Wayang Esther is a unique fusion of Javanese tradition and a Biblical story, born from cross-cultural creativity. Inspired by Barbara Benary’s musical sensitivity to her Jewish heritage and Javanese gamelan, the performance combines shadow puppetry with the narrative of Queen Esther, offering a visual and musical experience that blends tradition, collaboration, and cross-continental reinterpretation.
Inspiration from the Story of Queen Esther
Barbara Benary, a Jewish-American ethnomusicologist, was among the first to introduce a Javanese-style gamelan ensemble in the United States. Her group, Son of Lion, often blended gamelan with Jewish liturgical melodies. Although Barbara was not particularly religious, her musical and cultural sensibilities were deeply shaped by her heritage—turning belief into culture, and culture into collaboration.
From this fertile ground emerged Wayang Esthera shadow puppet performance based on the biblical story of Queen Esther.
The performance was first held in 1999 and revived a few years later when composer Matthew Cohen contacted Javanese puppeteer Joko Susilo and composer Jody Diamond to bring the show back to life. The plan was to perform it again for Purim, the Jewish holiday, in West Hartford, Connecticut.
However, reconstructing this performance was no easy task—the musical score had to be found, the puppets redesigned, and everything pieced together from memory.
Joko, who initially used traditional wayang Purwa, had to design new characters tailored to the Esther narrative. “At first, they looked too Javanese,” he recalled. “The noses weren’t quite right.” This process became a long, transcontinental journey of revisions and refinements. Meanwhile, Matthew introduced historical visuals: an illustrated Book of Esther from 18th-century Italy. Although not originally made for puppetry, the proportions of the characters resembled wayang figures. With Joko’s designs and Matthew’s visual sources, the team created a two-layered performance—one using puppets, the other with projections—allowing the audience to experience both tradition and reinterpretation simultaneously.
