Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater Set B

Marco Viaña

It was time for me catch up more with the plays originally staged during the Virgin Labfest which is what I exactly did when I watched the Set B of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater). This set consisted of Isang Araw sa Karnabal written by Nicolas Pichay and Maliw by Reuel Molina Aguila. Both plays, dealing with people coping with the forced disappearance of their loved ones (desaparacidos) were both directed by Chris Millado.

Isang Araw sa Karnabal

Once again, I was told by several people that this play (trans. One Day at the Carnival) was a huge hit during its original run at the VLF. And it would be hard to forgive myself if I fail to see why this merited such acclaim. This time around, there were new actors who played the parts and they were Sheenly Gener and Yul Servo playing Toni and Zaldy respectively. The inclusion of Yul Servo, an actor with mainstream television and movie credits who is also now a politician added some star value in this production. But in the end, it was Sheenly who actually shined in this play although some might say that a very brief and unexpected appearance near the end stole the show. I don't want to say what this appearance was since I don't want to spoil anything. Back to Sheenly, her portrayal of Toni who was quirky one moment and then dramatic and insecure the next was spot on. Toni was still on the search for her missing father and this uncertainty in her life was made even more complicated when she was forced to face her equally uncertain future head on. To help her cope with this, she decided to set up a meeting with Zaldy at the carnival. Zaldy also lost a loved one just like Toni but he eventually recovered the corpse which enabled him to have closure. While Toni was the more vulnerable one, Zaldy was the more arrogant one and this difference in characters who turned out to be lovers provided some funny banter between them. Yul Servo was competent in portraying his character but it was really Sheenly who was more memorable especially during the roller coaster ride scene. This play truly connected with the jam packed audience made up of college students and they were able to relate to the characters although it was unlikely if any of them had any loved ones who are missing. I think that the young actors and the carnival setting had a major part in making this play very appealing. I wouldn’t be surprised if this play turned out to be the favorite among the young adults who were able to see all of Eyeball.

Maliw

Regina de Vera and Sherry Lara

Maliw (trans. to fade) shared the same theme like Karnabal it but the treatment here was a lot more serious, mature and subdued. And it initially made me worry since I thought that the audience who really responded well with the previous play would not be able to connect with this material. First of all, the leads in this play were an aging couple played by veteran actors Spanky Manikan and Sherry Lara. And young viewers aren’t usually interested in the plight of those who are older. The play focused on a couple experiencing a midlife crisis of sorts with the wife/mother still hoping for the return of her daughter Leny (Regina de Vera) who hasn’t made her presence felt for five years. Still, the family made it a point to celebrate Leny’s birthday every year wishing that she would eventually show up. An intimate conversation between husband and wife took place while waiting for the other family members to show up so that the celebration could start. The conversation ranged from how they caught each other’s eye and how their activism waned over the years. Their activism was somehow carried on by Leny which eventually became responsible to her disappearance. The husband/father, a drinker who passes out immediately after four bottles of beer, tried to convince his wife to snap out of his misery and admit that Leny would no longer return. The wife/mother refused to do so and the previous talk about their happy past were quickly forgotten when came to a subject that they seemed to have been avoiding for some time. Then, a pivotal moment came when the wife/mother finally acknowledged the truth of the situation: that she had given up so much of her life when her daughter was lost. And it was during this very poignant scene when I noticed that there were sniffs heard throughout the theater which confirmed that my concern whether the audience could connect was unfounded. There were times when I felt that the conversation between the couple got stretched too thin but I realized that this do happen especially when waiting for someone and they've been waiting for five years.

Spanky Manikan

Set B of Eyeball was a totally different experience from Set A since the former ended on a very somber note. But thank goodness for curtain calls that uplift the mood a bit since the actors are all smiles when they take their bows. Outside the theater right after the show, the atmosphere was very much different since the students were so eager to meet the cast who showed up at the lobby. Many were disappointed since they were hoping that Yul Servo would show up but he didn’t. Still, those who showed up were surrounded by the enthusiastic students who wanted to have autographs and photos taken with them. It is actually times such as this that I become very happy for those who took the time and effort to watch plays and other shows by resident companies of the CCP. Not only do they get to watch a quality performance, but they also get   good memories as well when they get to meet the cast/stars of the show. And these moments will be those that they will share with their family and friends that I hope will prompt them to check the other shows/performances out as well.

Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater will have its final run this weekend at the CCP Little Theater. Here are the final performance dates:

Set A:
Doc Resureccion: Gagamutin ang Bayan and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas

February 10, 2012, 8:00 PM

February 11, 2012 3:00 PM

Set B:
Isang Araw sa Karnabal and Maliw
February 11, 2012 8:00 PM
February 12, 2012 3:00 PM