Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Arnold Reyes' fiery performances in Tanghalang Pilipino's Juego de Peligro

Juego de Peligro's Final Curtain Call

Theater veterans Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino and Arnold Reyes set the stage ablaze as the dueling ex-lovers in Tanghalang Pilipino’s Juego de Peligro (Dangerous Liaisons) which recently wrapped its run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino

Adapted by Elmer Gatchalian from the novel Les Liaisons Dangeureses by French author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Juego de Peligro brought to the fore Manila based Spaniards Señora Margarita (Centenera-Buencamino) and Señor Vicente’s (Reyes) lust for conquest as their motherland loses her grip on her colonies towards the end of the 19^th century. As always, those beneath them, the mestizos and especially the indios, suffer as pawns in the pair’s deadly game of seduction, deceit and betrayal. The pair’s victims are the religious Señora Teresa, alternately portrayed by theater newbies LJ Reyes and Valerie Concepcion, the naïve teenager Cecilia played by Adrienne Vergara, and the love struck indio Daniel essayed by Lharby Policarpio and Vin Abrenica alternately.

Arnold Reyes

As the sharp tongued Vicente, Arnold exuded the sexiness and charm that showed no doubt how easily it was for women to fall madly in love with him. I could only imagine how exhausting this role must be for him since he was in a lot of the scenes, even consecutive ones. Most plays would have the next scene feature a different set of characters but in Arnold’s case, he would exit the stage, have a quick change (or just remove some clothing) and then enter from another point for the next scene.

Valerie Concepcion

Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino’s Margarita, the grand schemer of it all entangling everyone, even Vicente, in her elaborate web, showed that she is not a woman to be messed with. I particularly loved the scene towards the end of the play when Margarita dresses up to what she considers to be her victory party only to realize that she’d been blindsided. And when she tore away pieces of her clothing in disarray at the final scene, it was a stark contrast to the opening scene where she was being helped into her clothes by a servant and makes her grand entrance with a triumphant air. I think that this was a subtle yet very effective way by director Tuxqs Rutaquio to bookend the play.

LJ Reyes

Adrienne Vergara, known mostly for her offbeat and quirky roles, was delightful as the initially innocent Cecilia who was transformed into a liberated woman through the machinations of both Vicente and Margarita. I now find it hard to imagine any other actress with enough range and guts to portray this memorable and daring role. And I have to take note (pardon the pun) on how difficult it is to sing deliberately off key.

Lharby Policarpio

LJ Reyes and Valerie Concepcion (a late addition to the cast) were both notable in their theater stage debut as Señora Teresa. They both gave gravity to the role that made their character’s fate more tragic. Her line at the end of act one wherein she declared to her aunt Señora Remedios (Sherry Lara) that the Lord knows how she fought her feelings towards Vicente really got through me although I haven’t found myself placed in her predicament. Saddled with almost forgettable roles and performances on television, LJ Reyes and Valerie Concepcion’s respective performances as Señora Teresa

Vin Abrenica

Daniel, portrayed alternately by Lharby Policarpio and Vin Abrenica, is the hapless guy who was relegated as a pawn and Margarita’s boy toy. Lharby’s previous theater experience made for a stronger presence on stage compared to Abrenica, also making his stage debut, who tended to mumble his lines. But credit is due to both actors as they learned how to play a few bars on the piano as Cecilia’s music teacher.

The text of the play by Elmer Gatchalian deftly displayed the social/economic classes and the disparity among them through the use of the language. I couldn’t say how authentic the use of language in Juego de Peligro but I do trust dramaturg Giselle Garcia to know what she is doing. Transferring the setting from 18^th century Paris to 19^th century Manila specifically Intramuros, made it easier for me to get into the groove of things since I still do know my Philippine history. But there were times when I couldn’t help but wince when some of the lines turned didactic like when Senora Remedios lectured Teresa about the difference between a man and a woman’s love or when Margarita made a scathing remark about the Americans as the worst kind of conquerors.

Adrienne Vergara and RAd

Tanghalang Pilipino’s 28^th season, dubbed as DIS/EASE that included productions such as Kleptomaniacs, Pahimakas sa Isang Ahente, Prinsipe Munti, Melanie and Juego de Peligro, had a bumpy road. The production line up changed several times during the course of the season leaving some people confused as to where the season was heading. But with Juego de Peligro, the company wraps up the season on a high note and carrying over an excitement on what the 29^th season has to offer.