IF you’ve read the book, why watch the play?

The recent staging of Jessica Hagedorn’s more successful novel, Dogeaters, by Atlantis Productions was met with great expectations. Finally, an acclaimed material from the US written by a successful Filipino-American author is here. For Filipinos here and abroad, it’s something to be proud of, despite the title’s derogatory reference to their race.

But what really is Dogeaters, the play which concluded its run at the RCBC Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium yesterday?

For someone whose exposure to theater is limited to local productions of Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, trying-to-be-Broadway and the anti-Broadway, Dogeaters was meant to be enjoyed as an educational experience, with the more humorous and hippest teacher explaining the recurring lessons of history.

On the other hand, for us martial-law babies who have religiously followed contemporary Philippine politics and society, there’s nothing new to be experienced. Like cooking chopsuey, all the ingredients that we’ve grown accustomed to are there: Imelda Marcos, the assassinated senator from the opposition, the young junkie-man whore, the idealist rebels in the boondocks, the predatory social climbers, the happy and gay socialites, the billionaire who runs the country from behind...the list goes on.

The meal is authentic Filipino that foreigners will blanche at the very thought of eating. But for Juan de la Cruz, it’s the same main course that was served in yesterday’s dinner, and the day before yesterday and so on.

As it was verbalized by one of the characters, the Philippines is an ongoing soap opera.

Us being lovers of soap operas or telenovellas is part of our sympathize-with-the-underdog culture. We get off seeing tears of revenge, face-slapping of mistresses, successful orphans becoming business tycoons, and maids marrying their rich employers’ sons.

There can be no quibbling about the ever-credible performances of veterans like Michael de Mesa, Joel Torre, Rez Cortez, Gina Alajar, Jon Santos, Leo Rialp and the play’s revelation, Andoy Ranay as Imelda Marcos. Each played two to four roles convincingly.

The presence of young but equally credible actors from Tanghalang Pilipino, most of them from the top-grossing Zsa Zsa Zaturnahh Ze Musical, gave a more contemporary Filipino aesthetic appeal to this otherwise brave Atlantis production.

Director Bobby Garcia’s brilliance in directing is reaffirmed by how a dense nonlinear plot of many characters can be more engaging onstage. Atlantis has been known for new works of modern theater, via Broadway. With Dogeaters, it was a homecoming for both Hagedorn and Garcia, who worked together in the same play when it was staged in New York. Garcia was then a student struggling for his Masters.

Gab Fab: Dark days, ‘Dark Materials’

IT was, literally and figuratively, a dark day last Thursday, November 29, 2007.

The sky was cloudy and it was raining intermittently. This was the day when Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV chose to create chaos by walking out of his mutiny hearings at the Makati City Hall and trooped to the posh Peninsula Manila hotel to make some so-called stand, some statement, along with his friend Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.

Eliza Dushku goes from ‘Buffy’ to group sex

IF you make a movie about group sex, you must be prepared to own up to your point of view on the subject. But when actress Eliza Dushku, star of the indie Sex and Breakfast, which opens in limited release Friday, is asked whether she’s pro or con group canoodling, she giggles, before fessing up, she’s more of a monogamous kind of gal.

Dog Show

IF you’ve read the book, why watch the play?

The recent staging of Jessica Hagedorn’s more successful novel, Dogeaters, by Atlantis Productions was met with great expectations. Finally, an acclaimed material from the US written by a successful Filipino-American author is here. For Filipinos here and abroad, it’s something to be proud of, despite the title’s derogatory reference to their race.

Larger than Lagerfeld

BEFORE leaving his Paris apartment every day, designer Karl Lagerfeld sorts through a large platter filled with chunky silver rings, deftly slipping his selections onto his fingers until his hands resemble medieval armored gloves.

Hands Off Geoff

AMONG the Eigenmanns, said to be our local Barrymores, Geoff has the sweetest, most decent-looking face. So adorably delightful is the young actor that he was handpicked by Hanford, a “conservative” underwear brand, to be its newest endorser.