Shadows behind the moon
For a first-timer on stage, Del Rosario nails his Joel character with cockiness, sensuality and a duplicity like no other
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For a first-timer on stage, Del Rosario nails his Joel character with cockiness, sensuality and a duplicity like no other
MARTIN del Rosario, Elora Espano and Ross Pesigan in ‘Anino Sa Likod ng Buwan.’
Photograph courtesy of ideafirst company
Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth — the seven deadly sins figure prominently in Anino sa Likod ng Buwan.
Bulwagang Gantimpala’s first prize winning one-act play written by Jun Robles Lana in 1993 is a psychological drama of only three characters: Emma, her husband Nardo, and their friend Joel, a soldier. It explores the tangled lives of these three individuals as they get caught in a web of politics, love, and betrayal set during the height of military operations in Marag Valley in the early 1990s.
This serves as the maiden production of IdeaFirst Live!, the theater arm of The IdeaFirst Company. Lead cast includes Martin del Rosario (Joel), Ross Pesigan (Nardo) and Elora Españo (Emma). Understudies are Edward Benosa (Joel), Denise Esteban (Emma) and Vincent Pajara (Nardo).
The original play has also become a movie that starred LJ Reyes (she bagged the URIAN best actress trophy), Anthony Falcon and Adrian Alandy.
Seven
At first, Anino Sa Likod ng Buwan gives us a peek into the lives of Emma and Nardo, who are also refugees living in an unnamed town ravaged by the armed conflict between the Philippine military and communist insurgents.
There seems to be an odd and tense bond that Joel (Del Rosario), a soldier, shares with Emma (Españo) and Nardo (Pesigan). One evening, as a lunar eclipse is about to take place, tensions are not only palpable but escalate, emotional facades erode, and yes, the seven deadly sins — thanks to the intelligently written script and truth given by the actors to their respective characters — take centerstage as they engulf and intoxicate the three characters.
Lust binds the loins of Emma and Joel. They also succumb to gluttony, not for food, but for the callings and the dictates of the carnal and forbidden.
Pride blinds Emma and Nardo, as it provides them with the overconfidence that they have the upper hand in this cat and mouse chase they have instigated. This deadly sin consumes the soldier as he deciphers and uncovers the truth with his divide-and-conquer tactic.
Envy is Nardo’s kryptonite, eating him up and making him weak, a coward even with his “too late the hero” proclamation of feelings.
Sloth, depicted with the ruthlessness of the military and how they annihilate the subversives, is in the remorselessness of Joel, the immorality of the trio, and the pretentiousness they hold dear, which does not give the catharsis and resolve they want.
Wrath, of course, is the deadliest sin of all, as it drives the characters to madness and quicken the timeline of the tragedy.
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In what director Rutaquio describes as a bare bones performance during the press preview held at the Arete Black Box Theater, despite its minimal set pieces and effects still not in place, the performances of Martin del Rosario, Ross Pesigan and Elora Españo are of the highest order. Emotionally truthful and vulnerable, this trio con brio makes Joel, Emma and Nardo alive with brilliance, intelligence and emotions that never go over the top, always anchored on the convictions, complexities and verities of their respective characters.
For a first-timer on stage, Del Rosario nails his Joel character with cockiness, sensuality and a duplicity like no other.
Of course, Pesigen bestows Nardo with a sincerity and loyalty to the cause he is fighting for and to Emma.
And Españo as Emma — calculating, fiery, passionate — what a scintillating and powerful performance.
Jun Robles Lana wrote the stage play when he was 19 years old. No wonder it won first prize because, in its recent presentation, it depicts powerplay and struggle; the thin line that separates love and lust, anger and peace; and the impunity enjoyed by the high and mighty. It serves the hardest slaps to all who have become apathetic, content with being the silent majority, and decide to always look the other way.
Experience Anino sa Likod ng Buwan, live at the PETA Theater Center from 1 to 23 March. Strictly for adults only. For tickets, visit https://ticket2me.net/AninoSaLikodNgBuwan.
