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Theater review: RS Francisco still owns 'M. Butterfly' nearly 30 years later

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Fred Hawson

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred1.jpg"/><figcaption>RS Francisco returns as Song Liling in this new staging of &#x27;M. Butterfly.&#x27; <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>David Henry Hwang&#x27;s &quot;M. Butterfly&quot; won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play, Best Director (for John Dexter) and Best Featured Actor in a Play (for BD Wong in his Broadway debut as Song Liling). I had seen this play before way back 1990 in UP Diliman, when then 18-year old new actor named RS Francisco took on the role of Song Liling and made it his signature role for which he would be remembered up to now. </p><p>This year, two years short of 30 years later, Francisco, now 46, takes on the challenge of playing this iconic role again in a new production of &quot;M. Butterfly&quot; produced by Jhett Tolentino (already an established producer on Broadway) and Frontrow Entertainment (a fledgling production outfit venturing in its first theatrical project). Veteran director Kanakan Balintagos will be handling the directorial chores.</p><p>A French diplomat to China named Rene Gallimard had an extra-marital affair to a young attractive Chinese opera singer named Song Liling. Their clandestine affair went on for 30 years both in China, and later on in France. Apparently, despite the intimacy of their relationship, Gallimard never knew the biggest secret of his &quot;perfect woman&quot; until it blew up in his face in a major way -- costing him his career, his love and his freedom.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred2.jpg"/><figcaption>Olivier Borten and RS Francisco in a scene from &#x27;M. Butterfly.&#x27; <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>I did not remember how demanding the role of Gallimard was until I saw him performed again last night. The play was practically a monologue for the entire length of the show with Gallimard breaking the fourth wall telling us his story, with small vignettes of his life being portrayed on the side. French teacher-actor Olivier Borten was very authentic as he embodied how the socially awkward Gallimard was supposed to look and sound. He delivered Gallimard&#x27;s lengthy lines with a wry dorky sense of dry humor which made him oddly endearing, and his fate sadder.</p><p>RS Francisco still had the same androgynous look that made him own this role 28 years ago. Gallimard supposedly met Song as a teenager, so you had to suspend disbelief in a major way to believe that Francisco was one. However, Francisco&#x27;s obvious age also gave his Song a maturity that gave this whole show a different dynamic and vibe. His gently intoned delivery of Song&#x27;s lines had the requisite ambiguity required of this role. Without fancy dresses and makeup in Act 2, Francisco even actually looked younger, even if these scenes were set 30 years into their relationship. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred3.jpg"/><figcaption>Lee O&#x27;Brian and Olivier Borten in a scene from &#x27;M. Butterfly.&#x27; <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Stage veteran Pinky Amador played Helga, the older woman Gallimard felt pressured to marry. Lee O&#x27;Brian played Gallimard&#x27;s friend Marc as a self-conscious male chauvinist pig. Norman McLeod played Gallimard&#x27;s superior Ambassador Toulon with a balance of authority and naughtiness. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred4.jpg"/><figcaption>RS Francisco and Mayen Estanero in a scene from &#x27;M. Butterfly.&#x27; <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Mayen Estanero was a vicious Comrade Chen, with her cartoonish Chinese accent. Vivacious and attractive Maya Encila was bold and perky as the liberated party girl Renee. Rica Nepomuceno and her crystalline soprano was a dominant presence on stage as the opera singer.</p><p>The stage design was designed by Ohm David was striking in its Oriental theme, using several giant Japanese fans with different patterns moving all over the stage for various purposes. The highlight of Eric Pineda&#x27;s costume designs were the spectacularly rich and ornate Chinese opera costumes and evening gowns of Song Liling. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred5.jpg"/><figcaption>Giant Japanese fans dominated the set. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Very active in various productions all over town these days, John Batalla, Jethro Joaquin and Joed Balsamo efficiently took care of the lighting, sound and musical score, respectively, to create the atmosphere of deceit and drama that pervaded the story. </p><p>Running at almost three hours long (with a 15-minute interval), &quot;M. Butterfly&quot; is a lengthy play and it can feel its length at times. The story in the first act unfolded at a languid pace as the various characters were being introduced one by one. </p><p>While some viewers may find the dialogue old-fashioned and melodramatic, more patient audiences will be able appreciate the nostalgia factor and the implied wit within Hwang&#x27;s script about the conflicts between genders and between cultures. The pace of the story-telling picked up in the second act and director Balintagos kept it riveting one intense scene after the other, up to that heart-rending ending. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred6.jpg"/><figcaption>The cast at curtain call during the press preview on Wednesday. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/09/13/fred7.jpg"/><figcaption>The cast with director Kanakan Balintagos and producer Jhett Tolentino pose for a group photo during the press preview on Wednesday. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>&quot;M. Butterfly&quot; opens on Thursday, September 13, and runs until September 30 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center, Taguig City.</p><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, &quot;<a href="https://3xhcch.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-of-m-butterfly-cross-cultural.html">Fred Said</a>.&quot;</p>

<p>David Henry Hwang's "M. Butterfly" won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.</p>