Leading Ladies

After the heart wrenching and very introspective Next Fall, Repertory Philippines follows it up with a hilarious gender bending comedy Leading Ladies as their second offering for their 2012 season. Held at Onstage over at Greenbelt 1 in Makati, audiences were treated to a romping ride in this play featuring two actors in a rut trying to snag a fortune by posing as women.

James Stacey and Topper Fabregas

Leading Ladies which premiered back in 2004 and written by internationally acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig tells the story of Jack Gable (Topper Fabregas) and Leo Clark (James Stacey), two actors who are still trying to catch that big break. And they thought that their big break will be posing as Florence’s (Juno Henares) missing relatives Max and Steve who are supposed receive a multi-million dollar inheritance. Convinced that this will be their way to fortune, Jack and Leo decide to act their way as the two heirs but things get complicated when they find out that Max and Steve are actually Maxine and Stephanie. The two still decide to go for it and pose as Maxine and Stephanie but things get a lot more complicated once they encounter the people who hang around Florence’s household namely Meg (Cris Villonco) and her fiancé Duncan (Jamie Wilson), Audrey (Giannina Ocampo), Butch (Hans Eckstein) and Doctor Myers (Oliver Usison). Close calls, a suspicious fiancée, an inept doctor, a seemingly shallow bimbo, an aunt who can’t seem to die and budding affairs of the heart all combined makes this the most challenging  part that Jack and Leo has to play. And as the story unfolded, I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering whether Jack and Leo will pull it off and walk away with the money. But I think was actually the laughter that almost made me fall of my seat during the press preview of this play which I was able to watch.

I’ve always had a reservation regarding plays in English since the ones that I’ve previously seen somehow failed to connect to me but Repertory Philippines already made me reconsider just by seeing two of their plays this season alone. I think that it’s harder to make people laugh than to make them cry and the theater was indeed roaring in laughter throughout this play. It certainly helped that Jack and Leo had to be in drag in most of the scenes and they looked awful in it. And material that has the audience knowing while some characters in the play remain oblivious is always a sure fire hit in eliciting laughs when done right.

Director Michael Williams and the cast of Leading Ladies

At first, I did resist the urge to groan when I realized that the play included elements about plays, playwrights, actors, etc. and I usually find inclusion of those within a play self serving and a bit too forced. And sometimes, I am left wondering why the playwright had to include those at all. But in Leading Ladies, these elements were essential to the plot and the development would not have happened if the lead characters weren’t actors in the first place. So I wasn’t too bothered by them this time. Although, I confess that the part in the play where Shakespeare was heavily referenced had me lost. I think that fans of the bard who get the inside joke will surely be delighted by this bonus in the material.

Repertory Philippines’ second offering of the season is a total change of pace from their season opener. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Executive Producer and Associate Artistic Director of Repertory Philippines told me that the company does make it a point to offer a varied selection for every season. And their upcoming productions will offer something different as well. I also had the opportunity to have a conversation with the Artistic Director of Rep herself, Ms. Baby Barredo who is extremely proud of the artists who had been a part of the company. Despite the success of these artists in local and international productions, she still points out that theater companies like the Rep (and other performing art companies as well) find it hard to gain support from the public and private sector. That is why she values people who do take an effort in spreading the word about theater and the work that they do. She stresses that watching theater is a unique experience that enables one to escape reality, learn life lessons and be entertained as well.

I do support the arts a lot and I really recommend people to check the shows and events produced by local companies. So do try to watch Leading Ladies and have a good time since I did. This play will run for two more weekends at Onstage at Greenbelt 1 in Makati.

Menchu-Lauchengco Yulo and Giannina Ocampo

Here are the remaining performance dates of Leading Ladies:

February 24, 2012, 8:00 PM

February 25, 2012, 3:30 & 8:00 PM

February 26, 2012, 3:30 PM

March 2, 2012, 8:00 PM

March 3, 2012, 3:30 & 8:00 PM

March 4, 2012, 3:30  PM