|
By Joey B. Ting, Contributor
 |
 |
|
Sharmaine
Centenera-Buencamino
headlines the cast of
Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna |
Four years ago, the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and
Tanghalang Pilipino came together to provide a test bed for untried,
untested, unpublished and yet-to-be-staged plays.
This tryst with strangers by these formidable
art institutions has since birthed some of the most promising
playwrights, actors and directors of today. This year, in
collaboration with Writer’s Bloc, Japan Foundation and Mae Paner,
Virgin Labfest breaks new ground once more.
Festival artistic director Rody Vera is at the
helm of this fourth installment theatrical event for Writer’s Bloc
while Tanghalang Pilipino artistic director Dennis Marasigan
supervises its triumphant success.
Indicative of the event’s growing success are
the many highly acclaimed veteran directors, playwrights and actors
making their debut appearance at the Labfest. Famous first-timers
names include Floy Quintos, Chris Millado, Paolo O’Hara, Leo Rialp
and Khavn de la Cruz. They join National Artist F. Sionil Jose,
Malaysian Koh Jun Eiow and Japanese Toshiisa Yoshida as well as
Virgin veterans Tuxqs Rutaquio, George de Jesus III, George de Jesus
III, Cats Racsag among many others. Now everybody wants to try their
luck with the Virgin.
Quintos—an accomplished theater and television
director, actor and multi-awarded playwright—made his Labfest
debut with Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna. The veteran, who directed
and wrote this surreal play, proven to be a successful auteur as
well. Through the prism of his play, we can appreciate this
multifaceted event.
The play uses hair and beauty as a metaphor for
a leader’s need to manipulate perception. To achieve an image
makeover, an official, Yolanda Cadiz (Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino),
hires a stylist, Marcel (Rutaquio), to complement her contrived
posturing. Alas, Marcel can only change the physical. Her
constituent’s plot to assassinate Cadiz gives the play a tragic
and provocative ending.
This is one outstanding play produced in this
year’s theater festival. Centenera-Buencamino, mentored by the
Dulaang UP stalwart Tony Mabesa, makes the character of Cadiz
perfectly with precise displays of anger, fear, frustrations, pity
along with laughter, humor and wit. Rutaquio, also a Mabesa protégé,
maneuvered his powerful presence in several scenes where he essayed
the role effectively with wit and accuracy.
Quintos, another Mabesa disciple, achieves a new
benchmark in Philippine contemporary theater with this play.
Costumes were pertinent while the chosen musical theme, Somewhere
Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland, provided an apposite leitmotif.
The ensemble cast that included Jonathan Tadioan, Nar Cabico, Riki
Benedicto and Jerald Napoles to completed the perfect picture.
With the use of elegant velvet red curtains as
accent with carefully chosen chairs, Quintos achieves a functional
minimalist set design. However, the veranda door would have been
effective with door holders from behind. It was strategically placed
rather on a weak area—up stage left. It should have been located
at the up-center stage, the strongest part of the stage for thrust
staging.
It is also high time for mentor Tony Mabesa to
witness his former students shine like gems.
For details, visit www.virginlabfest.com.
|
