May 26, 2021
The last show I watched from Ateneo Blue Repertory was their triumphant staging of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's "Next to Normal" which was the finale of their 28th season. This was right before the whole country was locked down because the pandemic, so the rest of its run was cancelled. The Covid-19 quarantine was a devastating event that closed down the live theater industry for the rest of the year, up to the present. Theater artists had to innovate to get their latest productions online for their viewers to enjoy.
The first show of Blue Rep's 29th season was "Party Worth Crashing," an original musical with book by Marty R. Nevada, Ricci Recto, and Robert Gueco Tan (who was also the director), accompanied by songs by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk. It was reportedly about "youth, coming of age, and learning lessons." This was shown on Ticket2Me for three shows within the last week of January 2021. Unfortunately, I did not get to see that show.
Now for the final show of this season, Blue Rep is presenting their version of "Friction," an original musical with book by Bym Buhain & Miyo Sta. Maria, music and lyrics by Ejay Yatco; which was initially staged six years ago at the Black Box Theater, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. That show was directed by Toff de Venecia, and starred Red Concepcion, Gab Pangilinan and Myke Salmon.
Now with the title stylized as "f(r)iction," the show remains to be about a young writer Karlo (Davy Nicasio) who was desperately trying to finish his book of short stories and fairy tales. However, he had been struck by a bad case of writer's block so much that he was now already three extensions beyond his deadline. His fiancee Audrey (Julia Santiago) was a dancer, until she became pregnant with Karlo's baby which forced her to stop.
One day, Karlo met another young writer Ben (JV Fulgencio) while drinking in a bar. Karlo clicked with Ben and with their conversations came a wellspring of inspiration for his book. The busier Karlo got with his book, the less time he had for Audrey. At around the same time, Audrey also met Ben, who said he had a history with her that he wanted back. It did not take long for Karlo to realize the bizarre love triangle they were in.
There was a fourth actor Shaun Ocrisma, who portrayed three very different characters.
The first two were comic relief. First, he played the bitchy sarcastic gay choreographer who handled Audrey's callback audition. Second he played a waiter in a cafe where Ben met Audrey. His third character was more serious -- a therapist who tried to make sense of the crazy web that entangled the three young people.
The musical ran for about an hour and a half. The first half was a more or less straightforward story of a young adult couple passionate about their careers who fall in love. A pregnancy and a third party came around to throw a wrench into their plans. The second half then evolved into a mind-bending mystery the protagonists could not figure out, and as the audience we are thrown into a vertiginous spinner until the real situation eventually clears up.
The musical was directed for an online presentation by Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan, who was able to execute the psychological drama in compelling fashion despite the apparent limitations of the platform. I was trying to imagine how this story could have been staged. He also did the production design, one key prop being an old portable Olympia typewriter. Water color paintings set the locations in scene transitions, as well as brought Karlo's fairy tales to life.
The songs went from the joyful "I Love You to Bits," the romantic "Bittersweet Sky" to some painful songs of angst and grief. All three lead actors have strong singing voices. However, it was this aspect that an online viewing felt lacking. Editing of videos cannot approximate actual stage blocking and interactions. The thrilling exhilaration of hearing the songs being performed live gives them a special dimension which cell phone videos cannot convey. This is why we miss live theater.
*****
Ateneo Blue Repertory's 29th Season Finale: f(r)iction will run from May 26 tp June 1, 2021 on the Ticket2Me online platform. Tickets are available at https://tinyurl.com/friction-tickets at these prices: Base Price of Php 250, With Souvenir Program: Php 300 and With Souvenir Program and Online Package: Php 400.
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