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‘AY
laahhbbb yuhhh [I love you].”
Three
words that liars use more often to get what they want.
In the form of a computer virus about seven years ago,
“I Love You” affected more than 45 million computers and
cost $10 billions worth of damages worldwide.
Coming
from the mouth of Ricky Davao, who plays Dado in
Tanghalang Pilipino’s (TP) stage version of the Lino
Brocka classic Insiang, the phrase is both viral and
fatal. As Dado, one of the most cunning and hated
characters ever created in Philippine cinema, Ricky is
at his best as the rapist-turned-lover of Insiang,
played by Sheenly Gener.
Davao and Gener first teamed up in 2003, when Insiang was
first staged by TP.
Davao
went on to winning the Best Actor award from the Aliw,
and Insiang as Best Play.
If
memory serves us right, Gener was then in her senior
year at the Philippine High School for the Arts. Former
TP artistic director Herbie Go was her teacher and was
instrumental in getting her for the lead role. Despite
the Go “factor,” Gener’s performance then was—for lack
of a better term—still in need of a “go signal.” She was
still trying to find her voice, literally and
figuratively. Yet unlike the movie version with Hilda
Koronel at the height of her beauty, Gener has that
regular girlish face, which makes her more convincing as
someone from the slums.
After
four years, her performance has become confident and
almost natural.
Davao has often been the seasoned “rapist” on TV and in
movies, despite his mestizo features. In the movie, Ruel
Vernal played the dusky and bemuscled Dado. Bluntly put,
as rapists are compared with filthy pigs in the mud, the
heavyweight
Davao
reeks the part.
The role
of Pacing (played by Mona Lisa in the film version and
Malou de Guzman in 2003’s TP version) is essayed by the
equally credible Mailes Kanapi, one of the more seasoned
thespians who can single-handedly—like in this summer’s
one-act play on Flor Contemplacion—make the audience cry
and laugh as if it’s the easiest and most fun thing to
do. It’s as if she’s just drinking a couple of ice vodka
in a Malate bar, and we feel drunk just by watching her
gulp down every drop from her glass.
Insiang
is vintage Mario O’Hara, who first wrote it for a TV
series starring then-teenybopper Hilda Koronel. From
there, Lamberto Antonio based the script for the 1976
film version, which altered some scenes under the
instructions of Brocka. One is the setting being moved
to Smokey Mountain in Tondo.
For the
TP version, O’Hara returns the setting to the slums of
Pasay, his neighborhood. He also brought back the
original ending, in which Insiang never forgives her
mother. O’Hara’s nephew, Paolo, acts as the opinionated
kanto boy Danny and is always at his best as an
excellent “scene-stealer” with his impromptus. Everytime
he and Lao Rodriguez (the delightful barrel man in
Psychedelia Apocalypsis) are together in a scene, expect
the unexpected. Lao plays Atoy the neighborhood junkie.
Paolo’s
mother Peewee essays the role of Toyang the narrator.
Crucial
is the construction of the stage, which occupies almost
one-half of Tanghalang Huseng Batute. It’s as if the
audience is the silent but ever-curious neighbor in a
“real-life” ongoing telenovella. That said, commendable
is the expertise of production designer Bobot Lota and
lighting designer Joey Nombres.
Insiang
was supposed to have a limited two-week run in October.
For some strange reason, the management of TP decided to
extend it through all weekends until December 9. Ironic
it may sound but this play on poverty and dehumanization
has become this year’s moneymaker for Cultural Center of
the Philippines’ (CCP) resident theater company.
Compared
with the 2003 version, director Chris Millado said with
a naughty smile, “It’s bolder this time. And I have
nothing to do with it. It’s the actors themselves who
improvised and made some crucial scenes more daring.”
If you
haven’t seen it and are still wondering how and when
Davao uttered “Ay lahb yuh [I love you],” catch
its last weekend at the CCP. After the experience,
you’ll think twice before using that phrase again.
■ For inquiries, call 832-3661, 832-1125, locals 1620 to
1621. |
