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| The cast of Baka Naman Hindi |
Notable performances by veterans Ricky Davao and Rina Reyes saved the outdated/politically incorrect humor and the host of timing and technical issues that hounded the Gala Night performance of Bakit Naman Hindi at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Adapted to Filipino by Virgilio "Beer" Flores from George Feydeau's La Puce à l'oreille/A Flea in Her Ear, this production is a repeat of the October 2018 staging produced by CCP President Nick Lizaso and directed by Dennis Marasigan.
Baka Naman Hindi tells a tale of Alicia (Rina Reyes) who suspects that her husband Victor (Ricky Davao) is having an affair. Aided by her best friend Lucila (Tex Ordoñez de Leon), she concocts a scheme to catch her cheating husband in the act inside a hotel of ill repute. But this plan quickly spirals into a disastrous mess as mistaken identities, actual affairs by members of her household, and even a doppelganger are thrown in the mix.
The first act wonderfully set up what could've been a laughter riot once the characters and action switches over to the seedy hotel. But the second act's initial scenes introducing a whole bunch of characters halted whatever momentum that was built. It didn't help that Victor's doppelganger, the drunk hotel employee Dodong (also portrayed by Davao) felt like an added complication that I felt wasn't necessary for the initial premise to work.
The second act relied on precise timing of the cat and mouse chase inside the hotel for the scenes and punchlines to be effective. But timing issues, including a revolving mechanism that didn't cooperate during a crucial part of the act, somehow made this act fizzle and fall flat. Maybe it's because it was just the opening night and this complex choreography of entering and exiting at exact moments takes time to be really tight.
Speaking of opening night, this performance also served as the latest installment of Les Jeudis culturels by the French Embassy. Cocktails were served prior to the performance with CCP President Nick Lizaso and French Ambassador Nicolas Galey both delivering welcome remarks on stage before the curtain rose.
And for the benefit of the non-Filipino speakers among the audience, the translated English texts were projected at a panel atop the stage. Unfortunately, there were major syncing issues and the size of the panel was too small with some of the lengthy texts getting cropped significantly.
George Feydeau wrote this play in 1907 which is more than a century ago. While some of the humor, like the sexual raunchiness, still hold up, there are some, like a speech impediment and national stereotypes as punchlines, no longer do and are actually frowned upon now. This remains a dilemma in staging old works considered as classics on whether to remain faithful to the source material or to adapt certain elements to be mindful of the times.
Despite my misgivings with this play (the outdated included), it was still a delight seeing Rina Reyes back on stage. She and Ricky Davao were the saving graces of this production and I am extremely pleased to have seen them both. May this stint herald a more lasting return to the theater stage for her.
