Walang Kukurap Gala Night

Suzette Ranillo and Ced Torrecarion

Tanghalang Pilipino’s Walang Kukurap recently concluded its run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater) and I was very fortunate to have a second chance to see the play when it had its Gala Night during the second weekend of its run. Walang Kukurap, a shocking and gritty play about political dynasties by the tandem of playwright Layeta Bucoy and director Tuxqs Rutaquio, is a very timely production considering that senatorial elections will be held next year.

Watching the play for the second time made me notice some a lot of things and other nuances that I wasn’t able to take note during my first viewing on its opening night. In fact, I didn’t even notice before that the title is even a play on the word corrupt. I told myself entering the theater that I would settle for a seat at the back this time so that I would be distant from all the action since the play is quite intense when viewed at the front. But I ended up once again sitting on the first row. I thought that I’d be able to watch the play more relaxed this time since I knew how the story would go. But the intimacy of the CCP Studio Theater still made it a chilling and gripping experience for me even if it was already my second time to watch.

My second viewing featured almost the same cast from the opening night with the exception of Ding Navasero portraying the role of Santiago this time. Former principal danseur Nonoy Froilan portrayed it during the opening night. And right off the bat, I noticed some slight changes during this specific performance. An inside joke was referenced at the opening scene when Cristina, (Suzette Ranillo), mentioned pizza instead of pancit owing to the fact that the cast actually had pizza delivered before the show. I also noticed of another adlib later on when Purita, (Sherry Lara), asker her son Dino (Ralph Mateo) to have a haircut. It seemed that Sherry, in real life, is not too keen on Ralph’s current hairstyle. These moments made me smile a bit but they were just a respite from the overall harshness and ugliness inherent in political corruption that was presented in the play.

During the opening night performance, I got confused with the opening scene since I still had no idea who’s who and what was going on. But this time, I wasn’t encumbered with figuring out the characters, I was able to listen very closely to the lines and realized that everything was there, along with the subtle clues that would turn out crucial throughout the play. I also noticed that a lot of the scenes rely heavily on exposition by the characters. Sometimes, it went a bit too much especially during the second scene at the bar when the conversation between the young adults no longer felt like normal speech but instead more of a narration of the current political situation in their town. One major improvement that I also noticed, especially in this scene as well was the crispness of the pacing. In this scene, a conversation from one table suddenly shifted to a conversation in another table. A slight lag or a less than perfect timing, which happened a few times during the opening night, could dampen the momentum of the scene. But during this performance, the cast already got the hang of it. Another thing that the cast already got the hang of was the splattering of whatever liquid they used for blood effects. I already anticipated this effect but I didn’t expect it to go farther like they did the second time that I watched. I was seated in front and some of my seatmates and I did get splattered. Thank goodness, that it didn’t stain at all since there were some people did dress up to watch the play who would not be pleased if the liquid used did stain.

While I had a deeper understanding of the plot and was able to focus more on the script, the acting, the direction and other technical details, I was also able to notice the audience reaction more during my second viewing. No one snickered at the pizza line but they laughed at Purita’s haircut comment. And as expected, it took several beats before the audience was able to react to the shocking scene between Christina and his father at the end of the first act.

I do find it very interesting and rewarding watching a production multiple times since I always gain a new perspective and insight of the work. So I am very grateful for Tanghalang Pilipino for giving me the chance to see Walang Kukurap once again. The only disappointment that I have with the play is that I failed to catch Gloc-9’s special participation that actually happened the day after. And for those who failed to see it even once, the play will be restaged once again for the National Theater Festival happening this November.