Plays draw raves in the metro

Will people from the provinces flock to Metro Manila this March to watch the musicals and straight plays whose previews and opening nights are raved by reviewers, showbiz journos and vloggers?

Or are the live entertainment-loving Metro Manilans more than enough to keep stage play production companies profitable? It’s still rare for live entertainment to be regularly moved from Metro Manila to the provincial cities.

The opening night at PETA Theater of the stage adaptation of Jun Lana’s 2015 film Anino sa Likod ng Buwan was described by PEP.ph’s Troika columnists as “star-studded” in attendance even as it has a cast of only three actors who are well-known in indie films and in medium-sized theater offerings. 

Those three are Elora Españo, Martin del Rosario and Ross Pesigan. They were not the stars of the critically acclaimed film: LJ Reyes, Luis Alandy and Anthony Falcon. 

The Troika spotted in the audience of the 300-seater PETA Theater in Quezon City balikbayan Hilda Koronel, Jackielou Blanco, Cherie Pie Picache, Vice Ganda, Eugene Domingo, Gladys Reyes,  National Artist for Film and Broadcast Ricky Lee, Denise Esteban, Tanya Gomez, Angellie Sanoy, Sharmaine Arnaiz, Barbara Miguel, Shun Mark Gomez and Janina Mendoza.

The film’s writer Jun Lana was in the audience, too, and expressed his admiration for the stage production directed by Tux Retaquio. 

Lana posted on X (formerly Twitter) Vice Ganda’s complete fascination for the play expressed entirely and lengthily in Filipino. The main host of ABS-CBN It’s Showtime as blurting: “Ang lala ng experience ko (My experience was intense). I was super in awe. Yung ganung pagtataka (That kind of wonderment).

“Sabi ko, isa ito sa pinakamagagandang napanood ko na performances, kasama na yung mga pelikula at sa mga napanood ko sa telebisyon I said, this is one of the best performances I have seen, including those I have watched on TV or the movies).

“After watching this play, grabe yung pagsaludo ko, yung respeto ko, yung paghanga ko sa talent, sa brilliance, sa passion, sa discipline, sa dignidad, sa talino nung mga actors na pinanood ko (After watching this play, I salute all, my respect and admiration for the talent, brilliance, passion, disciple, dignity and intelligence to the actors I saw)....”

“Grabe! Ang taas-taas ng pagtingin ko sa kanilang lahat (I look highly on them all)!” 

On the other hand, the Troika quoted Gladys Reyes as intoning after watching: “Grabe! Malala, matapang! Kung mahina-hina ka, baka di mo kayanin (Wow! Serious, brave! If you’re a little weak, you may not be able to take it)!

“Unang eksena pa lang, todo na! Ang tindi nyo (From the first scene alone, it was intense. You were intense), Joel (Del Rosario), Nardo (Pesigan), at Emma (Españo).”

Lana himself raved on his Instagram: “...It felt like a culmination of years of shared stories and trust. It was a raw, beautiful unfolding, an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. To everyone who joined us, thank you for making it truly magical... 

“To Elora, Ross and Martin, your performances were breathtaking. And to Tuxqs, your vision made this brave, mind-blowing production a reality.”

The audience clapped loudly and gave the play a standing ovation. 

Anino sa Likod ng Buwan will run on weekends until 23 March.

Political, more than sexual

In its report on the play’s opening day, the Troika did not highlight the 15-minute sex scene between Españo and Del Rosario, which the Troika did when they covered the preview some weeks ago at Ateneo’s Doreen Fernandez Blackbox which is way bigger than PETA Theater. Troika’s Gerry Olea mightily announced that Del Rosario exposed the trunk of his most private part. (Olea didn’t mention any action of that kind from Del Rosario on opening night.)

The play is actually political, more than sexual. Del Rosario’s role is that of a supposedly friendly soldier who belongs to a troop that has driven away the residents of a village so the soldiers can corner the alleged dissidents there. 

The miserable hut that Españo and Del Rosario occupy is merely assigned to them and they are not allowed to go out of the hut night, pushing them into extreme boredom and Españo into the forceful embrace of Del Rosario. 

Another stage adaptation of a film is opening on 7 March: Kisapmata, originally helmed by Mike de Leon. The venue is Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, CCP Complex. 

A production of Tanghalang Pilipino, the play headlines Jonathan Tadioan, Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan, Toni Go-Yadao and Marco Viaña, the theater company’s resident actors. 

Adaptation and direction by Guelan Varela-Luarca with the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company.

The 1981 film starred Charito Solis, Jay Ilagan, Vic Silayan and Charo Santos. The story deals with incest. 

Rico Blanco musical

Stage plays usually attract a stream of sizable audiences during their run when there are film and TV stars and pop singers in the cast. So let’s see how Tanghalang Pilipino’s Kisapmata will fare with a cast of seasoned stage actors, not movie-TV and pop idols. 

Opening also on 7 March is Liwanag sa Dilim, featuring the songs of rocker Rico Blanco.

Its lead cast are Khalil Ramos, Alexa Ilacad, Vien King, Rita Daniela, Anthony Rosaldo, Neomi Gonzales, CJ Navato, Nicole Omillo, Jon Abella, Raul Montesa, Boo Gabunada, and others. Note that the cast includes Sparkle Stars of the Kapuso network.

Book and direction of Liwanag sa Dilim are by Robbie Guevara.

On love and lovers

Ricky Lee’s novel Para Kay B will presented on 14 to 30 March Marso 14-30 at Doreen Black Box Theater in Ateneo de Manila University, QC, with Yon Tapang as director. 

It’s a straight play about characters in a novel all created by Lee, including one that’s just imaginary from a village that prohibit its residents from falling in love.

It’s actually a novel about love and lovers, including that of a lesbian mother with the housemaid, and the mother’s male gay son. And, oh, there’s also incest between a sister and a brother. Also about an actress who practically becomes a nymphomaniac. 

Meanwhile, the Troika confides that some friends of theirs have become show buyers. Those friends are Ronald Arguelles, Rico Gonzales, Ivy Lisa Mendoza and Eric Cabahug and their show dates are Kisapmata on 22 March at 3 p.m., Liwanag Sa Dilim on 28 March at. 8 p.m.

Our Pinoy musicals and straight plays may be said to have truly taken over the movie houses if practically all of them can be staged on those huge movie houses that reportedly have less than 50 people watching on many screenings. Capacity-wise, our biggest venue for plays is the CCP Main Theater which has 1,500 seats all the way to the balconies. 

Stage play producers should aspire to do a sold-out play at the Araneta Coliseum for just a night. Pinoy pop idols have been doing two-night and three-night concerts there. We will all truly believe that Pinoys have developed a love for theater if a play can be held at the Big Dome. Passion plays (senakulos) used to be staged there.

And what Pinoy movies are showing this March, along with their lead stars? 

Here they are:

In Thy Name. Release Date: 5 March. Lead Stars: McCoy de Leon, JC de Vera, Mon Confiado, Jerome Ponce, Aya Fernandez, Yves Flores.

Synopsis: The film portrays the life of a Claretian missionary martyred in Basilan after Abu Sayyaf militants stormed the Claret School in the area. 

Lilim. Release Date: 12 March . Lead Stars: Heaven Peralejo, Ryza Cenon, Eula Valdez.

Love Will Make You Disappear. Release Date: 26 March. Lead Stars: Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino.

Synopsis: The story revolves around Sari, a woman convinced she’s cursed because every man she loves vanishes, and Jolo, a brooding landlord grappling with a failing apartment complex. Their paths cross as they fight to save a community from displacement, but Sari’s supposed curse threatens their budding romance.