Mga Babaeng Toobright, written by Debbie Ann L. Tan and directed by Ana Valdes-Lim, was the first play of the evening. The play dealt with goddesses Harmony and Discord who were once joined, but were now separated and hiding on Earth. As a third goddess searched for these two lost companions, mortals were caught in an age-old struggle.
My initial feelings about the play reflected the title exactly. For me it was a production that tried to be too bright and in doing so, eventually had us bewildered. Every now and then it tried to insert insights about the nature of creative work and how external influences shaped it to the artist’s disadvantage. (With the Toobright reminiscent of a Fulbright maybe?) Even with such points, the style of delivery and its pacing still had me confused. It was already about ten minutes into the opening scene when I started to have a faint idea of what was happening. When the play was about to end and I thought I understood it all, I was mistaken and lost once again.
The play had its funny moments and the actors were very much in goddess-character. I’ll give it that. But over-all, something was still lacking.
Panlilinlang
If the first play fell short of our expectations, the next play, Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna, exceeded them.
Floy Quintos, new to the Labfest although an established and successful playwright and director, wowed the audience again with his captivating material and tight direction. Hindi talaga dapat pinalalampas ang mga produksiyon niya. His decisions simply clicked that if anyone even unfamiliar with theater sees this, even he will appreciate how all elements fit together perfectly: the music, the set and costumes marked with true shibui (understated elegance), the carefully chosen words, the bizarre yet accessible premise, the actors’ movement and delivery. This was just a joy to watch.
In Kalungkutan, we encounter Marcel de Alba, hairdresser to international royalty, summoned by President Yolanda Cadiz shortly after the latter declares Martial Law. The distraught Marcel is confounded more when he learns that Cadiz has called him to be her Minister of Taste in her attempt to set a system of monarchy in the Philippines.
If her dreams of being Yolanda Primera, Queen of Mayi is to come true, however, she feels that a major revamp is needed. Her “bob” that reminds everyone of “Yolanda Diktadora” has to be styled to be more people-friendly. Her corrupt ministers’ and army’s uncouth actions and traditional garb need to be refined for acceptance by the Filipinos.
Thus, we see Marcel attempting to change her appearance (eg. by giving her a head of hair befitting a beloved queen) and her court’s manners (eg. giving her a queenly laugh and training the military to give a proper royal bow). As transformations are made and generals are made into dukes, counts, and viscounts, Marcel realizes how serious Yolanda is in this megalomania.
Sadly, as Yolanda achieves the change she wants, the common folk are not fooled. Perceptions are not changed and even preparations for her grand coronation do not abate the tension among the citizens. The tragedy in the end is palpable when even Yolanda confesses that she knows of the people’s desire for her demise. She understands that her death as a queen is imminent, and yet it is a sadness and a decision she must embrace if she is to hold on to her dreams.
Sharmaine Buencamino is excellent as Yolanda. The way she commands the stage and delivers her lines just draws one to her. For 50 minutes, she IS the dictator trying to be queen. At perfect moments, we are awed by her and pity her character at the same time. Tuxqs Rutaquio, whom I last saw as Ada in Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal, assays a character equally engaging and powerful onstage. In this play, he IS the hairdresser who knows his culture, history, and etiquette. The rest of the ensemble all contribute to this production as well and, though appearing briefly, are not bit parts at all.
The only misgiving we had occurred in the end when one of the ministers slipped his hands through what were supposed to be the glass panels of the royal door. Coming at one of the most dramatic moments of the play, that lapse in maintaining the reality of the glass was a definite no-no and the audience noticed. (We heard giggles everywhere.) Still, that’s easily correctible and even that act was not enough to mar the strengths of this terrific production. The friend I was with that evening even commented, “Hindi na nga nito kailangan ng workshop o Labfest. Kahit isabak na agad bilang standalone, pwede na.”
Among all the plays I’ve seen so far in the Festival, this tops my list. Sa madling-sabi, nasulit ang gabi ko sa produksiyong ito.
Pananampalataya
With the high I had after Kalungkutan, the next play had great standards to match. Sadly, everything went downhill after the peak of the second play.
Ang Dalawa Niyang Libing by Koh Jun Elow (translation by Terence Harvey Co, and direction by Leo Rialp) was a let-down after the previous production, even with its promising premise. This play dealt with the sensitive issue of religious law.
Lim Sun Hok is a Chinese Buddhist immigrant in Malaysia. Here, he has established his business and his family. After his death, the government uncovers that Lim Sun listed himself as a Muslim 40 years ago. Unbeknownst to the strict Muslim government and his family, this was done by Lim Sun merely for practical reasons. The family he leaves behind now has to deal with the devastating repercussions of Lim Sun’s careless decision.
Knowing Leo Rialp as the big name that brought us grand productions like Bayani and Rama at Sita, I expected something grand as well. The complexity that usually marked his work was, indeed, seen in the engaging opening sequence. Alas, it all falls flat after that. Though it was clear that the frame used to tell the story was that of news and gossip, the storytelling never reached the point of being affecting or even interesting.
For instance, the presence of six narrators (yes, six!) did not help in the story telling. It did not help as well that some characters and narrators had very linear deliveries. Sa isang ispesipikong narrator pa nga, ang pakiramdam namin, para na lang ngang nagbabasa na siya, nakakalimutan pa ang linya. Add to that times when the blocking and actors’ rapport seemed too calculated and unnatural and you have a recipe for trouble.
Nararamdaman mo naman ang tunay na effort na gusto ka nilang hatakin sa mga damdamin nila at sa lalim ng sakit nila, pero hindi talaga. Kahit ano pang gawin, hindi mo magawang makiisa.
I guess I’ll stop at that lest I be buried twice over as well with what I can go on saying. Hay.
An accepted risk
After seeing the set, my friend and I were reflecting that theater-going does involve risk-taking. Ika nga sa mga klase namin sa pilosopiya, may pagtataya. Nagtatalaga tayo ng oras, ng pera, ng sarili sa panonood. Ibinababad natin ang kamulatan sa mga produksyong inaasahan nating hindi tayo bibiguin.
Katulad na lang din siguro ng buhay, hindi lahat ay mabuti at kasiya-siya. Kagaya ng ipinakita sa tatlong magkakasunod na dulang napanood namin: Hindi lahat ng nakikita sa labas ay salamin ng tunay na intensyon ng tao, hindi lahat ng matayog na pangarap ay para sa mabuti, hindi lahat ng laban ay napapanalunan.
Gayunman, kung hindi tayo magtataya at makararanas ng sakit paminsan-minsan, hindi tayo matututo. Hindi tayo lalago. Hindi rin bubukas ang pagkakataong makatagpo tayo ng tunay na ligaya, ng dyamante sa gitna ng latak.
If you’re still unsure after reading this, please still do watch this set. The risk will be well worth it.
The Virgin Labfest runs until July 6. The set Pagkagahaman, Panlilinlang, Pananampalataya shows again on July 3 (Thurs, 8pm) and July 4 (Fri, 3pm). Tickets are at P200 for the entire set. Check out these entries (Virgin Labfest Na, Virgin Labfest 4 Lineup) or go to virginlabfest.com for more information about the entire festival.
Pictures used in this entry are from theater critic Mr. Joey Ting. (Check out his articles in the Manila Times and his website as well.)
The next ones I'll be seeing are still at the end of the week. Break from watching and writing and back to academic work, hehe.
No comments:
Post a Comment