His famous NAME, stage name Marwoto. Sometimes added, Marwoto Kawer. The stage name, brought popularity as a puppeteer stage art. Sri Slamet Sumarwoto is widely known as a comedian. An achievement that he fought for through his ingenuity as a stage worker since childhood. And that long period, he passed through the performing arts of kethoprak, kethoprak tobong. Even though Marwoto was the son of a kethoprak star, the leader of a well-known kethoprak group at his time, his career in kethoprak had to start from the bottom: becoming a bala kepruk, a war player. Previously, when I was a child, I was often asked to go on stage to act out children's scenes, including tragic scenes crying over the fate of my family.
Marwoto, through a long period as a fighting warrior, even in the kethoprak tobong society, he is known as a master in rendition of war scenes, physical combat with tricks and half acrobatics, which are flavored with humor in the form of gestures. In fact, Marwoto once had a "special assignment" from the boss of the kethoprak tobong, namely buying cinema tickets to watch silat films. Who knows, in that film there are fight scenes that can be processed for "war choreography" on the kethoprak tobong stage where he (is) playing. Marwoto, until now known as a kethoprak player who has skills in playing stick weapons in war.
Throughout his career in kethoprak tobong since 1967, he explored moving from one tobong group to another. According to his confession, he and several of his peers were known as memory players, because they often moved between kethoprak tobong groups. Marwoto entertained the audience at length through the fight scenes, relying on the movements of the fight scenes almost without having to enter into a dialogue with words. In a way, Marwoto is mature in conveying jokes through scenes without words, jokes in fights. His talent is honed to the level of creating fighting moves full of laughter-provoking anecdotes. Especially during the heyday of kethoprak tobong, the battle scene was the scene the audience had been waiting for. Stage fighting is one of the "mainstay commodities", the important selling point of kethoprak tobong captivates the audience. Please be advised, Marwoto has spent a long time pinning his hopes on his sustenance from fees on the proceeds from selling spectator tickets. Marwoto experienced the bitter sweet and sour life of kethoprak tobong.
Even though he has a clever tendency to open spaces for humor, Marwoto does not immediately jump into the world of jokes. Marwoto even tried his luck as a kethoprak player with various roles leading to stardom in various protagonist and antagonist roles. It is seldom noted that Marwoto was also a good character actor. In other words, Martowo is not only a group explorer but also a role traveler. Although in the end he was widely known as a singer or comedian, Marwoto's achievements in traditional performing arts have a history that needs to be dismantled in more depth. During the existence of the tradition in the kethoprak tobong society, a stage career implies requirements, must be fought for through a multilevel process. Starting from the warlord (bala kepruk), becoming a pecalan player, then reaching the dialogue player in the third tier role (supporting role), second tier (supporting role), until reaching the main war-role layer. Marwoto also often confessed that the biggest motive for exploring between the tobong stages at that time was really to earn a living, have something to eat