Saturday, September 5, 2015

Review of Artist's Playground TAG-ANI: Aging with Amour

September 5, 2015




One morning, an old lady named Andang was doing her crocheting on a bench in the park in front of a star apple tree. An elderly man named Johnny was passing by and was taken by Andang's charms. He sits down beside her on her bench and began to woo her with the most elaborate poetic lines. Will Andang fall for his flowery tongue? Or will the realities of life impose limits on their budding relationship?

"Tag-Ani" tells a story we rarely hear about, a love scene between two senior citizens. This one-act play was written by recent Natatanging Gawad lifetime achievement award recipient Amelia Lapena Bonifacio as part of her trilogy "Taluhan (Tatlong Dula ng Pag-ibig)", which was first performed in 1975. 




Ermie Concepcion played Andang. Her character is basically the straight man of the play, reacting to the action and situation initiated by the amorous Johnny. Ms. Concepcion plays it simply, no hysterics nor big gestures. She just delivered those sweet little rejoinders and quips with the just the right amount of incredulity, sarcasm or delight.

The bulk of the play's challenge falls on the shoulder of veteran actor Ces Aldaba as the loverboy Johnny. He had the look and charm of a suitor from yesteryear, posturing like a James Dean or Elvis Presley, though his paunch already gets in the way. However it is his tongue that is his prime talent. showering Andang with effusive praise. To do this, Aldaba had to deliver kilometric lines in complicated Filipino poesy in order to win her love.




The simplicity of this play lends itself very well to the intimate confines of 1701 The Little Room Upstairs, venue of Artist's Playground for its experimental productions. This is their second production after the success of "The Riddle of the Sphinx" back in July this year. Their first play was about a couple in their 20s, while this one takes on lovers from the opposite end of the age spectrum. Rarely do we see elderly characters take center stage as the lead characters. 

Artist's Playground is the only company out there now who can bring us these little-known yet precious nostalgic gems out from their storage chest for us to appreciate. Director Roeder Camanag and his crew deserve kudos for their admirable advocacy.

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"Tag-Ani" is on its extended run since it opened last August 22, 2015. There are only two performances left on its last day, September 6, 2015. The Little Room Upstairs can be found in Rm. 1701 of Landsdale Tower along Mother Ignacia Ave. in Quezon City. For tickets, call or text 0977-3062924.


21 comments:

  1. Tag-ani looks like it is one sweet love story between two elder lovers. It is definitely a story we don't hear often as media often has love stories between young budding lovers instead. Definitely a fresh play with a unique twist!

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  2. Sounds like an interesting play! It's fun to watch romance between two people of any age.

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  3. In the end, we all dream about having a special someone beside us when we grow old. This sounds like an interesting play - I'd love to be able to see it! I'm sure there are lessons to be learned from it!

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  4. Those senior citizens sure are talented. They still delivered the scenes with enthusiasm. It's great that they find their passion in acting and they are happy about it since they have been casting in plays decades since.

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  5. This does not look like your ordinary love story as it's centers around elders. Such a brilliant way to twist romance around!

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  6. I like the fact that it seems out of the box and that not the typical one we can predict. Fresh story

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  7. Looks like a great play to watch to believe na #MayForever :D

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  8. age is not a factor when it comes to finding new love. it would be a lovely play to watch!

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  9. Not the usual young lovers as the lead acts on a play. This is nice! Pero qc is too far from me :(

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  10. This looks like such an adorable play to watch! It must have been so great watching such experienced actors do what they do best on stage :D

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  11. This is an interesting love story. Reminds me of my old folks and how I see them share their love until the last days of my dad who passed away recently.

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  12. I believe only people who are familiar with the language can appreciate the show. This kind of shows are popular in Singapore too

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  13. aw this sounds so cute. i don't understand filipino but can imagine how sweet it is

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  14. Senior Citizen's love story is among the purest. I do remember my Lolo and Lola as they get jealous when one is teased to another even if they are together the whole day. This looks like a good watch.

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  15. Wow! Grow Old with you lang ang peg.. So cute to watch Senior citizen love story. so sad , the screening had ended. Do ko napanood.

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  16. It looks like a wonderful play showing people in love growing together and stay forever in love. Must be a worth watching!

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  17. This story line is so sweet, I mean we hardly see senior citizens love stories. I find that Ermie Concepcion is a very natural actress.

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  18. It i smy first time to know that there exists plays with elderly as leads, so i'm very interested in it. It must be amazing how Ces was able to deliver efficiently his kilometric lines.

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  19. This would be nice to watch with your grandparents as they can definitely relate to it. They might reminisce as well :)

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  20. This would be nice to watch with your grandparents as they can definitely relate to it. They might reminisce as well :)

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  21. I know that in the real world, society tends to frown upon elders who fall in love in their ripe old age and say things like "You have grandkids already... you can't possible BE IN LOVE?!!" So this play is a nice reminder that love knows no boundaries - and age is one of them. Thanks for sharing this lovely play review.

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