The Virgin Labfest 7 Experience Part 2

A day after watching Set D of the Virgin Labfest, I attended an opening of an exhibit that finished early in the evening. Since it was still too early for me to go back home, I decided to take a walk towards the Cultural Center of the Philippines which was just nearby to see what was happening over there especially regarding the VLF.  I didn’t plan on watching any sets when I dropped by but I was able to see some Fragments performances featuring Kontrabida Inc. and not only that, I was snuck into the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater) and actually saw the last play of Set E which was Ondoy. Sometimes, good things happen when I least expect it and there’s nothing else for me to do but to accept them and be thankful that those good things came my way. So thank you Ms. Clottie Lucero for whisking me inside the theater for a bonus viewing of Ondoy.

The Sipat Lawin Ensemble

I was scheduled to watch the next day, which is my Day 3, the whole of Set E which meant that I’d be seeing Ondoy twice. And after that, I’d also be catching Set B. It was still rainy but that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. And it was nice seeing some musician friends there and they were pleasantly surprised that I was watching this year considering how they tried to convince me to watch the past year. To sum things up, Day 2 was just basically hanging out at the CCP and then getting the chance to see Ondoy while Day 3 was my first ever two sets in a day experience.

Set E (Revisited)

Balunbalunan, Bingibingihan

by Debbie Ann Tan

This was the play that made me realize how good the Virgin Labfest really is. No offense to the people involved in Set D but this was notches above the previous plays that I’ve seen so far. The play tells the story of Gilbeys (Bembol Roco) and Brandy (Missy Maramara), a couple trying to make ends meet via prostitution with the husband as the pimp. When required to lay low for a while, they are forced to take in a boarder, Whiskey (Paul Jake Paule) whom they convince to join them in their schemes. The unfolding of the plot and the portrayal of the characters kept me engaged throughout the play. I never thought that I’d care too much for the fate of a pimp and a whore especially when Whiskey finally revealed his true intentions at the end of the play. And seeing Bembol Roco act on stage was definitely a thrill for me.

Actor Cris Pasturan

Higit Pa Dito

by Allan Lopez

Compared to the first play, the material presented here is a bit thin and it’s up to the acting of the cast to carry this and that was exactly what they did. It was just a simple conversation between a mother Bing (Mailes Kanapi) and her grown up son Kael (Cris Pasturan) while unpacking stuff. I liked the part when their roles got reversed with the mother moving out and having second thoughts on whether she could survive on her own. And it was up to her son to reassure her and offer her support. The story unfolded without any earth shattering revelations but the intimacy between the two characters sharing these kinds of moments together was enough to move me. I noticed that Kael exited rather oddly which left me wondering if Bing actually had a conversation with her son in the first place or if everything was just in her head. Besides, Kael called her mother crazy at one point in the play. I also found the use of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata in the end rather poetic especially with the sun rising lighting effect.

Ondoy

by Remi Velasco

I was able to see this twice and it’s extremely obvious as to why this was the favorite of many from last year. The buzz for this play was that it was actually better compared from the one staged last year because of the new actor playing the role of Obet (Jelson Bay). Physically, he does look like a wimp especially compared to his wife Mercy (Cai Cortez) who exudes an intimidating presence as a nagger. Ondoy tells the plight of a husband and wife who fight and bicker while being stuck at the roof of their house during the typhoon Ondoy which heavily flooded practically almost all of Metro Manila. The physical contrast and chemistry between the two actors coupled with the excellent script and direction made this play such a hit. And I was glad to see it twice since the second time I saw it meant that I was able to pay more attention to detail and see the differences the first performance had compared to the second one that I saw. And the relief goods giveaway after the play was a cute gimmick as well.

Set B

Isang Gabi Bago Magbukas ang Portrait of an Artist as Filipino ni Nick Joaquin

by Carlo Pacolor Garcia

This was the first ever full length play staged at the festival so I wasn’t the only one who was new to this. Featured in the play were fifteen actors (Mailes Kanapi, Che Ramos, Ian Bautista, Roeder Camañag, Paolo Rodriguez, Olive Nieto, Chromewell Cosio, Kathlyn Castillo, Acey Aguilar, Yong Tapang, Rolly Innocencio, Skyzx Labastilla, Russell Legaspi, Irene Delarmente and Joel Saracho) and with scenes with all of them on stage and sometimes off it meant that there’d be lots of things going on. I understood that while the characters were having a rehearsal, people start getting killed. But beyond that, I was a bit perplexed as to what really happened. I honestly found some bits difficult to understand since while my focus was on someone, something else was happening with the other actors which I failed to catch. Add to that that I wasn’t able to understand the dialogue during the big reveal as to why the killer set out to kill everyone. Honestly, I didn’t even get who got killed in the first place. Yes, I found some bits funny like the occasional lines of Elsa and Bitoy but plot wise, I was completely lost. And I guess that it didn’t help as well that I am not really familiar with the Nick Joaquin material that was used in the play so I failed to get a lot of the references. This is one play that I need to see again in order for me to really get it.

Fragments

Kontrabida, Inc.

Kontrabida, Inc.

by Krista Ann Taclan

One iconic, stereotypical kontrabida (villainess) is already funny. But to have a group of them acting as either amigas or rivals really delivered the laughs. I really adore actresses who portray kontrabidas so I really appreciated the numerous skits that the Sipat Lawin Ensemble performed during the breaks in between sets. And I found it funny that although the kontrabidas (Bing, Princess, Bella and Celia) were fighting amongst each other, they eventually end up ganging up on poor Marian.

Sets E and B are finally done and over with for me. Two more sets to go to see over the weekend but I’ve heard about the weekends at the Virgin Labfest and that means that I need to have some luck on my side.

The Virgin Labfest 7 Experience Part 1
The Virgin Labfest 7 Experience Part 3