USC Theater Guild returns onstage with Halok sa Tarantula

A Cebuano adaptation of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," the fourth and best-known novel of the Argentine author and motion picture scriptwriter Manuel Puig, will be staged by the University of San Carlos (USC) Theater Guild this February 3, Saturday at the Ayala Onstage Cinema.

After successfully mounting "Elena" last semester, the guilders will once again showcase their prowess in putting out significant and socially relevant plays. Re-titled in the local dialect, "Halok sa Tarantula," this is another addition to the list of notable plays performed by the guilders.

"Halok sa Tarantula" is a story of two prisoners, Molina and Valentin, and the progress of their relationship inside a prison cell. Molina is convicted of corruption of a minor and of homosexuality, while Valentin is a political prisoner. The story revolves around their situation in the prison cell, including the conflict between personal emotions and desires versus political idealism and activism - and how, in the end, they would learn to respect each other despite the many differences.

The plot is a "story within a story", wherein Molina, a homosexual window dresser who happens to adore movies, is narrating melodramatic scenes from the movie "Splash" (the 1984 movie directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah) in great detail to Valentin, who at first, was reluctant in listening to the tales of Molina.

Valentin, however, would eventually find himself enthralled by the stories, at the same time, would become emotionally drawn to Molina. On one hand, Molina has secretly agreed to elicit information from Valentin in order to pass it on to the prison authorities. Upon Molina's release, he agrees to help Valentin in his political cause through passing on important information to his fellow revolutionaries.

Manuel Puig was born in December 28, 1932 and died on July 22, 1990. His El Beso de la Mujer Arana (Kiss of the Spider Woman Man) was made into a film by the Argentine-Brazilian director, Hector Babenco and into a Broadway musical in 1993. This novel was adapted and translated in Bisaya by Rudy Aviles and Jonathan Alberto. This nine-scene, one-hour and 30-minute play is directed by Loyd Sato. Show times are the following: 9 am - 10:30 am; 10:30 am - 12 pm; 12 pm - 1:30 pm; 1:30 pm - 3 pm; 3 pm - 4:30 pm; 4:30 pm - 6 pm; 6 pm - 7:30 pm; and 7:30 pm - 9 pm.