Untried, Untested, Unstaged, Unpublished

For many people, this year's edition of the just-concluded Virgin Labfest will be memorable for many reasons. Some will remember the unprecedented increase in ticket sales, despite the harsh and honestly hole-riddled arguments of a stubbornly sharp-tongued university-based theater reviewer. Others will recall not so much of what happened onstage, but more of what took place offstage. A few may probably dwell on what went wrong this time around. But most will not forget, at the very least not now, the fact that this year's festival, like in the past, has been a solid success.

I had planned on not writing at all about this year's edition, which would have been a first. But the way I (later) saw it, to not write about it means that I'm indifferent to it: to the diversity of the plays mounted, to what each has accomplished despite its flaws. And it's very difficult to be indifferent to something like the Virgin Labfest, especially when the people behind it cared so much for it. To be indifferent is a great disservice, and apathy is one thing that we seem to have in appallingly enormous supply nowadays.

That said, below are what I think made this year's Virgin Labfest such a treat:

ACTOR: Jonathan Tadioan, in Layeta Bucoy's Doc Resurrecion: Gagamutin ang Bayan.

"Ferocious" is perhaps the perfect word to describe this actor, both for his commitment to every role he takes on and the performance that it results. His appearance, thick facial hair notwithstanding, may not strike me as particularly menacing, but the way he projects danger does. I used the aforementioned word to describe his performance in Tim Dacanay's Pamantasang Hirang last year, and I'm using it again for his portrayal of the rude, crude and corrupted cousin of the title character in Layeta Bucoy's gripping and ultimately unsettling drama.

ACTRESS: Marjorie Lorico, in Tim Dacanay's Ang Huling Lektyur ni Misis Reyes.

The Virgin Labfest has always featured works that have substantial lead roles for actresses, and this year's edition was no exception. Gigi Escalanate in Maliw, Mayen Estanero in So Sangibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman, Mailes Kanapi in Kitchen Medea, Skyzx Labastilla in Isang Araw sa Karnabal, Sherry Lara and Raquel Villavicencio in Asawa/Kabit--I would have chosen any one of them on any other day. But I chose Marjorie Lorico for the simple reason that I remember her performance the most, and remember it positively. I have admired this actress' considerable talent for a long time now, and her engaging portrayal of the easily distracted and stressed-out title character is, without a doubt, the highlight in Tim Dacanay's monologue.

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sugus Legaspi, in J. Dennis Teodosio's Salise.

For some reason, I never found this actor's past performances particularly noteworthy. But his role as the kubrador dad in J. Dennis Teodosio's latest comedy changed that. It helped a lot that his character has much of the play's most hilarious lines, and I thought he delivered them very well. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the second time he has taken on a comic role, the first being in Nicolas Pichay's Tingnan Natin ang Mukha Niya waaaaay back in 2001. Maybe it's just me, but I feel his talent is better suited for wisecrack-filled comedies.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Julia Enriquez, in Reuel Molina Aguila's Maliw.

In any other day I would have selected Roence Santos for her competent turns in Salise and So Sangibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman, but there's something about Julia Enriquez's role as the desaparecido eldest daughter of former activists-turned-academicians that's inherently compelling. The daughter's expected-yet-unexpected visit in the play (as wishfully imagined by the denial-gripped mother) powerfully lends flesh and blood to the protagonist's gnawing grief and eventually gives the latter the closure she needs. In that role, I felt Julia Enriquez turned in a fine performance.

(Note: Though I failed to watch it, I heard that Cats Racsag, a last-minute replacement for Julia when the latter was hospitalized for appendicitis and therefore couldn't perform in the last show, was--let me put it this way--miraculous as the daughter. I would've loved to watch her.)

ENSEMBLE: The cast of Sheilfa Alojamiento's Boy-Gel ang Gelpren ni Mommy.

Among the plays staged this year, Alojamiento's work charmed me the most. I truly admire how it tackled lesbianism simply, sensitively, and without needless fuss. And I find her decision to use the children's perspective to be rather refreshing. The cast responded accordingly and I, in turn, responded very well to their chemistry. They performed as a solid team; no one tried to upstage the others. Isn't that what a true ensemble is?

DIRECTOR: Riki Benedicto, for Rogelio Braga's So Sangibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman.

A few may dispute this, but I feel the debuting director's helming is the most striking thing about this play. Rogelio Braga's elegiac play on the 1971 Tacub Massacre as filtered through the memories of a consequently jaded Christian witness presents challenges that can give any director, experienced or not, a lingering, thoughtful pause. That said, I'm quite impressed at how deftly Riki Benedicto handled the play's three timelines, and his flashlight-illuminated staging of the roundup and subsequent massacre of the innocent Maranaos was nothing short of riveting.

PLAY: Isang Araw sa Karnabal by Nicolas Pichay.

The recent increase in forced disappearances in the country has made the topic of desaparecidos a very relevant one once more. The heartbreaking loss, the unbearable lack of closure, the need for relief, the gradually fading hope that the loved one will return--Nicolas Pichay wonderfully addressed all these and more in typical Pichayesque fashion. No one but him can think of setting a play on desaparecidos in a place so unusual and rich in irony and comic potential like an Enchanted Kingdom-like theme park. No one but him can use a comic tone and get away with it, especially with the subject his play deals with. And most of all, no one but him can think of the idea of faux, beehive-shaped shit as candy. I won't be surprised if this play will be restaged next year as part of Virgin Labfest 5 Revisted.

To the VLF playwrights, actors, directors and behind-the-scene staffers: Bravo!

Protagonists, Politics, Poison

Last week I watched two one-act plays that startled me, not because of their apparent differences, but rather for their accidental similarities. The first, Oggie Arcenas's Isang Mukha ng Pandaraya, is inspired by the cheating controversy that rocked the UP School of Economics early last year. His interpretation of the scandal uses a she-said/she-said setup--to prevent a clear-cut presentation of the facts, one strongly suspects--that exposes the less-than-noble qualities of all (well, almost; one may argue that the complainant's attorney is an exception) those involved in the case. The second, Layeta P. Bucoy's Doc Resurrecion: Gagamutin ang Bayan, features an increasingly discomforting clash of wills between two adult cousins, both sharing the same surname and the same ambition to run for their town's mayorship and nothing else. Like most of Bucoy's plays, it does not end well.

Two things about the plays gave me pause. One, both protagonists have serious flaws. Isang Mukha has a hotheaded complainant who possesses an unwholesome reputation on campus, which the memorable last scene decidedly confirms. As for the title character in Bucoy's play, his appalling but understandable sense of shame about his impoverished roots threatens to undermine his well-intentioned plans for his hometown. Their less-than-sterling character threaten to bring them down. Both dare the audience to dislike them. True, many other, greater plays have featured such characters, but one could not help but remain compelled by them.

The other? In my mind, what struck me most about Isang Mukha and Doc Resurrecion was that it highlighted the role politics--academic, familial and everything in between--play in poisoning (surprise, surprise) institutions and societies, even families. Bucoy's play especially demonstrates this, with cousin turning against cousin, with disturbing consequences. Even more disturbing, we often see this poison working in real life, right in our faces, right out in the open. But you know what's most disturbing? Most of us have become indifferent--numb--to it. Sad thing is, we're aware of it.

The protagonists may be tragic. But then again, so are we.

Virgin Labfest 4: A General Review

NOTE: This slightly bitchy, hopefully humorous review may contain certain details that are not suitable for overly sensitive, humorless theater practitioners. Reader discretion is advised.

In one of his introductory speeches almost two weeks ago, Rody (Vera) admitted how surprised he was at how the Virgin Labfest has lasted as long as it did; he really didn't expect it to go beyond the second edition. The fact that it did is an encouraging sign, I believe. It means there are people outside the local theater community who genuinely believe in the festival, in the reputation it has earned. If nothing else, where else can you find a collection of untouched plays that can provoke your senses or challenge your intellect beyond your comfort level?

As expected, the Virgin Labfest 4 had eighteen plays of varying quality that tackled a wide range of themes, with most of them conventionally and straightforwardly mounted. Naturally, all the plays had flaws, and only a handful managed to compensate.

Bart Guingona tried but ultimately failed to match May Bayot's modulated performance in Layeta Bucoy's Las Mentiras de Gloria, which benefitted from Tuxqs Rutaquio's restrained direction. Actors, most memorably Amihan Ruiz and Nar Cabico, had a field day sinking their teeth into their roles as underworld loonies in debuting Carlo Garcia's surreal, ultimately shallow black comedy Ang Mga Halimaw. And men with a fetish for virginal and leggy schoolgirls may be the most receptive audience for the bland fluff that was Hase Hiroichi's Amoy ng Langit.

Jonathan Tadioan was ferociously good as a corrupt congressman and fraternity alumnus in Tim Dacanay's intriguing, funny (thanks in great part to that ridiculous frat chant with matching raised-fist, one-leg-stretched-back pose) and, according to National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José, sophisticated (Yeah. Fine. Whatever.) Pamantasang Hirang, which could've benefitted from a stronger sense of horror and a more assertive feminine perspective from director Hazel Gutierrez. And Allan Lopez, together with director J. Victor Villareal, giddily put his actors (Abner Delina Jr. and Katherine Sabate this time around) and the audience through brainbending hell as usual in his exploration of psychological torture in the oddly titled Masaganang Ekonomiya.

I can't really comment on National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José's "play" Dong-Ao, a sequel of sorts to the last Rosales novel Mass, because I slept through it. Ü But seriously, Hammy--I mean, Tommy--Abuel was so, well, hammy as a pompous senator that I felt as if I was at Santi's Deli Shop or at a supermarket's cold-cuts section. If I only knew, I could've brought some slices of bread, mayonnaise and lettuce. Truth to tell, this "play" inflicted more needless torture on the audience than Masaganang Ekonomiya.

Speaking of ham, meat--muscular and otherwise--are on display in George Vail Kabristante's Ang Kwento ng Menginga ng New York City na Kamukha ng Bee-stung Lips in Julia Roberts, about a Filipino tranny living in the Big Apple who had his, well, "meat down there" surgically removed so that the hunky love of his/her life can finally push his "meat" into him/her. That, or it's another hilarious Ricci Chan stand-up performance in disguise, for it sometimes felt that way. Good thing I didn't have that feeling at all in Rogelio Braga's thought- and laughter-provoking Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakakabagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte. It worked onstage in a way that it never did on paper, and I must credit the first-rate performances of Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes, the erstwhile Didi and Dodong, respectively, of ZsaZsa Zaturnnah: Ze Musikal for it. As for J. Dennis Teodosio's Gumamela, it just wilted.

Thanks to Ana Valdes-Lim's appalling direction and a horribly miscast Mary Emeral O'Hara, the arguably promising ideas Debbie Ann L. Tan offered in Mga Babaeng Toobright regrettably got flushed down the toilet, along with lead actress Wenah Nagales's considerable talents. And in Koh Jun Eiow's very fascinating Ang Dalawa Niyang Libing, the cast's overdependence on Malaysian broadsheets as props unnecessarily distracted from the play's strong subject matter. Thankfully, nothing of the sort marred Floy Quintos's rich, well-realized Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. The fabulous Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino was captivating as a president recasting herself as a queen while Tuxqs Rutaquio shone as a queen of another kind, but just as dignified and refined. I hope the playwright further develops the play into a full-length one; the material is that rich, that complex.

As for the collection of children's plays, Argel Tuason's generally diverting Bru-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, Bru-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi could've been more technically polished, while director Cats Racsag made the most out of Job Pagsibigan's brief Uuwi Na ang Nanay Kong si Darna. On the other hand, Njel de Mesa did a very commendable job in adapting, directing and scoring the entertaining, visually striking Terangati. As last year's Mga Obra ni Maestra has proven, he can truly carve out a really big niche for himself in children's theater in the country.

So, after all that has been said and done:

BEST ACTORS: Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes, in Rogelio Braga's Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakakabagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte (tie). (Runners-up: Jonathan Tadioan, in Tim Dacanay's Pamantasang Hirang and Tuxqs Rutaquio, in Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna.)

BEST ACTRESS: Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, in Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. (Runner-up: May Bayot for Layeta Bucoy's Las Mentiras de Gloria.)

BEST CAST: The cast of Carlo Garcia's Ang Mga Halimaw: JK Anicoche, Amihan Ruiz, Kristine Balmes, Alvin Obillo, Nar Cabico, Isab Martinez, and Oscar Garcia.

BEST EYE CANDY: Male: Diogenes Alejandro, in George Vail Kabristante's Ang Kuwento ng Menginga ng New York City na Kamukha ng Bee-stung Lips in Julia Roberts. (Runner-up: Joselito Riguerra, in George Vail Kabristante's Ang Kuwento ng Menginga ng New York City na Kamukha ng Bee-stung Lips in Julia Roberts.). Female: Mica Froilan, in Hase Hiroichi's Amoy ng Langit. (Runner-up: Tara Cabaero, in Hase Hiroichi's Amoy ng Langit.)

BEST PROP: The crown in Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. (Runner-up: the wooden paddle in Tim Dacanay's Pamantasang Hirang.)

BEST REPRESENTATION OF A BODY PART: Gem Padilla, as the Menginga in George Vail Kabristante's Ang Kuwento ng Menginga ng New York City na Kamukha ng Bee-stung Lips in Julia Roberts. (Runner-up: Vera's stiff cock, in Allan Lopez's Masaganang Ekonomiya.)

BEST USE OF MUSIC: Njel de Mesa, for his musical score for Terangati. (Runner-up: Floy Quintos, for his use of Judy Garland's Somewhere Over the Rainbow in his Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna.)

BEST DIRECTOR: Floy Quintos, for his Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. (Runner-up: Njel de Mesa, for Terangati.)

BEST PLAY: Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. (Runner-up: Layeta Bucoy's Las Mentiras de Gloria.)

Plus, a special award from a well-known food company:

THE PUREFOODS FIESTA HAM AWARD FOR ACTING: Tommy Abuel, in F. Sionil José's Dong-Ao. (Runner-up: Charissa Litton, in Debbie Ann L. Tan's Mga Babaeng Toobright.)

MABUHAY sa mga organizers at participants ng Virgin Labfest 4!