A stage in bloom
Gian Magdangal leads the cast of Newsies at the Globe Iconic Amphitheater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
There must be some reason why so many stage productions open around the same time, making it difficult for me to get around and see every one of them during their respective opening weekends. The abysmal traffic situation isn’t of much help either when plotting these forays into theater-going. And that is a crying shame for me and the general public, as there has been a windfall of winning productions that reaffirm how Philippine theater is very much alive and well. Despite relatively minuscule production and promotional budgets, creativity, sheer talent, and ingenuity can still rule the day when it comes to how a material is written or adapted, and how what we (the audience) experience, can transcend these limitations.
Heard a lot of good things about Atlantis’ Kinky Boots and Nyoy Volante’s performance but at the time of writing this, it was Globe Active & 9Works’ Newsies that I got to catch.
Led by the superb triple threat Gian Magdangal, Disney’s Newsies, in its Manila reincarnation, lives up to the Tony Awards it garnered for Best Choreography and Original Score (eight nominations in all). Here in Manila, we often cast and highlight musicals via the singing and/or the acting, but I was just as impressed by the dancing — so kudos to director Robbie Guevara and choreographer PJ Rebullida for stretching the stage, and the quads and hamstrings of the cast! Whether they were dancers, gymnasts or just other-worldly, I couldn’t tell but the show was a joy to watch. It runs until July 30. Is it time to bring Billy Elliott here?
When it comes to original Filipino material, I have enjoyed my excursions into the world of the Virgin Labfest. This year was no different and it was two comedy-dramas that truly caught my attention. Sincerity Bikers’ Club, written by Adrian Ho and directed by Jenny Jamora, started off light and frivolous then turned into something serious and thought-provoking. In an activity as innocuous as a recreational weekend bikers’ club, the ugly face of national law and order issues could make an appearance, bringing into question values and our sense of decency and propriety. The play is a wonderful glimpse into the little people who are the collateral damage of today’s headlines.
In the case of Dingdong Novenario’s Nothing But Dreams, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna’s direction offers us a painful but exacting glimpse into the prejudices and deep-rooted biases that we Filipinos cling to. Set up like a Filipino Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the hilarious, rib-tickling approach to exposing our more-than-ironic racist tendencies, was both entertaining and elucidating. Audie Gemora and Madeleine Nicolas were pitch-perfect as the parents of the young girl bringing her dark-complexioned American boyfriend to meet the parents. Could easily see this one being expanded to a full-length play with an Act II and III. If only local dramas had as much a chance of being produced and promoted to a broader audience as musicals do. Unfortunately, that is the truism of theater here — that audiences will flock to musicals, while dramas only enjoy niche appeal.
And it doesn’t look like things are slowing down in the theater scene. End of July, Spamalot opens at the RCBC Theater. A musical created by Eric Idle, inspired by Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this is one that I am truly intrigued by. As a teenager studying in England, I loved Monty Python — and would avidly follow the exploits of Idle, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman and Gilliam and Jones Terry, as they dabbled in films, books and TV shows beyond Python. But admittedly, it was all very silly and terribly British — so am curious to see how the transition to a Filipino stage will fare, and how the audience will react.
On the drama front, come September, what is arguably Nick Joaquin’s strongest play, his 1976 Mga Ama, Mga Anak (Fathers & Sons) will be revived by the Dulaang UP. Directed by the venerable Tony Mabesa, it will be performed both in Filipino and in English. A veritable portrait of the Filipino as an aging bourgeois “captain of his industry” patriarch — the play deals with family, and the conflict between generations.
I recognize the above is merely a snapshot of just how fertile and active our local theater scene is today. Hopefully, the takeaway here is that we owe it to ourselves to go out, buy a ticket, and support these efforts. In the past, there would be some who would exclusively look to trips abroad or productions with a complete foreign cast, as chances to experience quality theater. This certainly is no longer the case (if ever it was); the light shines brightly on our homegrown theater companies, and we all have to play our part in keeping it that way.
