March 20, 2026
Ellie (Alfredo Reyes) and his young bride Sibyl (Karylle Tatlonghari) were on their honeymoon in a hotel outside Paris. Sibyl bugged Elyot by asking about his ex-wife Amanda whom he divorced five years ago. Meanwhile, in the adjoining suite, Mandy (Missy Maramara) and her new husband Victor (Hans Eckstein) were also on their honeymoon. Victor also bugged Amanda by asking about her ex-husband Elyot whom she divorced five years ago.
"Private Lives" was first staged in 1930, but playwright Noel Coward wrote it in 1926, making this play already 100 years old this year. The first time this was staged in the Philippines was back in 1981 by Repertory Philippines on their 22nd Season. This year, Jeremy Domingo, the current artistic director of Repertory Philippines, thought of beginning their 89th Season with a staged reading of "Private Lives" in a new theatrical concept he called "Rep Unplugged."
This play is a century old as pointed out, so the manner of its comedy of manners can certainly feel dated. It was very much of its time -- so things can get uncomfortable even for a Gen X guy like me. Current red-flag topics like toxic masculinity, abusive relationships and casual misogyny were all over this script in the guise of "comedy." If not for its reputation as a classic, a play with a racy script like this may likely not get greenlit for staging anymore.
That said, most of the play was indeed funny and quite entertaining. The cast went to town with it, albeit still holding their scripts in hand and delivered their lines by reading through it.
The absolute MVP of the play for me was none other than Missy Maramara, who totally embraced all the quirky flaws of her Amanda. She had such a deliciously wicked delivery of Amanda's acerbic lines with timing so perfect, it was impossible for me to not laugh. Honed by her improv experience, Maramara's body language came across as natural and uninhibited. Commitment and consistent, she was truly a riveting and winsome stage presence.
Alfredo "Bibo" Reyes had it rough because his Elyot was a most problematic fellow. While Elyot might have been considered "cool" in the 1930s (Noel Coward himself originated the role), he would be quite the creep nowadays. While he can sweetly play their theme song on a piano, he also had a violent temper can unleash a sharp slap. You can feel that Reyes was trying to soften the negativity of his character, but it was a tough balancing act.
The other two actors playing the new spouses actually embodied more of the 1930s-era acting style. Karylle did very well playing blond, kittenish socialite Sibyl with innocence and idealism, to the point of being clueless, but she had spunk, and would not go down without a fight. Hans Eckstein clearly had fun playing Victor with classic gentlemanly attitude, with a nerdy sort of energy wound up in a nervous witty package.
Repertory Philippines had staged several screwball American or British theater comedies like this over the years, and they are an integral part of the Rep signature. This time, departing from the Rep tradition of lavish productions, Director Domingo chose to present "Private Lives" as "unplugged" first, stripped down to essentials, immersive and intimate (with even seats for audiences up on the stage), with post-show talkbacks. It would be interesting to see how this experimental production style plays out in their next seasons.
***********
"Rep Unplugged: Private Lives" runs only for two 7 pm shows on two days this weekend, March 21 and 22, 2026, at the Rep Theater in Eastwood Citywalk 2, Quezon City.
Next weekend March 28-29, "Rep Unplugged" features another play, a new contemporary one this time -- "Sole Survivor" by Filipino-British playwright Patricia Manuel Go. This dark satire about consuming human ambition stars Giannina Ocampo Van Hoven and Markki Stroem, with direction by Cara Barredo.
Tickets at P3000 - Double Feature (two readings), P1500 - Standalone (one reading only), and P500 - EXCLUSIVE STUDENT PRICE (one reading only), just present Student ID.
No comments:
Post a Comment