kajian ini menunjukkan potensi adaptasi kreatif sebagai salah satu strategi kelangsungan Mek Mulung, namun penilaian terhadap respons khalayak dan kesan jangka panjang masih diperlukan bagi menentukan keberkesanan strategi tersebut secara menyeluruh.

Kata kunci: Mek Mulung; teater muzikal; Puteri Darah Putih; alih wahana; hibriditi; pelestarian warisan

Abstract

This study examines the transformation of the traditional performing art of Mek Mulung through its adaptation into the musical theatre production Puteri Darah Putih, staged at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre in September 2025. As a living heritage rooted in Kampung Baru Wang Tepus, Kedah, Mek Mulung faces sustainability challenges arising from changing audience preferences, modernisation, and developments in the contemporary entertainment industry. The study analyses narrative adaptation and aesthetic hybridisation as the traditional performance structure is transferred into a modern musical theatre format. Using a qualitative case-study approach, data were obtained through direct observation of the performance, analysis of scripts and documentation, and audiovisual recordings. The analysis draws on Hutcheon’s adaptation theory and Bhabha’s concept of hybridity, focusing on dramatic structure, music, movement, ritual, and stage technology. The findings indicate that core elements, including Buka Panggung, Lagu Bertabik, and Gerak Timpuh, are retained as markers of identity, while vocal arrangements, narrative structure, lighting, and scenography are reworked to meet contemporary musical theatre conventions. The encounter between traditional and modern elements creates an aesthetic space of negotiation in which original functions continue within a new performance form. The study highlights the potential of creative adaptation as one strategy for sustaining Mek Mulung, although studies of audience response and long-term impact are required before its effectiveness as a preservation model can be assessed comprehensively.

Keywords: Mek Mulung; musical theatre; Puteri Darah Putih; adaptation; hybridity; heritage preservation