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Theater review: 4 must-watch plays in Virgin Labfest 14

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Vladimir Bunoan, ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA – The personal trumps the political at this year’s Virgin Labfest, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ annual theater event for “unpublished, unstaged, untested and untried” plays, which is now on the 14th year.</p><p>The 12 one-act plays in the 2018 edition of VLF open their third and final week on Wednesday at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), while at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute are three plays from<a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/06/17/theater-review-4-must-watch-plays-in-virgin-labfest-13"> last year’s festival</a> that have been chosen for the “revisited” set.</p><p>According to festival director Tuxqs Rutaquio, 150 plays were submitted for this year’s VLF, which has the theme “Silip” – which is a perfect description for the highly anticipated “Marawi Musicale,” certainly one of the most-talked about plays ahead of VLF’s opening last June 27. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/10/20180710-virgin-1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;Marawi Musicale.&#x27; <em>Photo from the Facebook page of Virgin Labfest</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Set in a feeding center four months after Marawi was attacked by terrorists, “Marawi Musicale” ultimately could provide just a mere glimpse of the complex situation given the one-act limitation of VLF. That said, playwright Tyron Casumpang certainly has the right ingredients – including a subplot just waiting to be cooked up – that could be developed into an interesting full-blown musical should he choose to pursue that direction.</p><p>It also delivered a genuine goosebump moment with folk singer Bayang Barrios’s haunting musical prayer to Allah to take care of her missing husband. </p><p>“Marawi Musicale” is one of several plays in VLF 14 whose subjects echo today’s political headlines. Sari Saysay’s “Ang Propesyunal” has three kids in the railroad tracks acting out their chosen profession – a journalist, a cop, and a doctor – amid the war on drugs, while Rolin Migyuel Cadallo Obina’s “Mga Bata sa Selda 34” places the political killings in an other-worldly setting. Anthony Kim Vergara’s “Ang Inyong Mga Anak: Si Harold at Napoleon” is a family drama triggered by a brutal murder in their province. </p><p>But the plays tackling more personal subjects also resonated well with audiences, ranging from the dark revelations of JV Ibesate’s sibling shocker “Tulad ng Dati” to the light rom-com stylings of Juan Ekis’s “Ensayo.”</p><p>Here are four plays in this year’s Virgin Labfest, which I personally liked (in order):</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/10/20180710-virgin-2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;Labor Room.&#x27; <em>Photo from the Facebook page of Virgin Labfest</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>“Labor Room”</strong></div><p>At a time when women’s issues have been making headlines around the world, it feels apt that a play about women and powered by women is the runaway choice as the best play of VLF 14. Set in a busy provincial hospital, “Labor Room” is playwright Maki dela Rosa’s second time at Virgin Labfest after the haunting “Ang Mga Bisita ni Jean” two years ago.</p><p>The campaign hashtag #MeToo takes on a new meaning since what binds the women of “Labor Room” together is their shared though varying experience of motherhood. Except for the overworked yet patient doctor Dok Jean, the rest of the characters are unnamed, yet we are all familiar with them — “veh” is the scared, young first-time mom, “ate” had just lost her baby after years of trying to conceive, “nay” is the “veteran” of the three main patients having given birth many times — and losing a couple of babies along the way. Then there’s “buntis” who is more worried about having to pay for a C-section. </p><p>Dela Rosa doesn’t necessarily break new ground but her message about giving birth to hope remains poignant and empowering without sinking to melodrama levels. She also manages to speak volumes about the country’s wanting healthcare system, the population problem and prevailing folk beliefs about pregnancy without resorting to overt politicking or male bashing. </p><p>Credit also goes to co-directors Jose Estrella and Issa Manalo Lopez, who capture the range of emotions, the non-stop action and the energy of the setting, brilliantly brought to life by one of the best ensembles ever assembled for Virgin Labfest, led by Skyzx Labastilla as the nosy yet caring woman who lost her baby, and J-Mee Katanyag as the tough yet committed doctor. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/10/20180710-virgin-3.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida.&#x27;<em> Photo from the Facebook page of Virgin Labfest</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>“Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida”</strong></div><p>If Virgin Labfest is about pure playwriting, Dustin Celestino’s “Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida” should be at the top of this list. While essentially a drama about a dysfunctional family, Celestino manages to create suspense by posing a philosophical question, forcing the audience to see beyond the usual stereotypes and turns it into a cerebral exercise that stirs conversation.</p><p>Then there is the play’s brilliant structure. Each scene shows only two people, which then connects to the next scene like a daisy chain with the introduction of a new character, and so on — there are five characters all in all — until we’re back to the same two guys at the play’s opening.</p><p>At the center of the story is the titular “kontrabida,” Jake, the family’s black sheep, and the entire story revolves around how he affects the other characters — his brothers, his father and a cousin. While “Labor Room” was powered by women, this one is an all-male effort and one can immediately sense a dark, violent macho streak that should keep the action on edge.</p><p>Yet the intensity flags at parts and the rhythm isn’t consistent — at least on the festival’s opening day as this is part of Set A. But that’s something I believe director Roobak Valle and the talented cast can fix after a few more runs.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/10/20180710-virgin-4.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;River Lethe.&#x27; <em>Photo from the Facebook page of Virgin Labfest</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>“River Lethe”</strong></div><p>With its sexual theme and motel setting, “River Lethe” is undoubtedly this year’s most controversial VLF play. Mara and Abe are two cancer patients having an affair and for some 40 minutes or so, the audience gets to watch one of their motel trysts after their chemotherapy session. </p><p>Playwright Allan Lopez bravely twists what could easily have been a disease-of-the-week melodrama and creates a provocative yet honest exploration of hopelessness, loneliness and death. Indeed, it is this acceptance of the inevitable that binds the two main characters together and which also gives them the freedom to indulge their desires. </p><p>But “River Lethe” is more than just about sex, although director Chris Martinez certainly amped the titillation — laced with humor, but of course — with three “dancers” doing a strange, often shocking strip bar-type of performance.The title refers to the mythical river where one drinks to forget. For Mara and Abe, the motel is a refuge, offering temporary escape from their condition, where they can openly connect without fear or embarrassment, since such episodes are meant to be forgotten once they return to their daily lives. </p><p>But what truly made this dangerous play stand out is the committed performance of Paolo O’Hara and especially Dolly de Leon. Amid all the frank, sexual talk and positions, it is their naked emotions and honesty that one remembers long after curtain call. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/10/20180710-virgin-5.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>The cast of &#x27;Edgar Allan Hemingway&#x27; at curtain call. <em>Vladimir Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>“Edgar Allan Hemingway”</strong></div><p>Graphic artist and playwright Carlo Vergara, best known for his LGBT creation Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, moves away from the superhero genre and finally delivers with this contemporary piece about writing and celebrity. </p><p>Levi Llorca, whose debut novel has become a New York Times best-seller, meets up with an old acquaintance George, a struggling writer who is hoping his friend could help him get published — or at least give him tips. What ensues is a lively discussion and commentary on the local literary scene that should strike a chord with creatives or practically anyone hoping to pursue their passion full time. As George, Guelan Laurca, an acclaimed playwright himself, perfectly captures his character’s frustration of being a stuck in his job as a copywriter and his envy/disbelief of Levi’s success. </p><p>Vergara, of course, drops his signature “sci-fi” twist in the end (which is actually already here to some degree) and opens up an entirely new set of questions about art, integrity and success. </p><p>That said, “Edgar Allan Hemingway” is still not as fully realized as Vergara’s previous superhero-themed VLF entries (“Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady” and the even more brilliant “Mula sa Kalimliman”) but the core is already solid and could be further mined and shaped into a potent full-length play on literature in today’s tech-dependent environment. </p>

<p>The personal trumps the political at this year’s Virgin Labfest, the CCP’s annual theater event for “unpublished, unstaged, untested and untried” plays.</p>

The personal trumps the political at this year’s Virgin Labfest, the CCP’s annual theater event for “unpublished, unstaged, untested and untried” plays.

Theater review: 4 must-watch plays in Virgin Labfest 14

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Theater review: 4 must-watch plays in Virgin Labfest 14

Vladimir Bunoan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 10, 2018 05:58 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 10, 2018 06:41 PM PHT

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