This is not an expert's post on the finer points of wayang kulit. It's the post of a novice aficionado.

We saw some wayang kulit performed at the Wayang Museum in Jakarta last year, and I was keen to see some more.

Well, Yogya is the place. Every night at the Sono Budoyo Museum, there is a two-hour performance, costing 20,000 rupiah (A$2.20). And that is only one venue -- there are more. So last night I taxied through a newly minted thunderous deluge to enjoy the Seventh Episode of the Ramayana: The Death of Kumbakarna.

Here's the synopsis from the programme:

"Scene 1: Rahwana begs Kumbakarna to fight against Rama. Together with his two sons, Kumbaaswani and Aswanikumba, he rushes to the battle field.

"Scene 2: Rama, Laksmana and Wibisana discuss how to face Kumbakarna. At Wibisana's suggestion, all the ape troops counter Kumbakarna, trying to weaken him. When Kumbakarna's power has been used up, Rama shoots him with a lethal arrow. Thus Kumbakarna dies in a heroical manner."

To be honest, it's pretty hard to relate the synopsis to the action. I couldn't even work out who was who most of the time. Nevertheless, it's most enjoyable, and all the tourists who whizz in, witness a few minutes, take lots of photos, and move straight on to dinner are missing out on a lot.

So what's to like?

It's a great spectacle: the full gamelan orchestra; the lit screen; the dalang (puppet master) at the front managing the show; the intricate shadows of the puppets in the starring role. The dalang is amazing. He works the puppets (how do you get a puppet to ride a horse?), directs the gamelan orchestra, and does all the characters' different voices. The show is also quite funny in parts (I think it was meant to be, as the women singers were laughing in the bits I found amusing). The fight scenes are great -- biffo at its best. And the music is mesmerizing.

So, I'm a fan. Untutored, but keen. I'll be back for more...