JAKARTA - Perahu Kertas, a fictional work of Dee Lestari, will soon be presented in the form of a musical performance. Presented by Indonesia Kaya and Trinity Entertainment Network, this performance also collaborates with the Trinity Youth Symphony Orchestra (TRUST) which will accompany the story of Keenan and Kugy.
The Paper Boat musical will be staged from January 30 to February 15, 2026 at Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, with a total of 21 performances.
Viewers will revisit the story of Kugy and Keenan, two young souls who were both born with the blood of art. Kugy, who is aware that reality is not as beautiful, chooses to create a fairy tale as his comfort zone. Meanwhile, Keenan, a young genius painter, lives under the shadow of his father's expectations, looking for a way to freely express himself even though the world demands him to be someone else.
When the two meet among billions of people, it's as if the universe gives a pause. The two meet on a journey of life full of choices, dreams, and feelings that are not always easy to express. But deep down, they believe that one day their stories and works will find each other, like hearts and dreams that are destined to meet.
Under the theme of "Bring Back the Dreams", this musical is the debut of Trinity Entertainment Network on the musical stage, as well as a manifestation of Indonesia Kaya's long-term commitment to developing Indonesian performing arts. This adaptation presents a stage experience that combines music, literature, and theater, in a warm and relevant emotional journey for many people.
Alya Syahrani was cast as Kugy, who has been attached to Maudy Ayunda. He sees the Paper Boat Musical as a very personal artistic journey.
"Paper Boat Musical is the seventh musical stage since I started to enter the musical industry in 2012. My first stage gave me a magical process and since then every production has left an impression that strengthened my love for the world of musical theater. And Paper Boat has its own emotional closeness for me, because it talks about dreams and the search for self-identity. Through this process, I am reminded of the reason I fell in love with the stage art," said Alya in a written statement, January 21.
Meanwhile, Dewara Zaqqi who plays Keenan is also enthusiastic to be involved in this show. As a fan of the novel, he hopes that his performance will bring him closer to his dream.
"My interest in auditioning for the Paper Boat Musical stems from my love of the film and the Paper Boat novel. This story feels so close to my everyday life and I can see a lot of my life experiences reflected in Keenan's character. I hope that the Paper Boat Musical, as the fifth musical stage in my career journey, can bring me one step closer to my dream of becoming an actor," he explained.
In addition to the two main characters, the Paper Boat Musical also involves 38 actors and 20 creative teams who enliven the stage and strengthen the story and message conveyed by this story.
"For me, Remi is a symbol of sincerity and a different form of love for Kugy. His presence is a way for Kugy to really understand his own feelings," said Christoffer Nelwan, who plays Remi.
Meanwhile, Marsha Lavinia, who plays Luhde, added, "Luhde has an important role in Keenan's journey. Luhde is portrayed as a figure who supports and helps Keenan rediscover the path to his dreams."
The entire production process until the smooth running of the performance day is inseparable from the hands of the producers of this staging, namely Billy Gamaliel, Eunike Elisaveta and Chriskevin Adefrid.
Billy Gamaliel, as the producer of the Paper Boat Musical and Program Manager of Indonesia Kaya, made this staging a form of effort to preserve the stage world.
"Paper Boat Musical is our commitment to bringing dreams to life in the performing arts ecosystem. Through long performances, we want to give space for art practitioners to grow, while affirming that performing arts are worth living and growing, and growing new hope for audiences to continue to believe and grow together with Indonesian performing arts. "
The Paper Boat musical will feature 21 songs that strengthen the narrative, including two songs that have been released on various digital platforms, Billions of People and Agency, with lyric videos available on YouTube. To maintain stamina and quality of performance during the series of performances, the production team implemented an alternate cast system on four show schedules, namely February 3, 4, 10, and 11, 2026 at 19.30 WIB.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
